My Chickens Vs. An Alligator

[Nifty-Chicken]

Did that get your attention? Well, it was actually an alligator lizard, but still pretty cool.

Read the whole story here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-alligator-lizard.html

In the next few days I'll be adding a video or two of the fight in action!

BTW, I decided to put it in this forum because these lizards are a pest (in my opinion). If my girls would have eaten the little bugger I would have put it in the "Feeding Time" section.

 

[Chicken_Lover]

If my girls found that lizard, it would need to be posted in the feeding time section.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Some lizards drop their tails so that really would've been interesting. Jerry once jumped about 3 feet in the air when he was a cute little garter snake.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Video is posted! Really quick, only 24 seconds, but you'll some good shots:

Look at the bottom of the page:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-alligator-lizard.html

 

[Citychick]

Pretty Chickens! But can't watch the video. Let them eat all the mice they want, but you've got a lizard fan here. In this case I'd have to root for the lizard. One of my favorite pets from when I was a kid was a little green anole. Wierd I know but our house was like animal kingdom!
It's funny chickens look so sweet and fluffy but under all that they are just like little velasoraptors (spelling?). Still you gotta love em!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Citychick, I hear ya! I like lizards too, just not these mean boogers.

We use to have a bunch of "blue-belly lizards" all over our property growing up and none of the alligator lizards. But now all the blue-belly lizards are gone and we just have mean old alligator lizards. Compared to each other, the alligators make the blue-bellies look like fluffy bunnies. I wouldn't be surprised if the alligators ate all the cute blue-belly lizards.

 

[Liquid Metal]

Nifty-Chicken,

I sent you an email. If you find anymore of those Alligator Lizards, I will pay $5-8 each for a pair of healthy female and male (tails still intacted).

Thank You

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Interessting request. What do you do with them?

Tails intact? Their original tails? Many of them have a different tail then they started with.

 

[Liquid Metal]

I have one right now as a pet. I am setting up 100 gallons for emerald swifts and alligator lizards. I want to find companionship for the current one. I been looking for them for a while now but only seen western fence (blue bellies). I don't care much for western fence because there are tons of them in my backyard.

I posted this couple weeks ago http://www.repticzone.com/forums/AlligatorLizards/messages/1216514.html.

Hope you can help me out if you can. I like lizards just as much as you like chickens. So, I think you understand from one pet enthusiast to another pet enthusiast. Otherwise, I will have to go down to San Diego and find some myself.

What terrain did you find them? You said that you lifted up some plywood and it was right there. Did it run like western fence? Can you give me some tips on finding some if you aren't interest in catching some for money?

The one in your picture is an adult male and I think it is a Northern Alligator Lizard. Male has triangular head while female's head is almost parallel to its body. They usually come out from hibernation in February and are in full breeding season right now.

Do you live north or south of the Sierra?

Thanks

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Oh... how I miss the "blue bellies" and golpher snakes we use to have in our yard as a kid... now they are all gone. All I see now are alligator lizards (which we never had around here as a kid). And they are definitely way more aggressive than the blue's or snakes were.

When I find them in the winter I think they are hibernating or something because they don't move very fast at all. In the summer they tend to be a little zippy, but sometimes they just hang out.

Terrain: Backyard is mostly unlandscaped with dirt (clay soil) and leaves. I tend to find them under boards, tarps, old cardboard, etc.

I'm in the SF Bay Area which is west of the Sierra.