Coral Snake and it's Copy-Cat

-*-Coral Snake and the Scarlet King Snake...Can you tell the difference?-*-

*There's an old saying: "Red on yellow kill a fellow, red on black is a friend of Jack."

It would be a good idea to remember that saying..it could save your life.*

-*-Coral Snake-*-

Coral snakes are members of the Cobra family.

These snakes are carnivores (meat eaters) and cannibals (eat their own kind), they also eat other smaller snakes, frogs, and lizards.

*Tidbit*When threatened they will curl the tip of their tail confusing the predator into not knowing which end is it's head.

They can grow to be 20 to 30 inches.

The life span for these snakes are 7 years.

Females lay 3-5 eggs in a single clutch and incubation lasts for 2-3 months.

Babies have the same colors as the adults and are just as venomous.

Coral snakes chew on their victim to inject venom multiple times.

*These snakes are venomous and if bitten by one it will start to course through your body causing symptoms such as: 

Disrupted connections from the brain and muscles (causing muscular paralysis), slurred speech, and double vision. In a short time the venom will shut down your nervous system.

This causes labored breathing, heart and kidney failure, and internal bleeding resulting in death in little over two hours. The only chance for survival is too seek medical attention at a hospital immediately.*

-*-Scarlet King Snake-*-

Scarlet king snakes are members of the King snake family.

They are also carnivores and cannibals.

Scarlet king snakes eat small snakes, lizards, and rodents.

They can grow to be 14-20 inches.

Can live for 10-15 years.

Females lay 2-9 eggs in a single clutch.

Incubation lasts 45-65 days.

Babies come in the same colors as adults.

The Scarlet snake is immune to many venomous snakes.

These snakes are non-venomous.

Which snake would you prefer to have a personal encounter with?

*Photo Courtesy of:* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coral_009.jpg 

(Coral Snake-On Top)

*Photo Courtesy of:* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lampropeltis_triangulum_elapsoides.jpg (Scarlet King Snake- On Bottom)

A Dragon that Walks Among Us

-*-Komodo Dragon-*-

Komodo dragons can grow to be around 8-10 feet and weigh 150 lbs.

The females are smaller than the males which grow to be 8 feet long.

Despite their size don't be fooled these dragons are very fast moving and agile.

They are also really good swimmers.

Komodo's have about 60 serrated teeth that are frequently replaced.

In their mouth they have 2 venom glands on the lower jaw.

Their saliva contains septic pathogens.

The komodo dragons are carnivorous and cannibalistic lizards.

Carnivorous meaning meat eaters, and cannibalistic meaning they will feed on their own kind.

Komodo's eat pigs, deer, and can even take down an adult buffalo.

It has been said that they even go after small or injured humans.

What these guys do is if they see a prey that is too big to take down physically they will bite it. Then wait for the bacteria saliva to infect that prey until it eventually dies.

Then what they do is track it down with scent and eat it.

These dragons are solitary creatures unless it is mating season.

Komodo's lay their eggs on the side of a mountain or in abandoned nests.

Female komodo's can lay up to 20 eggs in a single clutch.

The eggs are incubated for 7-8 months.

When the baby komodo is hatching they have what is called an "egg tooth".

They use this to help break away the egg's shell.

The egg tooth eventually falls off after they are out of the egg.

Juvenile komodo's are usually multicolored.

They can come in colors of yellow, green, brown, and gray with speckled banded skin.

Adults vary from red to gray to black.

Komodo's can live for 20 to 40 years.

These lizards are endangered.

*Photo Courtesy of:* http://www.einarsen.no/Indonesia/Flores/Flores.html

Endangered Reptiles

www.biologicaldiversity.org

Look Up in the Sky it's a Bird it's a Plane it's...

A Snake That Can Fly!


Well actually the flying tree snake doesn't fly at all.


These snakes actually glide while in free fall. It climbs up a tree until it reaches the end of a tree's branch.
The snake continues moving until its tail dangles from the branch's end. Then bends into a J-shape.


Leans forward and decides on a destination and propels itself away from the tree sucking in its stomach, and pushing out their ribs to stabilize direction in midair to land safely. 

