[It's more fun if read aloud...]
Today I shall tell you the tale of a lizard known as “Blue/Blue.” She’s actually called “Female, LeftB030/RightB031, Tree 3, Plot 1, 6/21/16,” but I know all that matters little you.
An Anolis lizard, she takes hails from the tropics, but of her many behaviors, female-female competition shall be today’s topic.
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| The Forest Scene for our story. |
When Blue/Blue’s name
first came to be, she spent most of her days on a Tree called SP-3.
A modest sierra palm,
she seemed happy enough, surrounded by neighbors, and insects, and a whole
manner of forest-y stuff.
One of her neighbors,
known to all as White/White, lived on Tree 4, but seems to have disappeared
during one night!
Whether she carried
her bags to a neighboring plot, or met a maniacal lizard cuckoo, I’m afraid we
know naught.
Regardless of reason,
there resulted a great tizzy, and we suddenly found our day of observations quite
busy.
It would seem that
Tree 4 is a great perching prize, as we found it was coveted by a great many
eyes.
Green/White eyed the
vacancy from Tree number 1, but decided it not worth the battle she might not
have won.
Green/Green looked
upon the great tree with envy, as she and White/White had never been friendly.
Orange/Yellow crawled
down the base of tree 2, shook her head and thought “that’s just too much
territory for you.”
Yellow/Yellow had
always been restless, tree 5 being easy to defend and leaving her quite quest-less.
But it was Blue/Blue
who moved quickly to claim the new prize, much to the surprise of neighborly
eyes.
On the roots of Tree
4, Blue/Blue perched with pride, but soon found herself drawn to the other side.
Green/Green pranced
about, exploring by root and by vine, not content to remain on her palm leaf
and pine!
Blue/Blue took
offense and began doing push-ups, as she had come too far and cared not for
territorial screw-ups.
But it seemed her
efforts would be drawn thin, as Yellow/Yellow scampered up seeking to join in!
Blue/Blue would not
give up her prize so easily, as she was 45mm long and therefore not measly!
She push-upped, and
dewlapped, and stuck her tongue out, daring her foes to seek other routes.
It seemed
Yellow/Yellow would be first up to battle, her own pushups making her palm
perch rattle.
They darted and bit
and ran round in circles, and if lizard faces could show fatigue, they’d both
have been purple!
It lasted ten minutes
and filled me with fright, but eventually Yellow-Yellow gave up, and left the
fight.
With wounded pride
she slunk back to tree five, promising she’d be back when she felt more alive.
But the woes of
Blue/Blue were far, far from finished, as Green/Green remained, causing a
menace.
She push-upped and
crawled closer, drawing Blue/Blue ever nearer, thinking her chance to own tree number
4 had never been clearer.
Drawing un-lizardly
strength from her ectotherm soul, Blue/Blue quickly retaliated, never
forgetting her goal.
Darting this way and
that, she harried her opponent, declaring “This is my throne, and you shall
never own it!”
She jumped to the
palms that were Green/Green’s home turf, and incited an interaction that became
quite a tryst.
Five minutes it
lasted, all puffed chests and tongues out, as these two former neighbors
battled it out.
Blue/Blue emerged
triumphant and Green/Green did run, and with some victory push-ups she shouted
“What, leaving the fun?”
She returned to her
tree, all pride and all glee, taking stock of the goods in her new
territory.
She slept soundly
that night, nestled amongst the leaves, thoughts of her triumphs filling her
dreams.
It was good that she
rested,
for as you all know,
the Usurper will
always be tested,
by friend and by foe.
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