Cat Ba Cave Gecko

Reptiles > Eublepharidae & Cave Geckos

The Cat Ba Cave Gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis) is a captivating, gorgeously patterned nocturnal reptile endemic strictly to the rugged limestone karst formations of Cat Ba Island in Lan Ha Bay, northeastern Vietnam. Discovered and described scientifically in 2008,...

Santa Fe Land Iguana

Reptiles > Iguanas

The Santa Fe Land Iguana (Conolophus pallidus), known historically as the Barrington land iguana, is an imposing and ancient herbivorous reptile endemic strictly to the hyper-isolated, 9-square-mile volcanic sanctuary of Santa Fe Island in the Galápagos archipelago....

Fea’s Viper

Reptiles > Venomous Snakes

Fea’s Viper (Azemiops feae) is universally recognized among evolutionary herpetologists as the ultimate ‘holy grail’ of venomous snakes. Occupying its own ancient subfamily (Azemiopinae) as the sole living relict of the ancestral lineage from which...

Boyd’s Forest Dragon

Reptiles > Lizards

Boyd’s Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) is a prehistoric-looking agamid lizard endemic exclusively to the ancient tropical rainforests of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in northeastern Queensland, Australia. Adorned with a magnificent crest of spiky...

Golden Tree Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids

The Golden Tree Snake (Chrysopelea ornata), also known as the ornate flying snake, is one of the most astonishing aerodynamic marvels in the vertebrate world. Inhabiting the lush tropical rainforest canopies and plantation groves of South and Southeast Asia, this...

Mozambique Girdled Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Mozambique Girdled Lizard (Smaug mossambicus), famously named after the dragon Smaug from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literature, is a formidable, armored cordylid lizard endemic to the isolated granite inselbergs of central Mozambique and the border ranges of...

Rough Knob-tailed Gecko

Reptiles > Lizards

The Rough Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus amyae), also known as the Centralian rough knob-tailed gecko, is the undisputed heavyweight titan of the knob-tailed gecko family. Endemic exclusively to the rugged, sun-baked red quartzite ranges of Central Australia, this...

Rinkhals

Reptiles > Elapids

The Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus), also known as the ring-necked spitting cobra, is an iconic and formidable elapid snake endemic to Southern Africa. While superficially resembling true cobras (genus Naja), the rinkhals is biologically distinct, classified in its...

Yellow-blotched Palm-pitviper

Reptiles > Vipers & Pitvipers

The Yellow-blotched Palm-pitviper (Bothriechis aurifer), known locally as the ‘vibora de pestaña dorada’ or golden palm-viper, is one of the most dazzling and rarely encountered arboreal vipers in Central America. Endemic to the hyper-humid, mist-shrouded...
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