*Photo Courtesy of:* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dawson

Blood Shooting Lizard

A Lizard Who Cries Blood.

The regal horned lizard has a very sticky tongue with great aim and they use it to eat ants.

They get all the moisture it needs and they make up 90% of their regular diet.

These fascinating guys bleed from their eyes as if to say "Hey you! Leave me alone!"


How they do this is quite fascinating. What happens is when the lizard is being attacked by lets say a wolf, they raise their blood pressure so high that it causes their tear ducts to swell. 


Finally a stream of blood flows out to scare away the wolf or whatever else that maybe trying to eat them.

*Photo Courtesy of:* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Horned_lizard_defense.JPG

Two Headed Devil

A lizard with two heads?!

The thorny devil is a cute lizard who has very rough thorn covered skin.

When in danger these little guys (they grow to be about 4-6 inches long), also have a defense mechanism.

An interesting fact is, they have something called a false head which is located behind their real head. 

They lower their "true head", if you will. Thus showing their false head so when, let's say, a bird comes by they just take the thorn covered false head.

Leopard Baby Gecko Screams for Help

I Scream You Scream!

Did you know that when Geckos feel threatened they scream?

 Baby leopard geckos tend to be very nervous. 
This screaming method is to say hey I feel threatened.


 They also make clicking noises but, we don't know why.

Carnivorous Chameleon

-*-Senegal Chameleon-*-

Senegal chameleons originate from Africa, Southern Europe, and Southern Asia.

They can grow to be about 6 to 8 inches long.

Like many lizards they are able to change color. Some of the colors they come in are: grey, brown, and green. *Tidbit* A chameleon's color change is caused by its emotion, as well as light and temperature, and not by its background.

Males have broader tails and are more of a grayish-brown color, with triangular blotches. As for females they are more of a darker green or brown/green color.

Senegal chameleons are carnivores (meaning meat eaters). Some insects they prefer to eat are: small crickets, fruit flies, meal worms, and wax worms. 

If you own one here is a tip about the feeding:

Be careful not to over feed because, the female can become egg bound. Egg bound is when she is unable to pass an egg that is stuck in her reproductive tract.

**A way to prevent egg binding is providing a proper egg laying  box, a humid enclosure and plenty of calcium.**

The amount of eggs a Senegal chameleon can lay is 20 to 60 eggs. The eggs hatch in about 6 months time. Gestation lasts for about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 months. 

(Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or a tiny fetus inside a female viviparous  lizard viviparous: development of the embryo inside the body of the mother).

The sexing of Senegal chameleons is quite simple. When the male is an adult look for two lumps on each side of the(bottom) base of the tail.

These chameleons can live for about 6-7 years depending how good their health. 

The Spiny Circle of Life

-*-Armadillo Lizard-*-

Armadillo lizards live in desert areas in Southern Africa.

They can reach to about 14-16 inches long.

They have a flat brown body with a yellow belly that has black designs.

Their flat bodies help them squeeze into tight spaces to keep out of reach of predators. 

Armadillo lizards probably get their names from their unique defensive posture.

What they do is roll into what looks like a spiny circle. The lizard grabs it's tail with their mouth. 

Their nostrils are like small tubes, which help them identify prey or predators.

Females give birth to live young. They can only give birth to 1 or two at a time.

It is quite difficult to tell a female from a male because, they look the same.

The best time to try and tell them apart is, when they are older take them to someone who can sex them for you.

Armadillo lizards are carnivores (meat eaters). They fed on things like meal worms, crickets. In the wild they will basically eat anything that moves.

*Photo Courtesy of:* Wilfried Berns www.Tiermotive.de

An Elegant Green Snake

-*-Bamboo Pit Viper-*-

Green vipers are found in China, Taiwan, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Southeast Thailand, and Vietnam.

They can grow to be about 20 inches to a meter long. The females, like most female snakes, are larger in size compared to the males.

The dorsal/back of the snake is bright green with yellow stripe near the belly. The tail can either be a red or brown colorization.

Their heads are wide and triangular shaped. Their eyes have slits that also, have a lower eyelid that protects the eye itself from debris.

Females can give birth to about 2-15 young in a clutch.

They will lay their young in August and they hatch 2 months later.

