Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union-
Al Rucka, of North Bay Drive on Pike Lake, found this unusual creature while trimming his bushes Tuesday. Our photographer scooped up the lifeless reptile and took it to Paws and Claws pet shop in Warsaw, where employee Debbie Swihart identified it as a Savannah monitor lizard. Savannahs grow to about 3 feet in length. This one was nearly 2 feet long. Lizards need a basking temperature of about 75 to 90 degrees to be comfortable, so the recent chilly weather was probably its fatal undoing. Swihart theorized that the lizard was probably a pet and either escaped from its owner or was abandoned. If the owner wishes to claim the remains, Paws and Claws agreed to keep the little guy on ice for a couple days. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union
