Daniel,
Looks like a couple of great days... nice temperatures, plenty of herps, bright sunshine, and a big, fat carp! Did it croak likea frog when you took it out of the water
? Thanks for sharing your pictures. Do you think birds are eating the tails off those lizards or what?
Stefan,
The same principle applies with garters... the further North one goes, the more common melanistic garters become. It's said to improve their heat absorption, but that would be counter productive in warmer, Southern locales.
Rick