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Common name : Atlantic ridley sea turtle Scientific name : Lepidochelys kempii Family : Cheloniidae Native to : Gulf of Mexico Interesting fact : Each hatchlings has a temporary tooth called ‘caruncle’, solely for breaking open its egg shell. Conservation status : Critically Endangered Smallest of all sea turtles, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is characterized […]

Common name : Blue general, Aodaisho Scientific name : Elaphe climacophora Family : Colubridae Native to : Japan Interesting fact : Its vertebra is adapted to crush eggs that it eats. Conservation status : Not Assessed The Japanese rat snake is a non-venomous snake that is 120 to 160 cm long. They are olive, bright

Scientific name : Cyclura collei Family : Iguanidae Native to : Jamaica Interesting fact : In 1940, Jamaican iguanas were considered extinct and were later re-discovered in 1990. Conservation status : Critically Endangered Jamaica’s largest native land animal is the Jamaican iguana and is one of the ten species of rock iguanas. Comb-like scales run

Common name : Three-horned chameleon Scientific name : Trioceros jacksonii Family : Chamaeleonidae Native to : Kenya and Tanzania Interesting fact : They don’t drink water but lick the dew drops from leaves. Conservation status : Least Concern You can identify the male Jackson’s chameleon with its three-horned head. The females have none. Being a

Common name : Paraguayan caiman, Red caiman, Piranha caiman, Southern spectacled caiman Scientific name : Caiman yacare Family : Alligatoridae Native to : Central South America Interesting fact : They love to feed, almost exclusively, on piranha fish, giving them their common name, piranha caiman. Conservation status : Least Concern Jacaré caimans are similar to

Common name : Inyo mountains slender salamander Scientific name : Batrachoseps campi Family : Plethodontidae Native to : California, United States Interesting fact : They are ‘lungless’ salamanders that breathe through their skins. Conservation status : Endangered The slender salamander is found in the Inyo Mountains in California. Growing to about 6 cm, they have

Common name : Spectacled cobra, Binocellate cobra, Asian cobra Scientific name : Naja naja Family : Elapidae Native to : India Interesting fact : They can spit venom over a distance of 2 metres when threatened. Conservation status : Not Assessed. Protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) The Indian spectacled cobra forms a

Common name : Black-tailed python, Indian rock python Scientific name : Python molurus Family : Pythonidae Native to : Southern Asia Interesting fact : After a heavy meal (a deer, for eg.), they can go for almost a year without food. Conservation status : Near Threatened Living in forests and woodlands is the third longest

Common name : Gavial, Fish-eating crocodile Scientific name : Gavialis gangeticus Family : Gavialidae Native to : India Interesting fact : Humans are their only predators who hunt them for leather and meat. Conservation status : Critically Endangered A narrow, long and bulbous snout identifies the Indian ghariyal that is closely related to the salt

Scientific name : Iguana sp. Family : Iguanidae Native to : Mexico, Central America, Brazil and the Caribbean Island Interesting fact : In addition to excellent vision, a third eye on top of the head can sense predators above. Conservation status : Vulnerable Iguanas are large lizards, about 5 to 6 feet long, with typical

Scientific name : Dicamptodon aterrimus Family : Dicamptodontidae Native to : Idaho Interesting fact : It is the largest salamander in Idaho. Conservation status : Least Concern The idaho giant salamander has intricate dark patterns on a silvery tan to copper background. They can be found hiding under logs and barks of trees in coniferous

Scientific name : Podarcis hispanicus Family : Lacertidae Native to : Iberian peninsula, North-Western Africa and South France Conservation status : Least Concern Iberian wall lizards love to climb rocks, walls and cliffs. Smallest of the wall lizards, they are slender with very long tails. The back is brown or grey with three longitudinal stripes

Common name : Galapagos land Iguana Scientific name : Conolophus subcristatus Native to : Galapagos Islands Interesting fact : A high ocean temperature resulting in loss of seaweed beds forced the marine iguanas to search for food on land and ultimately they breed with the land iguanas. Conservation status : Least Concern The hybrid iguana

Common name : Bearded dragons Scientific name : Pogona sp. Family : Agamidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : It has beard under the neck that turns black and enlarges when stressed or in the presence of another male. Conservation status : Least Concern The hypo translucent leatherback is a genetic variant that is