Monday, February 21, 2011

Flying Dragon

As I had mentioned earlier, we had to climb a really steep mountain, one that was covered with dense forest. I got to spot a number of critters but didn't get the chance to shoot all of them as I had to keep up with the others. Most of them were insects. At one moment during the hike, I spotted a small gliding lizard (or flying dragon) perched upon a tall tree. However, the tiny creature scurried up high into the tree before I could photograph it. I was pretty devastated as I never really got to shoot a flying dragon well. But that wasn't to be! I managed to spot another one near the base of the hill, close to the car park. This one was big, and I immediately identified it as the Common Flying Dragon or Sumatran Flying Dragon. Here are some shots.


Notice the small path of yellow under its throat. That's his flag that he spreads when he sees a mate.



Close up of the head.


Remarkable camouflage!


So I was delighted with this chance to shoot the lizard properly, but it wasn't over with this. The lizard climbed up the tree and when I looked up, I realized that he was closing to another lizard, a female! I immediately took some shots. However, I was using a basic 18-55mm lens on my friend's 450D and it couldn't reach the pair well even at full zoom. But still, here's a fair shot. Look closely and you'll see both of them.

2 comments:

adrielleroyale said...

These are so cool!! What amazing camoflage they have!! You would never notice them if you weren't looking for them! You have such a great eye and these are great shots :) Always a pleasure! :)

Shawn said...

Hi Adrielle,

You're right, they're really hard to spot. I myself am lucky to have spotted one!

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