Tag reptile

CREATURE FEATURE: Amazon Tree Boa

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The Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus) is a reptile in the Boidae family of non-venomous, colubrid, boa constrictor snakes. It is a boid (pronounced bo-id). It is also known as the Garden Tree Boa or the Macabrel. 

The Amazon Tree Boa is long and slim. It varies in base colour from black, brown, grey, red, and orange to yellow. Its patterns can be banded, speckled, rhomboid shapes, or completely plain with no patterns or markings. It has a distinct head and it has dark, rounded eyes. It has sharp, long, needle-like teeth. 

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Jacky Dragon

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The Jacky Dragon (Amphibolurus muricatus) is a medium-sized reptile in the Agamidae family of agamid lizards. It is also known as the Tree Dragon, the Stonewalker, or the Blood-Sucker.

The Jacky Dragon has an elongated, rough-scaled, brown to pale-grey body with dark markings along the middle of its back. The dark markings are combined with pale blotches. It has a dark-brown bar between its eyes and its ears. It has five crests on its head. It has a bright yellow lining in its mouth, and orange-red corners of its mouth, with a broad, thick, fleshy tongue. Its hind (back) legs are longer than its front legs. Its feet have five clawed toes.

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Desert Monitor Lizard

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The Desert Monitor Lizard (Varanus griseus) is a large reptile in the Squamata order of monitor lizards.

The Desert Monitor Lizard can be a variety of colours from light-brown to yellowish to grey, with spots and 5-8 dark-brown bands. It also has dark-brown bands on its long, tapered tail. It has a large mouth. Its nostrils are close to its small, brown eyes. Its feet have toes with long, sharp claws. 

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Steppe Runner Lizard

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The Steppe Runner (Eremias arguta) is a medium-sized reptile in the Lacertidae family of wall lizards. It is also known as the Mongolian Racerunner. 

The Steppe Runner varies in colour to camouflage itself with its environment. It has a wide body, deep head, and short tail. Around its head and neck, older males may have tubercles, which are small, rounded outgrowths of skin. It has a light underbelly. It has dark eyes. Its fourth toe on its hind (back) leg is longer than the other toes. 

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Sunwatcher Toadhead Agama Lizard

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The Sunwatcher Toadhead Agama Lizard (Phrynocephalus helioscopus) is a small lizard in the agamid family. It is also known as the Fergana Toadhead Agama. 

The Sunwatcher Toadhead Agama Lizard has a short, wide head, and a short nose. It has rough skin. It has scale fringes around its eyes to keep out the desert sand. It varies in colour from light-beige to grey to dark-brown, with white, black, and red patterns that camouflages it with its environment. It has a light underbelly. It has partially fringed toes to help it walk on sand. 

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Caspian Cobra

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The Caspian Cobra (Naja oxiana) is a medium-sized venomous snake, and reptile, in the Elapidae family. It is an elapid. It is also called the Central Asian Cobra, the Ladle Snake, the Oxus Snake, or the Russian Snake. 

The Caspian Cobra has an elliptical, hooded head with medium-sized eyes that have round pupils. It is light-brown to chocolate-brown or yellowish. It has several dark bands under its throat. 

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Turkestan Rock Gecko

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The Turkestan Rock Gecko (Paralaudakia lehmanni or Agama lehmanni) is a medium-sized agamid lizard and a reptile. It is also called the Turkestan Agama or the Asian Rock Gecko.

The Turkestan Rock Gecko is grey with black markings on its back. It has spines or ridges along its body. It has a light underbelly. Its fourth toe on its hind (back) leg is longer than the other toes. 

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Russian Tortoise

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The Russian Tortoise (Agrionemys horsfieldii) is a small chelonian reptile in the Testudinidae family. It is also known as the Afghan Tortoise, the Central Asian Tortoise, Horsfield’s Tortoise, the Steppe Tortoise, or the Four-Clawed Tortoise.

The Russian Tortoise can be various colours, but it usually has a brown or grey-black top dome-shaped shell, called a carapace. It has faded yellow-beige markings between its scutes (scales). It has a paler bottom shell, called a plastron. Its body is straw-yellow and brown. It has a small head and brown eyes. It has four toes on its thick, stumpy legs. 

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CREATURE FEATURE: Common Leopard Gecko

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The Common Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis Mascularis) is a small ground-dwelling reptilian lizard. 

The Common Leopard Gecko is pale beige with dark-brown markings and spots. Its back is covered with small lumps. It has short legs with short nails on its toes, which are used for gripping objects (it does not have sticky pads on its feet). It has movable eyelids. It has about 100 small teeth. It has a thick, fleshy tail.

It can regenerate its tail if if drops off. This is called caudal autotomy. It regularly sheds its skin (about once a month). This is called moulting. 

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Red-Footed Tortoise

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The Red-Footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) is a medium-sized land chelonian reptile. 

The Red-Footed Tortoise has a dark-coloured, oval-shaped, high-domed shell, called a carapace. The carapace has a lighter patch in the middle of each scute (scale). The undershell, called the plastron, is pale. It has pale-yellow to dark-red scales on its head and neck, whith males having more coloured scales. It has a small head with large black eyes. Its upper jaw is slightly hooked, and it has 15-20 teeth. It has stumpy, thick, short legs with four claws on its front legs and five claws on its back legs.

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Adder

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The Adder (Vipera berus berus) is a venomous snake. It is also known as the Common European Adder or the Common European Viper.

The Adder has a thick body with keeled (ridged or rough) scales and a large head. Its colour and pattern vary, but it is usually light-coloured with small crossbars or entirely brown with faint or clear dark-brown markings. It usually has a zig-zag pattern. Its eyes are quite large.

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Madagascar Tree Boa

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The Madagascar Tree Boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis) is a non-venomous, colubrid, arboreal reptile in the boa species of snakes. It is a boid (pronounced bow-id). It is also known as the Malagasy Tree Boa.

The Madagascar Tree Boa is greenish, such as olive-green or bright green, depending upon the colour of the rain forest leaves and trees. In dry areas, it can be orange-brown. It has patterned scales of dark markings with whitish inner markings. It has dark eyes. 

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Ladder Snake

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The Ladder Snake (Rhinechis scalaris or Zamenis scalaris) is a medium-sized reptile and a colubrid (non-venomous) snake. It is related to the Ratsnake.

The Ladder Snake has yellowish to dark brown scales with two dark brown stripes running down the length of its body from neck to tail. It has a dark stripe at the back of its eye, angling down to its jaw. Its underbelly is pale, such as slivery-grey to whitish. It has a pointed snout (nose). It has dark eyes.

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