The lizards are coming !
Dr. James J. S. Johnson
Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. (Genesis 8:19)
Earlier this week some co-workers spotted a Spiny Lizard creeping around, inside a building that I work in — so I wrote this limerick, about how the lizards are coming!
Should we panic, trembling as we await invading lizards? This is a semi-sarcastic attempt to mock recent trends of panic-in-the-news (“the-sky-is-falling!”) hysteria.
Desert Spiny Lizard (female) / Tucson Herpetological Society
THE LIZARDS ARE COMING!
Phrynosomatids are such fun;
Now here, their visits, have begun;
As Eastland knows well,
These can heartily dwell *
If overbred, we’ll be overrun!
(Regarding Texas’ most famous phrynosomatid lizard, “Ol’ Rip” of Eastland, see this Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ol%27_Rip_the_Horned_Toad/ .)
Usually Texans are more concerned about hailstorms than lizards.
But, it’s not a bad idea to keep an eye out for phrynosomatid lizards — such as spiny lizards, horny lizards (a/k/a horny toads), California rock lizards, fringe-toed lizards, earless lizards, zebra-tailed lizards, and other creepy reptiles. (But don’t be fearful.)
rockdoveblog 