Life Imitating Life

I saw an ad in the paper for a reptile fair at a small local pet shop so I thought I'd swing by and see what was happening. 

Here we have Peabody, a Blue-tongued Skink. I couldn’t get him to show me his tongue, but I was enchanted by his coloring, not to mention that of his handler. I always thought that a skink was a made-up thing, like a snipe, but I didn't tell Peabody that. He was very much a real creature, even though his skin felt like shiny plastic. Right after I took the photo he peed on his person's lap, and a rather large amount for such a small guy. I never gave much thought to reptiles peeing before. In fact, I don't give much thought to reptiles at all. The whole experience was very push/pull--fascinating, but ee-yew: snakes, but fascinating. Creepy and wondrous and strange. 

There is a close-up of Peabody in the Extras, as well as an interesting shot of Python Pete, a Jungle Carpet Python, native to Australia. Pete felt warm, very different from the skink. By this time I was ready to hold him, I mean how many times would I get the chance, but the man said he would probably wrap around my head and break my glasses, so I changed my mind.