Common name : Maranon poison frog Scientific name : Excidobates mysteriosus Family : Dendrobatidae Native to : Peru Interesting fact : Habitat loss and an increased interest in them as pets have caused these species to become endangered. Conservation status : Endangered If you look closely inside bromeliad plants, you might encounter red baby frogs […]

Common name : Saltwater crocodile Scientific name : Crocodylus porosus Family : Crocodylidae Native to : Eastern India, South-East Asia and Northern Australia Interesting fact : They swallow pebbles and stones to help grind the food in their stomachs. Conservation status : Least Concern At 17 feet, estuarine crocodiles are the largest reptiles in the

Common name : Emerald tree boa Scientific name : Corallus caninus Family : Boidae Native to : Northern South America Interesting fact : It has a unique resting position with its head in the middle of a coiled body saddled on a branch. Conservation status : Least Concern Emerald green with white zig-zag markings and

Common name : Giant day gecko, Madagascar giant day gecko Scientific name : Phelsuma grandis Family : Gekkonidae Native to : Madagascar Interesting fact : They love to bask on treetops. Conservation status : Least Concern A species of gecko lizards, the elo handsome is bright green with red spots and a red stripe between

Common name : Javan wart snake, Javan file snake Scientific name : Acrochordus javanicus Family : Acrochordidae Native to : Northern Sumatra and west coast of Malaysia Interesting fact : Their meat is a delicacy in Asia. Conservation status : Least Concern The elephant trunk snake has a baggy skin making it look larger. It

Scientific name : Naja haje Family : Elapidae Native to : Africa Interesting fact : It will move away from danger at first but will strike if threatened. Conservation status : Least Concern It is the largest cobra in Africa. It has a flat head and rounded snout. They flare their hoods when threatened like

Common name : Dyeing poison frog Scientific name : Dendrobates tinctorius Family : Dendrobatidae Native to : Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam and Brazil Interesting fact : The secretion from the frog was supposedly used by natives to dye green parrots’ feathers red. Conservation status : Least Concern They are brilliantly coloured in blue or black

Common name : Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, Musky caiman, Cuvier’s smooth-fronted caiman Scientific name : Paleosuchus palpebrosus Family : Alligatoridae Native to : Northern and Central South America Interesting fact : In some cultures, wearing the teeth of dwarf caimans is believed to protect people from snake bites. Conservation status : Least Concern They are very

Scientific name : Sceloporus arenicolus Family : Phrynosomatidae Native to : New Mexico and Texas Conservation status : Vulnerable They live in a unique habitat surrounded by short oak trees called shinnery oak around depressions caused in sand dunes due to the wind. The belly of the male is blotched in blue while the female

Scientific name : Gopherus agassizii Family : Testudinidae Native to : Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of California, Nevada, Utah and portions of Arizona Interesting fact : Adults can survive up to a year without water. Conservation status : Vulnerable They can burrow up to 6 feet deep to escape the desert heat and the cold

Common name : Knight anole, Chipojo Scientific name : Anolis equestris Family : Polychrotidae Native to : Cuba Interesting fact : Their threat-display includes standing high on limbs, gaping, turning green, bobbing their heads and puffing up their bodies with air. Conservation status : Not Assessed This largest anole is a brilliant green colour. The

Common name : Holy Cross frog, Catholic frog Scientific name : Notaden bennettii Family : Myobatrachidae Native to : New South Wales and Queensland Interesting fact : The toad buries itself to survive long periods without water. Conservation status : Least Concern Quite round for a toad, crucifix toads are brightly coloured with blunt snouts