Sceloporus olivaceus

“A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.” ~Proverbs 30:28

Before her recent capture, Lizzie Lou had apparently taken up residence in my office – not exactly what you would call a “palace.” She had been sighted before and had gotten away. But, leave it to my son to capture her – though not actually with his hand. Honestly, it would be more fair to say she captured herself. Do you remember the stories of God throwing armies into confusion and routing them while the children of Israel stood by and watched? Yeah, it was kind of like that.

My son spotted her lurking in my office and then proceeded to chase her around the room. Finally, making a decision she probably regrets, she ran into an empty box, and my son, smart enough to seize the opportunity, righted the box and had himself a lizard.

Lizzie is a Texas Spiny Lizard. These creatures can grow to about 11” long, are insectivores, climb trees, and are known for their jumping ability (which, actually, has been quite entertaining!) She (yes, she’s a “she,” as evidenced by her plain, gray belly – males have blue on their bellies) is about 6” long and, frankly, has adapted well to us. She doesn’t scurry away from us too much anymore, and instead, grasps onto a finger nudged gently under her belly, and, given the chance, races up the attached arm. I think she sees it as a way of escape, but as of yet, she has not been successful (which is good, because she doesn’t realize she would likely become cat food.)

Wednesday, after running up my daughter's arm, and onto her back, Lizzie decided to crawl through her hair and onto her head. I am really glad that I heard laughter and not screams from that one!

When we got Lizzie some crickets, we didn’t realize how very educational this whole experience would be! First, we got to see her snatch and eat one within about 15 minutes of their introduction to her habitat. (She received a rousing applause!) Then later I spied one cricket looking quite dead. After 20-30 minutes, I walked back by and realized he was actually molting! Pretty cool!

The kids had been hoping for a rodent (gerbil, hamster, guinea pig, rat … it didn’t matter what.) I think Lizzie is satisfying that itch … at least for now. =)