Category Reptiles

Spiny-Headed Tree Lizard

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The Spiny-Headed Tree Lizard (Plica plica) is an arboreal lizard. It is also called the Collared Tree Lizard, the Collared Tree Runner, or the Harlequin Racerunner.

The Spiny-Headed Tree Lizard is usually olive-green or greenish, with dark-brown mottled markings on its body. Its chin is whitish and its throat is black. Its body is flattened and adapted to living on, and sticking to, the bark of trees. It has a collar, called a ruff, around its neck. It also has spines on its neck. It has green eyes.

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Inland Taipan

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The Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), native to Australia, is the most venomous snake in the world – it is a venomous elapid reptile. It is also known as the Western Taipan, the Small-Scale Snake, or the Fierce Snake. There are two types of Taipans in Australia: Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) and Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus).

The Inland Taipan is dark-tan to brownish light-green, depending on the season. Its colour becomes darker in winter in order to absorb light and heat from the sun (called thermoregulation). Its underbelly is pale-yellowish. It has dark-marked scales in diagonal rows. It has a rounded head wiith dark eyes. It has poisonous fangs.

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CREATURE FEATURE: Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard

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The Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) is a skink – a reptile. The Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) is native specifically to southern and eastern Australia.

The Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard has a thick body and short legs. It has a distinct head. It has a blue tongue, and flat teeth. It can be varied colours, but is usually brown and brown-grey. The photographed Blue-Tongued Lizard is albino.

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Fallacy: Tortoises will come out of their shell if they are frightened

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Tortoises and turtles will come out of their shell if frightened. This is not true. This is a fallacy.

Actually, the reverse is true. Tortoises pull their head and feet into their shell so that predators cannot harm or eat them. They are too slow to run away, so hiding in their shell is their way of protecting themselves.

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Gould’s Monitor Lizard

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The Gould’s Monitor Lizard (Varanus gouldii) is a large Australian reptile, also known as the Sand Goanna, Sand Monitor, or Racehorse Goanna.

The Gould’s Monitor Lizard varies in colour and pattern. Its back can be brown to greenish-grey or almost black, with scattered markings and spots of lighter colours, usually yellowish to cream. Its underbelly is yellow or cream with dark markings. Usually it has a black stripe on the side of its head, with cream or yellowish stripes above and below the black stripe. Its tail is light-brown or black, with a white or yellow tip. It has a forked tongue. It has long, sharp claws.

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Snakes: Head Shape and Shields  

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The head of a snake has many head-shields (scales) and two main head shapes.

Around its eyes, a snake has 8 shields: two pre-ocular (front-eye) shields, two post-ocular (back-eye) shields, two supra-ocular (above-eye) shields, and two sub-ocular (below-eye) shields.

Between the two supra-ocular shields, on the top of its head between its eyes, a snake has a frontal shield (usually in the shape of an hour-glass) and two pre-frontal shields.

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How do lizards walk upside down?  

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How do lizards walk upside down?

Many lizards, such as geckos and skinks, can walk upside down and climb up walls. They have special toe pads that can support their weight.

Their toe pads have microscopic hairs or bristles, called setae, that act like Velcro, enabling their feet to stick to surfaces.

On each of the setae are millions of even smaller tips, called septulae. Each one can grip the surface.

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White-Throated Savanna Monitor Lizard

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The White-Throated Savannah Monitor Lizarad (Varanus albigularis albigularis) is a medium-sized lizard from southern Africa. It is a reptile.

The White-Throated Savannah Monitor is grey or brown with a pronounced bulbous head, and large ear holes and large nostrils. It has 3-8 white cross-bars or rows of white sports on its body. The top of the head is dark, and its underbelly is paler. It has short legs with large claws on its feet. It has small eyes with round pupils. It forked tongue is long and blue.

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Leopard Tortoise

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The Leopard Tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) is a high-domed land reptile from Africa. It is a chelonian (all turtles, terrapins and tortoises are chelonians).

The Leopard Tortoise has a high-domed carapace (shell) with nearly vertical sides and a V-shaped notch at the front of its shell. It has a background yellow or yellow-brown colour with dark brown or black spots in a leopard-like pattern. Its head, legs, and tail are yellow-brown.

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Boomslang

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The Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) is a large venomous African colubrid (rear-fanged) snake. Boomslang means tree snake. It is a reptile.

The Boomslang can be various colours; males can be llight-green with black edges on their scales; and females can be brown, and may have tiny white spots. Its underbelly is cream or yellowish, without spots. Its head is egg-shaped and its eyes are very large and round. It has excellent eye sight.

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