Ophisaurus ventralis - Eastern Glass Lizard

While walking the pipeline corridor in Santa Rosa County, Florida, Mark spotted this gorgeous Ophiosaur. I very gently picked him up, since I did not want to injure him in any way. To keep him from struggling, I cradled him in my lap, where he quickly calmed down. Here you can see him looking out from under my shirt.
We estimated that he was 20 inches. I love his coloration, with the black background and colored checks. These lizards are gentle and should never be roughly handled.



The Ophisaur was somehow holding on to me. I lifted up my shirt and found out how!