Baby green vipers feed on things like frogs and lizards. Adults will also feed on frogs but, seem to prefer rodents.

Like many snakes the green viper has hemotoxic venom. Although, a bite from one of these fellows isn't entirely fatal to humans. You will suffer sever pain and swelling.

These guys are mainly nocturnal which makes it easier for them to surprise their prey. Green vipers have a sensing pit on its head to enable a strike even when surrounded by complete darkness.

Spotting the lovely Leopard Gecko

-*-Leopard Gecko-*-

These nocturnal reptiles originate from eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northwestern India. They love to be in rocky dry areas.

Leopard Geckos can come in  colors such as yellow, brown, white, and dark brown spots on a white or yellow background.

Their eyes like many lizards have slits. When dirty they use their tongues to clean them.

Leopard geckos can grow to be approximately 6 to 9 inches.

Males are more heavily built than the female with a broader head and thicker neck. 

The leopard gecko has skin that is dry and bumpy in texture. 

When they shed they tend to eat the shedding.

Male leopard geckos have post-anal swellings, a wider tail base, and V-shaped pre-anal pores leading to the vent.

They have clawed feet which makes them unable to climb walls or glass windows.

Leopard geckos are carnivores. 

They mostly eat crickets, meal worms, grubs, and sometimes a pinky (baby mouse).


Most female geckos lay 2-3 eggs per clutch but, can lay up to 7 clutches.
They live for 15-20 years in captivity but, some have lived up to 30 years.

Hanging Loose With the Green Anoles

-*-Green Anoles -*-

Green Anoles are tree dwelling lizards.

They come from Southeastern United states and the Caribbean islands. 

Anoles are also found in warm areas through out North and South America.

These lizards like to hang on walls, fences, trees, and low bushes.

Anoles climb using their padded feet.

Green Anoles can reach to about 6-8 inches.

Like many lizards they have the ability to change color.

Such colors as: green, brown, yellow, gray or even a mixture.

Their bodies are slender with a long thin tail.

The tail is able to break off when feeling like they are in danger.

It can be re-grown but, it will take a while to grow back and will be shorter than before. 

Anoles eat insects like crickets, cockroaches, spiders, moths, and grubs.

Males have a large pink fan of skin on their neck (also known as a dewlap) which is used for territorial display or mating. 

Male anoles bob their heads and do a little dance to show the female that he is interested in mating. They mate during April through to August, and can even last to September.

The female will lay her first clutch of eggs after 2-4 weeks of mating. Which usually ranges from 1–2 in her first clutch. She will continue to lay eggs until a total of 10 or more eggs have been produced. 

When it comes time for her to lay her eggs, she will bury them in the soft soils or compost nearby, and after that she no longer takes any care for it. 

The egg(s) are/is left alone to incubate by the light of the sun and if successful will hatch in 30–45 days.

The Lizard Who Plays Dead

-*-Blue Tongue Skink-*-

The blue tongue skink is found in New Guinea, Australia, and on an island located in Australia called Tasmania.

Skinks have a long body,  and a tail that is actually shorter than the body. The tail tappers to a point.

Like most lizards they can break off their tales if they feel in danger. It does take a while to re-grow the tail back.

You can usually find skinks in a couple of  color patterns such as orange bars with brown on the sides, or dark brown bars on a light brown/ cream background.

Their shiny scales that over lap one another contain small plates of bone. 

Blue tongue skinks get their name (obviously) from having a very unique cobalt blue tongue. 

At the tip it looks as if it is spoon shaped. Very unique.

When being attacked by a larger prey the skink will lower it's jaw and flick out their tongue to seem like they are dead.

Skinks are omnivorous. They eat insects, snails, carrion ( the carcass of a dead animal), flowers, and fruits. 

Their eyes have a slit that has a transparent lower eyelid. The lower eyelid is to protect the eyes from dust so they can still see.

Fewer than more lizards give birth to life young. This particular lizard does.

They give birth to about 5 to 15 live young.

When skinks reach to adult hood they can get to around 17 to 24 inches.

They live for about 18-20 years.

A Monster in the Desert

-*-Gila Monster-*-

The Gila Monster is found in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, Mojave of Southwestern Utah, Southern Nevada, Southeastern California, Arizona and Southwestern New Mexico.

