WildView™

September 25, 2023

Perfectly Patterned

- as seen by -

Byron Towles

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I didn’t notice this common desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) lying in the shade of a bush in the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park in California until a group of people passed behind me, causing the lizard to move off a short distance from its hiding place.

Even in the sunlight, I could see how the patterns on its skin provided perfect camouflage, blending with the gravel and rocks of its desert habitat.

Human activities including development and energy production are threats to this reptile that lives in the shrubland and desert of the southwest.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Enter our Wild View assignment and photo contest Summer Celebration with your photos that dynamically display the diversity in nature.

Canon EOS 7D camera with Canon EF 200mm f/4L lens

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