Yellow Headed Calico Snake

Oxyrhopus Formosus

Habitat: Primary and Secondary Rainforests, and cultivated gardens in South America, Colombia, Venezuela, Northern Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Length: 31 1/2 - 35 inches (2ft 7 inches-2ft 9 inches)

Diet: Lizards and potentially other vertebrates.

Venom Toxicity: They are a rear fanged species with a mild slow acting venom. Its not known to be harmful to humans.

Cool Facts

The Microteiid Lizard is the only thing that the Yellow Headed Calico snake has been documented preying on. Other calico snakes will prey on frogs, snakes, and rodents so it is assumed they dont primarily prey on lizards.

They are also known as the Beautiful Calico Snake. This species is not well known in the wild. They may be terrestrial or semi arboreal and they may be nocturnal or crepuscular.

Crested Gecko

Correlophus Ciliatus

Habitat: Rainforests in New Caledonia.

Length: 6 1/2-8 inches.

Diet: They eat vegetable material as well as fruit and nectar along with the usual gecko diet of insects.

Venom Toxicity: None.

Cool Facts

They are very popular in the pet industry because of their docile nature and many color morphs they come in.

They are rarely seen in the wild and were at one point thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered in the 1990s.

They are a nocturnal species that hides in crevices during the day then come out to explore the forest canopy at night.

Their main threat in the wild is an invasive species of the little fire ant. Their numbers are still being assessed so we can have a better idea of their endangerment.

Some captive bred morphs include...

Bicolor

Red Harlequin

Dalmatian

Flying Gecko

Ptychozoon Khuli

Habitat: rainforests with high density of greenery in NE Cambodia, S Thailand, Myanmar, NE India, Malaysian peninsula, Nicobar islands, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Length: 4-7 inches

Diet: mainly crickets with mealworms, silkworms, phoenix worms, and earthworms in captivity.

Venom toxicity: none

Cool facts

They are very popular as pets given they rarely ever bite and come in beautiful colors. They will live 5 to 8 years.

They can glide up to 200 ft using their extra skin as a paracute.

This species also goes by gliding geckos or parachute gecko.

Cape Cobra

Naja Nivea

Habitat: Arid grasslands, deserts, semi deserts, rocky hills, river beds, and coastal fynbos. They range from Eastern, Southern, and Central South Africa, Lesotho, Southern Namibia and Botswana.

Length: Males can reach 5ft 7 inches while females can get 4ft 7 inches.

Diet: Small mammals, snakes, lizards, amphibians, and weaverbirds.

Venom Toxicity: Dangerously venomous with postsynaptic neurotoxins, cytotoxins and potentially cardiotoxins.

Cool Facts

The Cape Cobra is a highly variable species that can be bright yellow, orange, brown, or reddish in color that is often speckled in black or brown. Totally black specimens have been spotted.

They are also called the Yellow Cobra although not all of them are yellow. Although they are a terrestrial species they are extremely agile climbers that tend to steal weaver bird eggs and chicks.

This species has one of the most toxic venoms of all african cobras. In some parts of the cape they are responsible for the deaths of sheep and other domesticated animals.

Bites to humans are rare but are extremely dangerous and can end tragically if not given antivenom.

Gharial

Gavialis Gangeticus

Habitat: Wide slow moving rivers in South Asia.

Length: They can get up to 20ft long and can weigh from 350-550 plbs.

Diet: Adults will eat mainly fish while juveniles also hunt insects, crustaceans, and frogs.

Venom Toxicity: none

Cool Facts

They have very long narrow jaws so they can quickly move it in the water to help them catch their prey and thekr 100 ish teeth also help them hold on to the slippery fish.

They were on the brink of extinction in the 1970s and even now their current range is only a small fraction of what it was. Many steps have been taken to preserve the species such as harvesting wild eggs then reintroducing the young back into the wild. The process ensures that almost all of the young survive the most dangerous part of their life so they have a greater chance of reaching adulthood.

Predation is not the biggest reason of their number decline. People have depleted the fish stocks in many river so much so that even with the egg harvesting and reintroduction that many of the young cant survive.

Amazon Banded Snake

Rhinobothryum Lentiginosum

Habitat: Tropical rainforest in Northern South America, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

Length: 2ft 7in-5ft 2in long

Diet: Lizards

Venom Toxicity: They are rear fanged with a mild venom that is harmless to humans.

Cool Facts

They are rarely encountered in the wild. They tend to spend a lot of their time in the canopy far above the forest floor.

They are an arboreal and nocturnal species they primarily prey on arboreal lizards such as geckos, anoles, and tree runners.

This species is in the pet industry and are said to be decently docile when handled.

Five lined Skink

Eumeces Plestiodon Fasciatus

Habitat: in Georgia and south Carolina they are most common in wooded areas with a lot of fallen trees trees and stumps to hide in. They also like areas that are moister than the habitat the southeastern five lined skink.

Length: up to 8.5 inches

Diet: they eat a wide variety of insects, spiders, and other invertebrates.

Venom toxicity: none

Cool facts

Scientists believe they taste bad to predators.

They are diurnal and will avoid climbing as much as possible. They will only climb up stumps to bask.

Breeding males usually have a red orange head while juveniles will have a bright blue tail.

When a female lays her 4-15 eggs she will tend to them until they hatch.

Ashy Gecko

Sphaerodactylus Elegans

Habitat: loose leaf litter and rock pilesaround houses in Hispaniola and Cuba but has been introduced to Florida keys.

Length: up to 2 7/8th inches.

Diet: they will eat almost any insect that is attracted by light near a house.

Venom toxicity: none

Cool facts

They will lay their single eggs together in communal nests.

They are primarily diurnal but will sometimes be seen at night.

Early traders carried the species to the keys probably in shipments of produce or lumber.