Golden Poison Dart Frog

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: 10 years
Size: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Weight: Less than 1 oz
Group name: Army

The golden poison dart frog is considered one of the most toxic animals on Earth. A single specimen measuring two inches (five centimeters) has enough venom to kill ten grown men. Indigenous Emberá people of Colombia have used its powerful venom for centuries to tip their blowgun darts when hunting, hence the species' name.

These brightly colored amphibians are among the largest of the more than 100 poison dart frog species, averaging more than one inch (two and a half centimeters) in length. They live within a tiny plot of rain forest on the Pacific coast of Colombia. And though the population in its small range is abundant, widespread decimation of the rain forest has landed this species on international endangered lists.

Their coloring, which can be yellow, orange, or pale green, depending on their particular range, is deliberately ostentatious to ward off potential predators, a tactic called aposematic coloration. Their diet includes flies, crickets, ants, termites, and beetles.

Scientists are unsure of the source of this frog's amazing toxicity, but it is possible they assimilate plant poisons, which are carried by their prey. Poison dart frogs raised in captivity and isolated from insects in their native habitat never develop venom.

The medical research community has been exploring possible medicinal uses for the golden poison dart frog's venom. They have already developed a synthetic version of one of the venom's compounds that has promise as a powerful painkiller.

Elephant Trunk Snake

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Acrochordidae
Genus: Acrochordus
Species: A. javanicus

Commonly known as the Elephant Trunk Snake, though that name can be used for all members of this family, this species is the best known member of the wart snake family. It is found throughout southeastern Asia, particularly in Indonesia. It is the largest member of its family. Like other wart snakes, it is totally aquatic, and feeds on fish.

Bombay Earth Snake

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Uropeltidae
Genus: Uropeltis
Species: U. macrolepis

Bombay Earth Snake, Uropeltis macrolepis, is a species of snake. Distribution: South India (Maharashtra (Phansad - near Supegaon, Mahabaleshwar, Koyna, Lonavla) [A. Captain, pers. Comm.]) Type locality: "Ceylon?" [Sri Lanka] Type locality: ,,Mahableshwar, Satara district, Bombay State", India [mahableshwarensis CHARI 1955]

Green Iguana

Type: Reptile
Diet: Herbivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 20 years
Size: 6.6 ft (2 m)
Weight: 11 lbs (5 kg)

Green, or common, iguanas are among the largest lizards in the Americas, averaging around 6.5 feet (2 meters) long and weighing about 11 pounds (5 kilograms).

They are also among the most popular reptile pets in the United States, despite being quite difficult to care for properly. In fact, most captive iguanas die within the first year, and many are either turned loose by their owners or given to reptile rescue groups.

The green iguana’s extensive range comprises the rain forests of northern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and southern Brazil. They spend most of their lives in the canopy, descending only infrequently to mate, lay eggs, or change trees.

Primarily herbivores, iguanas are active during the day, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit. They generally live near water and are excellent swimmers. If threatened, they will leap from a branch, often from great heights, and escape with a splash to the water below. They are also tough enough to land on solid ground from as high as 40 feet (12 meters) and survive.

Iguanas' stout build gives them a clumsy look, but they are fast and agile on land. They have strong jaws with razor-sharp teeth and sharp tails, which make up half their body length and can be used as whips to drive off predators. They can also detach their tails if caught and will grow another without permanent damage.

Other members of the iguana family include the Fiji Island banded iguana, the desert iguana, and the Galápagos Islands marine iguana. Their appearance, behavior, and endangered status vary from species to species.

Saltwater Crocodile

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 70 years
Size: 17 ft (5 m)
Weight: 1,000 lbs (450 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)

Earth’s largest living crocodilian—and, some say, the animal most likely to eat a human—is the saltwater or estuarine crocodile. Average-sized males reach 17 feet (5 meters) and 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), but specimens 23 feet (7 meters) long and weighing 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) are not uncommon.

