A very common garden lizards

I am very fond of these lizards, which are easy to see in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia. The changable or oriental garden lizard, Calotes versicolor is a widespread lizard in Asia from Iran to the Philippines, often seen in parks and gardens. It is very adaptable and prolific and there is no problem in fit with humans. Many of these photos were taken in the hotel gardens and the lizards were enough for me to crawl over them with my macro lens! It makes me think that you have a personal personality when you get up close and personal!

They live in the underground, feeding on arthropods and so on - sometimes their own young (!) - as well as eating small birds, frogs, jackasses and small snakes. So they clearly impact the environment by controlling pests.

They go out in open spaces and stay in the sun. They are not shy, but will dart back into cover if you get too close. Dominant men like to display themselves with prominent perches, such as hedges (below), fences and fence posts. They are also seen on tree trunks in open forests and woodlands, sometimes with heads downward, perhaps out for hunting.

Younger teenagers live on the ground, forging and basking, and out of the way of more prominent ones. Mature males turn red during the breeding season. Their front end suffers from a dark red, or rusty colored flush (below). Sometimes due to this red color it is called 'Bloodsucker Lizard'. Seems rather unfair to me, because it doesn't suck blood!

After becoming dominant, the males turn red and subdue an opponent. I posted a picture of two mating in a previous blog! Adult males and females are of the same body size, but males are longer. Here is a small picture on the ground (in a hotel) showing how long (below) the tail is.