Most people see something long moving through the grass and immediately think snake. And honestly, I get it.
But this wasn’t a snake.
We almost walked right past a legless lizard.
When we spotted it, somebody immediately yelled, “Snake!” and I had to stop them. I said, “Nope. That’s a lizard.”
Of course everybody looked at me like I was crazy because there are no legs on the thing. But sure enough, it’s a legless lizard.
I was really careful when I picked him up because these guys can actually drop their tail just like other lizards do when they feel threatened. And with a legless lizard, that tail makes up a huge part of its body. You definitely don’t want to grab one wrong and hurt it.
But the coolest part for me was that I hadn’t seen one of these since I was a kid.
I’ve spent a lot of time outside in Florida over the years, and somehow I just haven’t come across one in a long, long time. So seeing this little guy honestly brought back a lot of memories.
And this is the stuff I love about being out here.
Everybody thinks we’re just looking for giant pythons, iguanas, hogs, or whatever else we’re chasing that day. But sometimes the coolest thing you find is something completely unexpected.
And unlike the invasive animals we’re out here removing, this little guy belongs here.
That’s what people sometimes forget. The whole reason we care about removing invasive species is because Florida has native wildlife like this that we want to protect.
We let everybody get a good look at him, handled him carefully, and then put him right back where we found him.
No tail lost. No harm done.
Good spot, y’all.
I haven’t seen one of those since I was a kid, and that one really meant something to me.
