Ornate Tree Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) is a small, extraordinarily agile climbing reptile widespread across the sun-drenched canyonlands and riparian cottonwood forests of the American Southwest. Famous for its master-class bark camouflage and adult males’...

Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) is a rugged, beautifully armored montane reptile endemic to the high-elevation ‘Sky Islands’ that rise like isolated woodland towers above the desert seas of Arizona and northern Mexico. Famous for its...

Chihuahua Fringe-toed Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Chihuahua Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma paraphygas) is an ultra-specialized sand-swimming reptile endemic to the isolated, sun-baked sand dune fields of the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico. Exquisitely adapted to a life on shifting sand, it...

Speckled Padloper Tortoise

Reptiles > Tortoises

AT A GLANCECommon Name: Speckled Padloper TortoiseScientific Name: Homopus signatusCategory: ReptilesSubcategory: TortoisesSize: Carapace length 6 to 8 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in) in males; 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) in femalesWeight: 95 to 165 g (3.4 to 5.8 oz; the smallest...

Chinese Softshell Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles

The Chinese Softshell Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) is a fascinating, highly specialized aquatic turtle renowned for its soft, leathery carapace that completely lacks hard, bony plates. Endemic to the winding muddy river systems of East Asia, this stealthy...

Asian Giant Tortoise

Reptiles > Tortoises

The Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys), also celebrated as the Mountain Tortoise or Burmese Mountain Tortoise, is the largest living tortoise on the Asian continent. Regarded as one of the most primitive tortoises alive today, this gentle, moss-loving giant is...

San Francisco Garter Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids

The San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is universally celebrated as the most stunningly beautiful snake in North America. Endemic exclusively to the fragile wetlands of the San Francisco Peninsula, this breathtaking serpent flaunts an...

Central American Indigo Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids

The Central American Indigo Snake (Drymarchon melanurus), locally known as the Blacktail Cribo, is a monumental, non-venomous colubrid that reigns as the unchallenged apex serpent of Mesoamerican forests. Renowned for its immense size, high intelligence, and natural...

Northern Rubber Boa

Reptiles > Boas & Pythons

AT A GLANCECommon Name: Northern Rubber BoaScientific Name: Charina bottaeCategory: ReptilesSubcategory: Boas & PythonsSize: Total adult length 35 to 84 cm (14 to 33 in)Weight: 60 to 180 g (2.1 to 6.3 oz)Lifespan: 20 to 30+ years in the wild (one of the...

Usambara Eyelash Viper

Reptiles > Viperidae & Bush Vipers

The Usambara Eyelash Viper (Atheris ceratophora), also known as the horned bush viper, is one of Africa’s most visually dramatic and evolutionarily distinctive arboreal serpents. Confined exclusively to the ancient, mist-enshrouded Eastern Arc Mountains of...