Common name : Oustalet’s giant chameleon Scientific name : Furcifer oustaleti Family : Chamaeleonidae Native to : Madagascar Conservation status : Least Concern The Malagasy giant chameleon is quite large at 70 cm. They are grey to brown creatures with a protuberance on the head like a shield. They can change colour and have long […]
Common name : Malabar gliding frog Scientific name : Rhacophorus malabaricus Family : Rhacophoridae Native to : Western Ghats of India Interesting fact : The flying frog lays its eggs in foamy nests on trees above water, from which the hatched tadpoles drop into the water. Conservation status : Least Concern The Malabar flying frog
Common name : Hump-nosed lizard, Hump-snout lizard, Lyreshead lizard Scientific name : Lyriocephalus scutatus Family : Agamidae Native to : Sri Lanka Interesting fact : They are known to act dead if picked up and males exhibit beautiful breeding colours. Conservation status : Near Threatened Aptly named, the hump-nosed lizard’s nose has a rounded bulge.
Scientific name : Pituophis ruthveni Family : Colubridae Native to : Louisiana and Texas Interesting fact : The pocket gopher creates barriers by filling its burrow with sand, but the pine snake quickly digs through it with its pointed snout. Conservation status : Endangered Louisiana pine snake is a non-venomous snake adapted with a pointed
Scientific name : Aspidoscelis gypsi/Cnemidophorus gypsi Family : Teiidae Native to : United States Conservation status : Vulnerable The little white whiptail is found exclusively in the White Sands region of New Mexico, United States. Its powerful legs, long neck and tail and a body covered in scales are all well suited for a desert
Scientific name : Hydromantes brunus Family : Plethodontidae Native to : California, United States Interesting fact : During extremes of temperature they go into a state of slow metabolism to conserve energy. This is called going into ‘torpor’. Conservation status : Vulnerable Living within a range of only 20 miles are the limestone salamanders with
Common name : Lute turtle, Leathery turtle Scientific name : Dermochelys coriacea Family : Dermochelyidae Native to : Distributed around the world as they are migratory Interesting fact : They can stay under water for up to 85 minutes. Conservation status : Vulnerable The leatherback is the largest turtle in the world measuring 7 feet
Common name : Lataste’s viper, Snub-nosed viper, Snub-nosed adder Scientific name : Vipera latastei Family : Viperidae Native to : Portugal, Spain, Morocco and Algeria Conservation status : Vulnerable An upturned snout is unique to the venomous Lataste’s viper. It is grey in colour with a triangular head and a dark zig-zag pattern running down
Scientific name : Rhinechis scalaris Family : Colubridae Native to : Europe Interesting fact : The young snakes have the ladder pattern in black giving them their common name. Conservation status : Least Concern The ladder snake is non-venomous growing to an average length of 120 to 160 cm. Adults are yellow to brown with
Scientific name : Bungarus sp. Family : Elapidae Native to : South and South-East Asia Interesting fact : Kraits bite and hold the bite for a while injecting a large amount of venom into the victim. Conservation status : Vulnerable Kraits are a group of highly venomous snakes. There are 13 different species growing to
Common name : Komodo monitor Scientific name : Varanus komodoensis Family : Varanidae Native to : Indonesia Interesting fact : Even if its prey escapes its powerful attack, its saliva (rich in bacteria) kills it within 24 hours. The Komodo will then sniff the trail of its dead prey and eat it. Conservation status :
Common name : Kokoe poison frog Scientific name : Phyllobates aurotaenia Family : Dendrobatidae Native to : Coast of Columbia Interesting fact : The tribal men of the columbian forest would put the frog on a stick and show it over fire to bring its skin toxin out. This is then rubbed onto their arrow
Scientific name : Batrachoseps regius Family : Plethodontidae Native to : Fresno county, California Conservation status : Vulnerable Kings river slender salamander is a small and slender salamander that is 3.2 to 3.5 cm long. It is shiny black with a tan dorsal stripe. The head is large with a distinct neck. These lungless salamanders
Scientific name : Ophiophagus hannah Family : Elapidae Native to : South and South-East Asia Interesting fact : Female cobras lay eggs inside nests made of leaves and guard them till they hatch. Conservation status : Vulnerable The world’s longest venomous snake, the King cobra, is 18.8 feet long. It can raise itself high, hiss
Scientific name : Batrachoseps simatus Family : Plethodontidae Native to : Kern County in California Interesting fact : Like most salamanders of the family, they are lungless salamanders breathing through their skins. Conservation status : Vulnerable These 5 cm long salamanders are shiny and dark brown covered in reddish spots. They have narrow heads with