What do you do in this natural situation?

Question

My brother is an observant,credible nature lover. Recently while in the backyard he saw a blue lizard.The head was deep blue & the body had different hues ending in a light blue tail. Lately he called me to the backyard. not to see a curly -tailed lizard or an iguana[which I have seen before] but rather a giant lizard with intricate patterns. It stayed on the rock quite a while as if waiting to be photographed but I did not have the camera ready. When a visiting friend came to investigate, it slid off the rock &disappeared. I have photographed what an underwater photographer[who lived nextdoor] identified as a lethal snake he had seen in the Pacific Ocean. He showed me the head. I photographed it because I had fresh batteries.Just before I stepped into the water i saw an S shape dancing.. It was a camouflaged white and brown- the colour of the sand and seaweed.. What should we do when we encounter the 'unusual' in nature?-. .

Answer 1

take pictures, note the location of were it was found, but do not touch it.  If you wish to identify something you have seen, take the pictures to your local zoo, marine aquarium or college.  It is always possible to find a new species or sub species, but Always leave the animals where you have found them.

Answer 2

take a photo of it as soon as possible.

or if you encounter bigfoot or the chupacabra, tranquilize it as soon as you can

Answer 3

Well photographing is a great start....i love taking pictures...and im not sure where your from but it sound like you have a lot of wildlife around you so....what to do when you encounter the unusual...

Snap some pictures....they last forever and they dont do any harm to the environment....like taking the lizard home and trying to raise it would...ya know?

And if you have an underwater photographer living next door ask him or her some pointers on taking great pics....sounds like there is no lack of wild animals where you are so take advantage! I have more pictures of my reptiles than i do of my husband..or myself!

Answer 4

I'd take as many pictures as you can, then consult a guide on native reptiles in your area.  If it's something that really isn't native to your area, I'd go ahead and contact your local DNR to find out what you should do.  They may want to remove the animal if it's non-native, or they may take down the location to show that the range of this lizard is changing.

Answer 5

You don't mention where you live, but the lizard you saw with the blue tail sounds like a five lined skink, which lives in the eastern half of the U.S. If this is where you live, there is no way you saw a highly venomous sea snake. It may be something which looks similar to what your neighbor thinks it is, but probably not the same thing. Maybe you could post the photo? As for what to do when you see the "unusual", take a picture and leave it alone. Most of the time the "unusual" is just mistaken for something else and is actually pretty "usual".