Category: #Reptiles

Monday Portrait #17 — 2026 June 08

Patrick,

The Eastern Spiny

Softshell Turtle

Patrick is an Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle residing in an aquarium at The Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Patrick

Spiny Softshell turtles are found in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The state of North Carolina considers these species of turtles to be of Special Concern. Patrick, like other Spiny Softshell turtles, does not have a hard shell covered in scutes. He is covered in leathery skin instead.

Monday Portrait-2026.06.08

Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 RDP: Tuesday! Reptilian!

Ragtag Daily Prompt

Anolis carolinensis

Green Anole
(Anolis carolinensis)

The Anolis carolinensis (Green Anole) is a tree-dwelling species of anole lizards native to the Southeastern United States. It is small to medium-sized a trunk-crowned ecomorph green anole which can change its colour to several shades from brown to green. It is sometimes referred to as American chameleon due to its colour-changing ability, but it is not a true chameleon.

Green Anole
(Anolis carolinensis)

The dewlap is usually pink for Anolis carolinensis and is very rarely present in females. The color of the dewlap is variable and different from the lizard eye to the human eye. Green anoles are thought to be capable of seeing a larger range of the UV spectrum, and that the dewlap reflects ultraviolet light to attract mates.

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) — Tuesday! Reptilian!

Photo Credit:©️2021-2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens; 2) Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Telephoto

Locations: 1) Seven Oaks Preserve Trail, Belmont, North Carolina; 2) Anne Springs Close Greenway, Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.