Saltwater crocs, or "salties," as Australians affectionately refer to them, have an enormous range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. They are excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea.

Classic opportunistic predators, they lurk patiently beneath the surface near water's edge waiting for potential prey to stop for a sip of water. They’ll feed on anything they can get their jaws on, including water buffalo, monkeys, wild boar, and even sharks. Without warning, they explode from the water with a thrash of their powerful tails, grasp their victim, and drag it back in, holding it under until the animal drowns.

Population estimates range from 200,000 to 300,000 worldwide, and they are considered at low risk for extinction. But saltwater croc hides are valued above all other crocodilians, and illegal hunting, habitat loss, and antipathy toward the species because of its reputation as a man-eater continue to put pressure on the population.

Spring Peeper

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 3 years (estimated)
Size: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Weight: 0.11 to 0.18 oz (3 to 5 g)
Group name: Army

Spring peepers are to the amphibian world what American robins are to the bird world. As their name implies, they begin emitting their familiar sleigh-bell-like chorus right around the beginning of spring.

Found in wooded areas and grassy lowlands near ponds and swamps in the central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States, these tiny, well-camouflaged amphibians are rarely seen. But the mid-March crescendo of nighttime whistles from amorous males is for many a sign that winter is over.

Spring peepers are tan or brown in color with dark lines that form a telltale X on their backs. They grow to about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) in length, and have large toe pads for climbing, although they are more at home amid the loose debris of the forest floor.

They are nocturnal creatures, hiding from their many predators during the day and emerging at night to feed on such delicacies as beetles, ants, flies, and spiders.

They mate and lay their eggs in water and spend the rest of the year in the forest. In the winter, they hibernate under logs or behind loose bark on trees, waiting for the spring thaw and their chance to sing

Nile Crocodile

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 45 years (est.)
Size: 16 ft (5 m)
Weight: 500 lbs (225 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)

The Nile crocodile has a somewhat deserved reputation as a vicious man-eater. The proximity of much of its habitat to people means run-ins are frequent. And its virtually indiscriminate diet means a villager washing clothes by a riverbank might look just as tasty as a migrating wildebeest. Firm numbers are sketchy, but estimates are that up to 200 people may die each year in the jaws of a Nile croc.

Africa's largest crocodilian, these primordial brutes reach a maximum size of about 20 feet (6 meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730 kilograms). Average sizes, though, are more in the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds (225 kilograms). They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove swamps.

The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate enough to cross its path, including zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles. It will also scavenge carrion, and can eat up to half its body weight at a feeding.

One unusual characteristic of this fearsome predator is its caring nature as a parent. Where most reptiles lay their eggs and move on, mother and father Nile crocs ferociously guard their nests until the eggs hatch, and they will often roll the eggs gently in their mouths to help hatching babies emerge.

Hunted close to extinction in the 1940s through the 1960s, local and international protections have helped them rebound in most areas. In some regions, though, pollution, hunting, and habitat loss have severely depleted their numbers.

Mexican Axolotl

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 10 to 15 years
Size: up to 12 in (30 cm)
Weight: 2.11 to 8 oz (60 to 227 g)

The Mexican axolotl (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) salamander has the rare trait of retaining its larval features throughout its adult life. This condition, called neoteny, means it keeps its tadpole-like dorsal fin, which runs almost the length of its body, and its feathery external gills, which protrude from the back of its wide head.

Found exclusively in the lake complex of Xochimilco (pronounced SO-chee-MILL-koh) near Mexico City, axolotls differ from most other salamanders in that they live permanently in water. In extremely rare cases, an axolotl will progress to maturity and emerge from the water, but by and large, they are content to stay on the bottom of Xochimilco’s lakes and canals.

Close relatives of the tiger salamander, axolotls can be quite large, reaching up to a foot (30 centimeters) in length, although the average size is closer to half that. They are typically black or mottled brown, but albino and white varieties are somewhat common, particularly among captive specimens.