They can grow to about 18 to 24 inches.

Some colors they may come in is black, yellow, orange and even pink.

Gila monsters are venomous lizards. Venomous not poisonous.

The difference is you ingest poison and venom is injected.

They spend about 98% of their life under burrows.

They have two grooves on most of their teeth that carries out the venom.

Once the prey is bitten the venom flows into the wound as the lizard chews on its victim.

They strike fast and chew in the poison into their prey.

Even though this venom is deadly to it's prey and predator it is rare to hear about it being fatal to humans.

During warm weather they hunt at night on small mammals, birds and eggs. Their preferred prey are rodents.

In the winter they store fat in their abdomen and tail in order to maintain their healthy diet.

*Photo Courtesy of*: http://animal-world.com/

An Omnivore Whose Beauty is Far from Veiled

-*-Veiled Chameleon-*-

Veiled Chameleons are also know as: Cone-head or Yemen.

These awesome critters originate from Saudi Arabia and Yemen (which is near Saudi Arabia).

 They have flattened, arched bodies that can be mistaken for a leaf.

These tree dwellers are a very unique kind of chameleon. One reason this proves to be true is that they have specific breeding colors. 

This ability is without a doubt something extraordinary. 

They don't just change their colors according to their surroundings.

Veiled Chameleons change colors based on their moods, temperature, health and for mating season.

Males are usually blue, brown, and gold. Females are green with white markings. Brighter their surroundings, the brighter the lizard.Their colors tend to darken when it is around mating season.

The female's mating colors are robin's egg blue markings down the back and tail, and with vertical streaks on the casque (helmet like structure). 

Smaller blue lateral spots will be farther down on the sides of her body.

A male will make his colors brighter, flatten his rib cage, and curl his tail.

Females grow from about 8 to 12 inches. Males grow to reach 19 inches. They are said to even reach 24 inches.

 Males can store sperm, which means they can fertilize up to two litters on average, in just one session. A female veiled chameleon can lay 27 to 80 eggs every 90 to 120 days.

 Females lay their eggs 20 to 30 days after mating. Incubation temperatures should be between 80 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Their eyes are able to to rotate and focus separately.

They have narrow eyes for the ability to seek out a pray in a far away distance. 

Also they have long sticky tongues. Which they use to quickly lash out to grab a pray. 

Veiled Chameleons are omnivores.

 An omnivore is a kind of animal that eats either other animals or plants. 

*Photo Courtesy of:* http://animal-world.com

The Three Eyed Lizard

-*-Green Iguana-*-

Green Iguanas originate from Central America all the way to the bottom of South America.

They are also said to come from Mexico, Southern Brazil and Paraguay.

Iguanas are Americas largest lizard.

Iguanas can grow to 4-5 feet.

Sometimes can even reach to 7 feet long.

These well tame animals are hardy and basically odorless.

They have strong legs, and long claws.

 Also, are able to lose their tail if in danger.

Which is able to be grown back. It can take a little while to grow back and won't look like it did before losing the tail the first time.

The tail can be at least three times the length of their body.

Can shed up to four times a year.

They use their ability to change color to hide from predators.

Young iguanas will eat:

Fruits and vegetables.

For protein they also eat: crickets, grasshoppers, meal worms, earthworms, pinkies, birds, and reptiles.

Older Iguanas diets is basically vegetarian.

They have a flap of skin (called a dulap)under their chins, which they use for regulating their body temperature. It's also used for courtship, and territorial displays as well.

Iguanas become sexually active at 2 or 3.

The size and number of eggs a female can produce depends on her maturity and size.

The female can lay about 10 to 30 eggs.

16 1/2 weeks later they will hatch.

They use their second and third toe to grip onto branches to climb high.

Usually over water like ponds.

In the wild they can live for about 10 years.

In captivity 10 to 15 years.

*Tidbit* The green Iguana (and all lizards)is they have a parietal eye (or the third eye)on top of their head. Of course this eye doesn't work like a normal eye. 

It can see differences in color, can see differences in light and movement, and it helps the Iguana when it's being stalked by larger predators.*

*Photo Courtesy of:*http://animal-world.com