White Sands 4 by Cosine
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
In addition to the plants I was fortunate to see blooming, forty-four species of mammals, twenty-six species of reptiles, six species of amphibians and nearly 100 families of insects have been recorded within White Sands National Monument. Most animals inhabit the margins of the dune field and the adjacent desert plain.
This little guy is a Bleached earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata ruthveni). I had a hard time focusing on him because his color is so close to the sand's, and of course he wouldn't sit still for me, either. Notice how little of him is touching the ground in this pic. That sand is HOT! I have another that I may post tomorrow where he went under a tussock of grass and essentially disappeared, his camoflage is so good.
Thanks for stopping by and comments on this and previous posts in this series. I'm glad folks are enjoying my desert photos.

Comments (7)
Wonderful capture, Dennis, indeed, its camouflage is stunningly effective! Never seen any like this and it's perfect fit to this environment!
I'm surprised you got this little guy to be still long enough for a picture. I like watching them do the Hot Foot Dance to keep from burning their feet. I've enjoyed this series of pictures even though I haven't been commenting on them.
Terrific job of "capturing" this elusive little guy Dennis!
It would be so easy to miss this little guy in all the white sand. He is a super shot. and so enjoyable. Great photo. HUGS!!
Wonderful capture of this lil' critter. I bet in most cases you can only see his shadow running!
Great find and capture Dennis. You certainly have educated your eyes and your mind seeing all these amazing species. I have to check that place out sometime.
I can see that he really blends in very well! He has a very strangely shaped head. Great pic!