here there be dragons

The Toledo Zoo currently has an exhibit on dragons. We missed the beginning of it (which, I think, has mythical dragons, wrought of fiberglas), but saw the end, which had several different real critters with "dragon" in their names.

Had I realized the camera was choosing such a narrow depth of field, I'd have messed with the controls that would have let me choose a greater depth. Sigh. But aren't these leafy sea dragons incredible creatures? They were big, too. Eight to ten inches long, I bet. So here is a really-pretty-bad pic, to celebrate the diversity of life on our planet.

















Here is a much more satisfying image (though I suppose the depth of field could have been better in this one, too).

Generally speaking, when Steve Irwin starts talking about how gorgeous some reptile is, I can't quite see it. But there's something about this particular komodo dragon..... The color of the scales, the delicacy of the claws..... Isn't she gorgeous?