Ocellated Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The ocellated lizard is the largest lizard in all of Europe, with mature males growing up to nearly three feet (90 cm) in total length and possessing jaws powerful enough to crush the hard shells of large land snails and dung...

Yellow Anaconda

Reptiles > Snakes

During the mating season, a single female yellow anaconda can be courted simultaneously by up to a dozen competing males, who form a writhing, knotted ‘breeding ball’ in shallow water that can remain entangled for over a...

Western Green Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Western Green Lizard (Lacerta bilineata) is one of the largest, most spectacular, and vividly colored reptiles native to Western Europe. Distributed across France, northern Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and isolated river valleys in Germany, with offshore insular...

Smooth Snake

Reptiles > Snakes

The Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca) is an exceptionally secretive, non-venomous colubrid snake native to the temperate and Mediterranean regions of Europe and Western Asia, ranging from the British Isles across Central Europe to the Caucasus and northern Iran....

Marginated Tortoise

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Marginated Tortoise (Testudo marginata) is the largest native land tortoise in Europe, an impressive, heavy-shelled chelonian belonging to the family Testudinidae. Native primarily to the rocky limestone hillsides, dry shrublands, and olive orchards of southern...

Nose-horned Viper

Reptiles > Snakes

The Nose-horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes), also known as the horned viper, sand viper, or long-nosed viper, is the largest, most formidable, and most venomous native snake found on the European continent. Widely distributed across southern Austria, northeastern Italy,...

Asp Viper

Reptiles > Snakes

OverviewThe Asp Viper (Vipera aspis), also known as the asp or European asp, is an iconic venomous snake native to the sun-drenched montane, scrub, and woodland habitats of southwestern and central Europe. Widely distributed across France, Italy, Switzerland, and the...

European Pond Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

OverviewThe European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) is the sole native freshwater turtle across broad swathes of temperate and Mediterranean Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Occupying an ecological niche as a stealthy aquatic predator and scavenger, this...

Dwarf Crocodile

Reptiles > Crocodilians

The Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), also known as the African dwarf crocodile or broad-snouted crocodile, holds the fascinating biological distinction of being the smallest living species of true crocodile on planet Earth. Inhabiting the shadowed, humid...

Morelet’s Crocodile

Reptiles > Crocodilians

Morelet’s Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii), celebrated throughout Central America as the Mexican crocodile, is an agile, medium-sized, and biologically fascinating crocodilian native to the lush Atlantic drainages of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Discovered and...