Birthday Baby Smauglings . . .

[lavendertook]

A very happy birthday to my dear friends jan_u_wine and addie71! I bet no one's brought you a skink for your birthday before, so here's something new for you on your birthday--little smauglings to light the birthday candles. Knowing you are both fond of bright blue things, I hope you enjoy their neon blue tails as much as I do.


This little skink brings you the letter "C". C for companions, clever, charming, caring, and for celtic knot work. You can see where those scribes got their ideas for illuminated fanciful creatures forming letters, can't you?




These guys are about 3 or four inches long--the tail being more of their length. These are very clever or lucky ones.


These are baby five-lined skinks I met last June and July. The blue will fade as they get older. All the skinks I've seen this month have been adults and so don't have such bright blue tails.


These babies are too curious and ferocious and stupid for camouflage to do them much good, so the bright blue tails protect them by being a decoy. Predators will leap for their tails, which will snap off in their jaws and allow the little skinks to get away. They'll grow new tails, but probably not as long and blue. However, they'll have a better gauge now of what they can eat, and what is likely to eat them instead.

I hope there was yummy cake for your birthdays for you to eat, and not the reverse. That's all we can ask for these days. :-P *hugs*

Comments

[spiralsheep]

Fabulous beast! Thank you for sharing. :-)

[lavendertook]

Aren't they? You're welcome. I have only begun to post my skink pics, though these be my favorites of the babies.

[monkey5s]

I remember, vividly, the first time I saw a juvenile five-lined skink. I was cabin-sitting for a friend in southern Ohio, in the hills (foothills of the Appalachians). They owned 8 acres of very steep ravine, the cabin was dug into the ravine side near the road. As I recall, the most notable aspect for me was that the outhouse was open on the ravine side, so you had a lovely view as you sat there. The cabin was small enough that the little deck built on the side by the front door pretty much increased the cabin area by 50%. The deck was south-facing, so I mostly spent my five days there, vegging out in the sun. And since I was sitting really still, I saw little teeny lizards that had BRIGHT BLUE TAILS. It was amazing, and it was so many years pre-Internet that I had no way of finding out what they were until I got back home and could go to the library!

[lavendertook]

Aren't their tails stunning and magical? What a nice story about your encounter with them, bb. (-:

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

aww...those do look like smauglings!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Aren't they miraculous creatures? (-:

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

Sorry I was not at home when you posted this, dear LT. I LOVE skinks and these are specially charming, the little Smaug-ola's!

I didn't have yummy cake, but a perfectly lovely afternoon out with family. I'm still a bit overcome.....or is that hungover?

Mayyyyyyybeeeeee.....

thank you again!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I am sooo glad you were out and at the ocean being treated properly by your family and having fun with them for a change! You deserve it! I'm glad you love skinks, too. I've posted you my best pics of the vicious little neon darlings.

You're very welcome, bb. *twirls you*

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

thank you again! it was certainly a very lovely day. And thank you for the skinkery.....i believe we had a captive one when my son was a young skink (or is that 'stink'?) himself.....

his racing stripe was orange, if i recall.....

[shirebound]

Oh my, what a beauty! I've never seen a skink either.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Aren't they? Spotting them is so much fun. (-:

[addie71.livejournal.com]

What lovely little smauglings! Thank you, sweetie. :)

Yummy cake as well as ice cream was on hand for the day.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like them. I've been saving this pics for a special occasion, and here it is. Yay for ice cream with your cake. I hope you were properly appreciated and had a lovely cake n ice cream party, dear one. *squishes*

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Are these skinks local or were you on a trip, cane and all? They sure are pretty things!!!