"Fan of Love" ID : Sarada darwini (Darwin's large fan-throated lizard) ♂ Swipe left ⬅️ for ♀ This species is found in the grasslands and cotton fields of south Maharashtra and north Karnataka, at an altitude ranging from 1804 to 2231 feet (550 to 680 m) above sea level. It lives in deep underground crevices and can be seen basking on tufts of grass, twigs, rocks and mounds, sometimes in pairs. Breeding takes place in May and the newly-hatched young emerge in October. Sexually-mature males have iridescent blue, black and orange patches with yellow stripes on their large dewlap. The orange colour extends all the way down to the belly. The species is named after Charles Darwin, who referred to the "throat-pouch" of a fan-throated lizard in his book The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex , to illustrate secondary sexual traits in reptiles. #LargeFanThroatedLizard #Lizard #Reptile #animalelite #KolhapurWild #Kolhapur #Maharashtra #India #kolhapurdiaries #dslrofficial #reptilesofinstagram #vsco #vscocam #vscogood #afterlight #photography #photooftheday #photographyislife #Wild #Wildlife #wildernessculture #earthpix #bbcearth (at Kolhapur)