Like everything, soap is made up of millions of molecules and those are released as soon as soap gets wet. For washing hands, you apply soap and rub them together. This rubbing is the ‘friction’. Water, by itself, is unable to get rid of germs but soap helps break down the naturally produced oil from […]
Common name : Jesus Christ lizard Scientific name : Basiliscus plumifrons Family : Corytophanidae Native to : Central America Interesting fact : The basilisk is also a good swimmer and can stay under water for up to 30 minutes. Conservation status : Least Concern The plumed basilisk can walk on water by sprinting short distances.
Common name : Pygmy short-horned lizard, Horned toad, Horny toad Scientific name : Phrynosoma douglasii Family : Phrynosomatidae Native to : North-Western United States Interesting fact : The pigmy horned lizard will lie still to stay undetected but will puff up its body and gape when threatened. Conservation status : Least concern The pigmy horned
There are small creatures living in our mouths that are known as bacteria. Without proper brushing, food stays in between the teeth. The bacteria then start to feed on this food-sugar. As they do so, they release strong acids in the mouth that are strong enough to melt the hard shell of the tooth and
Scientific name : Plethodon petraeus Family : Plethodontidae Native to : United States Conservation status : Vulnerable Named after their location, pigeon mountain salamanders are shiny black with brassy spots and speckled brown stripes down their backs. They hide inside rock crevices with their flat bodies. They are lungless salamanders that respire through their skins.
Common name : Lagoon frog, Southern bullfrog Scientific name : Rana grylio/Lithobates grylio Family : Ranidae Native to : Southern United States Conservation status : Least Concern Pig frogs that grunt like pigs to attract their partners are green frogs with brown or black blotches. They have pointed noses, prominent eardrums and webbed feet. You
Scientific name : Hydrophis bituberculatus Family : Elapidae Native to : Indian Ocean Conservation status : Data Deficient Living in the marine waters of Thailand and Sri Lanka are the venomous Peter’s sea snakes that are 1 metre long. It is a bluish-grey snake covered in scales and has a tail with dark bands. A
Common name : Iberian water frog, Iberian green frog, Coruna frog Scientific name : Pelophylax perezi Family : Ranidae Native to : Southern France, Portugal and Spain Interesting fact : Traditionally, the Perez’s frog was hunted for food Conservation status : Least Concern Perez’s frog is green to brown with scattered dark brown warts. Its
Scientific name : Varanus giganteus Family : Varanidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : Perenties can run at 40 km/h and were a favourite food-item amongst the Aborigines. Conservation status : Not Assessed The perentie is the second largest lizard in the world at 2.5 feet long. It has a brown body with pale
Common name : South Indian rock agama, Peninsular rock agama Scientific name : Psammophilus dorsalis Family : Agamidae Native to : South India Interesting fact : Males bask on rock and do push-up displays. Conservation status : Least concern Peninsular rock agamas are fond of rocky hills that are 6000 feet above the sea level.
Scientific name : Graptemys pearlensis Family : Emydidae Native to : Pearl river, United States Interesting fact : The larger female turtles can feed on the clams while the smaller males cannot. Conservation status : Endangered Named after the river it lives in, the Pearl river map turtle is closely related to the Pascagoula map
Common name : Thunder ridge salamander Scientific name : Plethodon hubrichti Family : Plethodontidae Native to : Virginia, United States Interesting fact : When they get defensive, they stay still or coil up and secrete pungent-smelling liquid. Conservation status : Vulnerable Named after its location, the peaks of otter salamander is slender and black with
Common name : Royal python, Ball python Scientific name : Python regius Family : Pythonidae Native to : Africa Interesting fact : Ball pythons roll into balls when threatened and they were worn as jewellery by some African rulers. Conservation status : Least Concern The smallest African python is the ball python measuring 5 to
Common name : Saw-backs Scientific name : Graptemys gibbonsi Family : Emydidae Native to : Southern United States Interesting fact : Due to the sharp scales on the shell they are also called ‘Saw-backs’. Conservation status : Endangered Named after the river it is found in, the Pascagoula map turtle has an olive green domed
Scientific name : Elgaria panamintina Family : Anguidae Native to : California Interesting fact : The alligator lizard is very aggressive and bites when threatened Conservation status : Vulnerable Living in desert mountains are Panamint alligator lizards that are yellow with broad brown crossbands. Covered in smooth scales they have long tails almost twice their