Axolotls are long-lived, surviving up to 15 years on a diet of mollusks, worms, insect larva, crustaceans, and some fish. Accustomed to being a top predator in its habitat, this species has begun to suffer from the introduction of large fish into its lake habitat. Natural threats include predatory birds such as herons.

Populations are in decline as the demands of nearby Mexico City have led to the draining and contamination of much of the waters of the Xochimilco Lake complex. They are also popular in the aquarium trade, and roasted axolotl is considered a delicacy in Mexico, further shrinking their numbers. They are considered a critically endangered species.

King Cobra

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 20 years
Size: 13 ft (4 m)
Weight: Up to 20 lbs (9 kg)
Group name: Quiver

It seems unfairly menacing that a snake that can literally "stand up" and look a full-grown person in the eye would also be among the most venomous on the planet, but that describes the famous king cobra.

King cobras can reach 18 feet (5.5 meters) in length, making them the longest of all venomous snakes. When confronted, they can raise up to one-third of their bodies straight off the ground and still move forward to attack. They will also flare out their iconic hoods and emit a bone-chilling hiss that sounds almost like a growling dog.

Their venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single bite—up to two-tenths of a fluid ounce (seven milliliters)—is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. Fortunately, king cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible, but they are fiercely aggressive when cornered.

King cobras live mainly in the rain forests and plains of India, southern China, and Southeast Asia, and their coloring can vary greatly from region to region. They are comfortable in the trees, on land, and in water, feeding mainly on other snakes, venomous and nonvenomous. They will also eat lizards, eggs, and small mammals.

They are the only snakes in the world that build nests for their eggs, which they guard ferociously until the hatchlings emerge.

King cobras may be best known as the species of choice for the snake charmers of South Asia. Although cobras can hear, they are actually deaf to ambient noises, sensing ground vibrations instead. The charmer's flute entices the cobra by its shape and movement, not by the music it emits

Gila Monster

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 20 to 30 years
Size: 20 in (50 cm)
Weight: 4 lbs (1.8 kg)
Group name: Lounge

At a length of up to two feet (0.6 meters) and a maximum weight exceeding five pounds (2.3 kilograms), the venomous Gila monster (pronounced HEE-luh) is the largest lizard native to the United States.

Easily identified by their black bodies marked with dramatic patterns of pink, orange, or yellow, Gilas are found in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. They take their name from Arizona's Gila River basin, where they were first discovered.

The Gila monster is one of only a handful of venomous lizards in the world. Others include the similar-looking Mexican beaded lizards, as well as iguanas and monitor lizards. Its venom is a fairly mild neurotoxin. And though a Gila bite is extremely painful, none has resulted in a reported human death. Unlike snakes, which inject venom, Gilas latch onto victims and chew to allow neurotoxins to move through grooves in their teeth and into the open wound.

Gilas are lethargic creatures that feed primarily on eggs raided from nests and newborn mammals. They may spend more than 95 percent of their lives in underground burrows, emerging only to feed and occasionally to bask in the desert sun. They can store fat in their oversized tails and are able to go months between meals.

Gila populations are shrinking due primarily to human encroachment, and they are considered a threatened species.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 10 to 20 years
Size: 5.5 ft (1.7 m)
Weight: 5 lbs (2.3 kg)

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in North America. Some reach 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length and weigh up to 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms).

These stout-bodied pit vipers generally live in the dry, pine flatwoods, sandy woodlands, and coastal scrub habitats from southern North Carolina to Florida and west to Louisiana. Their pattern of yellow-bordered, light-centered black diamonds makes them among the most strikingly adorned of all North American reptiles. They are natural exterminators, surviving on such household pests as rats and mice, as well as squirrels and birds.

Feared as deadly and aggressive, diamondbacks are actually highly averse to human contact and only attack in defense. Most bites occur when humans taunt or try to capture or kill a rattlesnake. They can accurately strike at up to one-third their body length.

