Assam Roofed Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Assam Roofed Turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis), celebrated for its sharply peaked, roof-like vertebral carapace, is one of the rarest freshwater chelonians in Asia. Endemic strictly to the foothills and river tributaries of Assam, Meghalaya, and the Sylhet division...

Ashe’s Spitting Cobra

Reptiles > Elapid Snakes

Ashe’s Spitting Cobra (Naja ashei), formally recognized as a distinct species in 2007, is the undisputed giant of spitting cobras, holding the world record for the largest species of spitting elapid on Earth. Endemic to the arid thornbush plains and dry savanna...

Ngo Van Tri’s Lady Butterfly Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

Ngo Van Tri’s Lady Butterfly Lizard (Leiolepis ngovantrii) is one of the most astonishing reptilian discoveries of the 21st century, celebrated across evolutionary biology for being an obligate all-female, asexual vertebrate species. Discovered in 2010 in local...

Viper Gecko

Reptiles > Geckos

The Viper Gecko (Hemidactylus imbricatus, formerly Teratolepis fasciata) is an extraordinary miniature terrestrial gecko native to the arid badlands and stony deserts of southeastern Pakistan and northwestern India. Resembling a tiny, armored pit viper in both its...

Pfeffer’s Reed Snake

Reptiles > Snakes

Pfeffer’s Reed Snake (Calamaria pfefferi) is an exquisitely adapted, diminutive fossorial serpent endemic to the subtropical primary forests of the Ryukyu Archipelago in southwestern Japan. Named in honor of German zoologist Georg Pfeffer, this secretive...

Oaxacan Spiny-tailed Iguana

Reptiles > Iguanas

The Oaxacan Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura oaxacana) is a heavily armored, arboreal iguanid lizard endemic strictly to the arid Pacific lowlands of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. Characterized by a muscular tail ringed in sharp, defensive spinous...

Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake

Reptiles > Vipers

The Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi) is a charming and specialized montane viper endemic to the isolated Madrean ‘Sky Island’ mountain ranges of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Recognized by an upturned ridge of enlarged scales...

Painted Wood Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Painted Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima), often celebrated as the ‘ornate wood turtle,’ is widely regarded as one of the most stunningly decorated chelonians on planet Earth. Native to the humid tropical forests and gallery stream corridors of...

Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) is an ancient, heavily armored freshwater leviathan endemic exclusively to the pristine blackwater corridor of the Suwannee River basin in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Only formally described...

Mountain Horned Dragon

Reptiles > Agamidae & Horned Dragons

The Mountain Horned Dragon (Acanthosaura capra), also known as the green pricklenape or goat-horned dragon, is a fascinating agamid lizard endemic to the humid montane rainforests of Indochina. Resembling a miniature prehistoric dinosaur sculpted from moss and tree...