The mystery of Ermentrude the lizard

i-34145f4aff0bfe096388fdd851b879f3-Ermie 1.jpg

This is Ermentrude, or Ermie, the best lizard I ever kept. Despite his name he was a male (I think). He got used to being handled but didn't like having his claws clipped. Strangely, he liked banana and once he ate a load of white butterfly chrysalises. Anyway... can you succeed where so many have failed. Can you identify the species that Ermentrude belonged to? The photos aren't great, but they're all I have...

i-1b48eb6e53af528c2a278574eb90f428-Ermie 2.jpg

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A gorgon?

By Stevo Darkly (not verified) on 26 Feb 2008 #permalink

Albino squirrel? Sealion? Baboon? Rhinogradentian?

Hmm... I was thinking tropidurid, lacertid or teiid, but there's something about the head in the second photo that hints at agamid or iguanid...

Or a Liolaemus, at least something within that clade. One of those South American groups, anyway - sceloporine head but the body and tail are wrong, but it's definitely an iguanian.

If it were Australian, it would be an Egernia. But it's not (with those caudal scales in rings!), so it's going to be something from southern Africa or South America (or Madagascar?). I wouldn't say definitely whether it's scincomorph or iguanian, but it's one of the two and I'm pretty sure it's neither scincid, lacertid nor acrodontan. Far too many legs, anyhow.

By John Scanlon, FCD (not verified) on 26 Feb 2008 #permalink

It's an ordinary house cat, F. sylvestris catus. The lack of any recognizable landscape features for scale gives the appearance of a small lizard.

Fool me once, ...

*Eremias*? Although the head looks a little bit too iguanian for a lacertid...

*Eremias*

That would explain the name...

Just to shoot my mouth off: Looks iguanian.

By David Marjanović (not verified) on 27 Feb 2008 #permalink

Clearly iguanian. Not North American. Tropidurine is a good guess, especially given the taste for fruit.

By Sven DiMilo (not verified) on 27 Feb 2008 #permalink

Tetrapodial reticulated reptilian ermine obviously, but specific species?, sorry I can't give out that sort of detailed information on the internet!

Looks like a Curly Tailed Lizard...
Leiocephalux spp. or Tropidurus spp....maybe a very nicely patterned Leiocephalux carinatus?

Is it a Central Netted Lizard (Ctenophorus nuchalis)?

By macroclemys (not verified) on 27 Feb 2008 #permalink

I've got it now. It's a Prey item.

(Sorry Darren, I understand how one feels about pets, but had to say it. It's funny because it's true.)

By John Scanlon, FCD (not verified) on 27 Feb 2008 #permalink