Komodo Dragon Varanus komodoensis
Komodos are the largest
living lizard, up to 10 feet long and 300 pounds. They are powerful
swimmers and are surprisingly quick runners.
Millennium Fellowship
Yemen Veiled Chameleon Chameaeleo calyptratus
Chameleons can move their eyes
independently of each other and can also change body color within a
limited range.
Galapagos Tortoise Geochelone nigra
The largest of the tortoise
family, weighing up to 500 pounds, they are also the longest-lived
animal on earth and can live well over 100 years. They eat most
plant material.
Spitting Cobras Naja pallida pallida
Instead of biting, these cobras
"spit" their venom up to 12 feet, which is usually targeted at the
eyes of their enemy, causing temporary blindness.
Snakes
Albino Burmese Python Python molurus bivittatus
Found in Southeast Asia, this species may
grow to be 20 feet in length. Like all pythons,it is oviparous (egg
laying). Its diet is made up of a variety of birds, mammals and some
reptiles, and even some larger animals.
Caiman Lizard Dracaena guianensis
The caiman lizard is a South
American reptile found mainly in the Amazon Basin and in swampy
areas rich in vegetation in Peru. Caiman lizards are both
terrestrial and aquatic. A forked tongue enhances the sense of
smell.
Ball Python Python regius
The name ball python refers to
the species propensity to coil into a tight ball as a defensive
behavior. Ball pythons are primarily terrestrial snakes that inhabit
open forests or savannah grasslands with scattered rocks and
trees.
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
The American alligator is
semi-aquatic. Related to crocodiles. Almost black in color, with
prominent eyes and nostrils. A long head with visible teeth along
the edge of the jaws.
Panther Chameleon Furcifer pardalis
The panther chameleon lives in
Madagascar. Its sticky tongue is twice as long as its body. Their
turret-like eyes can swivel to look in two directions at
once.
Malagasy Leaf-tailed Gecko Uroplatus fimbriatus
Geckos can easily navigate
perpendicular tree trunks in the rain forests of Madagascar, thanks
to their specially adapted toes.
Banded Iguanas Brachylophus fasciatus
This male, Fiji Island resident,
can change its color. The females, on the other hand, stay brilliant
green most of the time. The iguanas use their long tails to balance
in the treetops.
Mexican Beaded Lizard Heloderma h. horridum
Found in the American Southwest
and Mexico. The lizards do have an impressive, wide-mouthed hiss.
They can transmit venom with a direct bite.
Gila Monster Heloderma suspectum
Found in the American Southwest
and Mexico, the lizards have been accused of everything from
spitting venom to causing instant death with their poisonous breath.
None of this is true. Gilas transmit venom with a direct bite.
Green Crested Basilisks Basiliscus plumifroms
With their spectacular crests
and fanciful long claws, the Central American lizards are positively
striking. Basilisks can actually run on water. The animals grow to
about 2.5 feet and live on vegetation near water.
Frilled Lizards Chlamydosaurus kingii
These famous Indo-Australian
reptiles live in trees. They often forage on the ground for insects
and small lizards. There, should anything threaten them, they're
known for running on their hind legs with frills
extended.
Worldwide Travelers Trivia
Red Diamond Rattlesnake Crotalus exsul ruber
These beautiful animals keep San
Diego county's rodent population under control, and getting rid of
them only creates problems with the balance of nature. If you should
happen to see one, don't bother it, and you'll be fine.
CRES Project
Emerald Tree Boa Corallus caninus
Though they sleep during the
day, the snakes are usually overlooked by predators because their
gorgeous markings are the perfect camouflage for their spectacular
surroundings in the Amazon River basin.
Spurred Tortoise Geochelone sulcata
Spurred tortoises are native to
arid regions of Central Africa, and they can survive extended
periods of drought by remaining in their burrows and entering a
state of torpor.
Desert Tortoise Goperus agassizzi
Native to the hot, dry deserts
of the southwestern United States and northeastern Mexico, these
reptiles cope with the heat by digging deep underground burrows to
rest.
Field
Project
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