Lace Monitor

Reptiles > Lizards

The Lace Monitor (Varanus varius), frequently celebrated colloquially across Australia as the ‘tree goanna,’ is a massive, highly agile monitor lizard that reigns as the second-largest lizard on the Australian continent, surpassed in size only by the...

Greek Tortoise

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Greek Tortoise (Testudo graeca), also widely designated as the Spur-thighed Tortoise, is one of the most culturally revered and biologically resilient terrestrial chelonians on Earth. Inhabiting the sun-drenched landscapes of the Mediterranean basin, North Africa,...

Eastern Fence Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), colloquially celebrated as the prairie lizard, pine lizard, or fence swift, is an agile, rough-scaled diurnal lizard belonging to the spiny lizard family (Phrynosomatidae). Native to the sun-dappled pine woodlands,...

Red-footed Tortoise

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Red-footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) is an exceptionally attractive, intelligent, and culturally revered terrestrial chelonian belonging to the tortoise family (Testudinidae). Widely distributed across the tropical lowlands, Amazonian rainforest margins,...

Desert Iguana

Reptiles > Lizards

The Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) is an extraordinary, pale, heat-loving herbivorous lizard belonging to the iguana family (Iguanidae). Native to the blistering arid expanses of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the American Southwest and northwestern Mexico,...

Mojave Rattlesnake

Reptiles > Snakes

The Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus), colloquially feared as the ‘Mojave green,’ is an infamous, highly venomous pit viper belonging to the viper family (Viperidae). Native to the arid deserts and dry shrublands of the southwestern United States...

Western Hognose Snake

Reptiles > Snakes

The Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus), often affectionately referred to by herpetologists as the ‘plains hognose,’ is a charming, stout-bodied colubrid snake native to the sweeping grasslands and prairie sandhills of central North America....

Argentine Tegu

Reptiles > Lizards

The Argentine Tegu (Salvator merianae), also widely known as the Argentine black and white tegu, is a colossal, heavy-bodied saurian belonging to the whiptail and tegu family (Teiidae). Native to the savannas, scrublands, and open woodlands of South America, this...

Eastern Collared Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), affectionately known across the American Southwest as the ‘mountain boomer,’ is a breathtakingly vibrant, dynamic saurian belonging to the collared lizard family (Crotaphytidae). Native to the...

Spiny Softshell Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles & Tortoises

The Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a bizarre, highly specialized freshwater chelonian belonging to the softshell turtle family (Trionychidae), native to the river basins and waterways of North America. Renowned for its radical departure from...