Diamondback venom is a potent hemotoxin that kills red blood cells and causes tissue damage. Bites are extremely painful and can be fatal to humans. However, antivenin is widely available throughout the snake's range, and bites rarely result in death.

When cornered, rattlers feverishly shake their iconic tails as a last warning to back off. Rattles are made of loosely attached, hard, hollow segments. Snakes add a new rattle segment each time they shed. However, rattles break off frequently, and snakes may shed their skin several times a year, so it is not possible to determine a snake's age by its rattle size.

The eastern diamondback is not endangered, but because of indiscriminate killing, widespread loss of habitat, and hunting, its numbers are decreasing throughout its range

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: 20 to 70 years
Size: 26 in (66 cm)
Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)
Group name: Bale or dole

The prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America and among the largest in the world. With its spiked shell, beak-like jaws, and thick, scaled tail, this species is often referred to as the "dinosaur of the turtle world."

Found almost exclusively in the rivers, canals, and lakes of the southeastern United States, alligator snappers can live to be 50 to 100 years old. Males average 26 inches (66 centimeters) in shell length and weigh about 175 pounds (79.4 kilograms), although they have been known to exceed 220 pounds (100 kilograms). The much smaller females top out at around 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms).

Alligator snappers spend most of their lives in water, the exception being when females trudge about 160 feet (50 meters) inland to nest. They can stay submerged for 40 to 50 minutes before surfacing for air.

The alligator snapper employs a unique natural lure in its hunting technique. Its tongue sports a bright-red, worm-shaped piece of flesh that, when displayed by a motionless turtle on a river bottom, draws curious fish or frogs close enough to be snatched.

Adult snappers have no natural predators other than humans, who capture them for their meat and shells, and to sell in the exotic animal trade. A severe reduction in population due to unregulated harvesting and habitat loss has led states to protect them throughout most of their range, and they are listed as a threatened species.

Tiger Salamander

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 12 to 15 years
Size: 7 to 14 in (18 to 35 cm)
Weight: 4.4 oz (126 g)

Tiger salamanders' markings are variable throughout their extensive range, but the most common marking resembles the vertically striped pattern of their mammalian namesake.
They are usually brown in color with brilliant yellow stripes or blotches over the length of their bodies. Their base color, however, can also be greenish or gray and their markings can be yellow dots or brown splotches. Some have no markings at all.
Thick-bodied amphibians with short snouts, sturdy legs, and long tails, tigers are the largest land-dwelling salamander on Earth. They can grow to 14 inches (35 centimeters) in length, but the average size is more like 6 to 8 inches (15.2 to 20.3 centimeters).
They are also the most wide-ranging salamander species in North America, living throughout most of the United States, southern Canada, and eastern Mexico. They live in deep burrows, up to two feet (60 centimeters) below the surface, near ponds, lakes, or slow-moving streams and are one of few salamanders able to survive in the arid climate of the North America interior.
Highly voracious predators, they emerge from their burrows at night to feed on worms, insects, frogs, and even other salamanders.
Their population is healthy throughout their range, but deforestation, pollution, and rising acidity levels in their breeding pools is affecting their distribution. Many are even killed by cars as they cross roads in the spring en route to or from their breeding sites.
Tiger salamanders are long-lived, averaging 10 to 16 years in the wild.

Cane Toad

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 5 to 10 years
Size: 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
Weight: 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
Group name: Knot or nest

The much maligned venomous cane toads earned their bad reputation shortly after being released into the Australian ecology in 1935 with the hope that they would control the destructive cane beetle population. They turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but remarkably successful at reproducing and spreading themselves.

About 3,000 cane toads were released in the sugarcane plantations of north Queensland in 1935. They now number well into the millions, and their still expanding range covers thousands of square miles in northeastern Australia. They are considered pests, and government eradication efforts include asking residents to help collect and dispose of them.

Cane toads are large, stocky amphibians with dry, warty skin, and are native to the southern United States, Central America, and tropical South America. Their numbers are manageable in their natural range, but they have thrived in Australia because there are few natural predators, they breed easily, and they have abundant food, including even pet food, which they steal from feeding bowls left outside of homes.

Their effects on Australia's ecology include the depletion of native species that die eating cane toads; the poisoning of pets and humans; depletion of native fauna preyed on by cane toads; and reduced prey populations for native insectivores, such as skinks.

Cane toad venom is a mix of toxins that primarily affects the functioning of the heart. It is present throughout their bodies and is secreted as a milky liquid from the parotoid glands located over the toad's shoulders. Envenomation is painful, but rarely deadly to humans, although some people have died from eating cane toads and even their eggs.

Black Mamba

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: 11 years or more
Size: Up to 14 ft (4.3 m)
Weight: Up to 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)

Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive. They have been blamed for numerous human deaths, and African myths exaggerate their capabilities to legendary proportions. For these reasons, the black mamba is widely considered the world’s deadliest snake.

Black mambas live in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. They are Africa’s longest venomous snake, reaching up to 14 feet (4.5 meters) in length, although 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) is more the average. They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour (20 kilometers per hour).

They get their name not from their skin color, which tends to be olive to gray, but rather from the blue-black color of the inside of their mouth, which they display when threatened.

Black mambas are shy and will almost always seek to escape when confronted. However, when cornered, these snakes will raise their heads, sometimes with a third of their body off the ground, spread their cobra-like neck-flap, open their black mouths and hiss. If an attacker persists, the mamba will strike not once, but repeatedly, injecting large amounts of potent neuro- and cardiotoxin with each strike.

Before the advent of black mamba antivenin, a bite from this fearsome serpent was 100 percent fatal, usually within about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, antivenin is still not widely available in the rural parts of the mamba’s range, and mamba-related deaths remain frequent.

The black mamba has no special conservation status. However, encroachment on its territory is not only putting pressure on the species but contributes to more potentially dangerous human contact with these snakes.

Fox Snake

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Pantherophis (Elaphe) vulpina
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: 3 to 5 feet
Range: The Mid- to Northwest areas of the United States.
Habitat: Forests, grasslands and farm areas.

The fox snake is known for its stalking behavior, its odor and the reddish coloration of some of the snakes' heads. Members of the rat snake clan can have stripes, blotches, or a combination of stripes and blotches; even unicolored species can be found. The fox snake is basically a spotted snake that can have beautiful shades of brown on the body with a yellow-orange to reddish colored neck and head. Rat snakes also have several representatives that are amelanistic (lacking black pigment) or leucistic (white coloration with blue eyes).

Housing for the rat snake group can be simple. Cages should be escape-proof, roomy and well-ventilated. Hide boxes are appreciated by most forms. Substrates that work well include pine shavings, newsprint, indoor-outdoor carpeting or paper toweling. These animals do best with ventral heating--provide a heater on the bottom of one side of the cage setting up a temperature range from which the animal can select its preferred body temperature.

Rosy Boa

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Lichanura trivirgata
Family: Erycinidae
Adult Size: 24 to 32 inches
Range: Found from Southern California east to south-central Arizona and then into northwestern Mexico, including Baja California.
Habitat: This little boa is found in deserts and other dry areas, typically near oases or other local sources of moisture near rocks and similar cover.
Diet : carnivore

Many workers now place this species in the genus Charina along with the rubber boa.
Long considered one of the easiest snakes to care for, rosy boas are at home in a small, dry terrarium with minimal decorations. An adult or small group can be kept in a 10-gallon or 20-gallon terrarium or similar plastic box on a substrate of shredded aspen, sand or coconut fibers. The substrate should be at least 2 inches deep to allow the snake to burrow. Provide a branch or other decoration as a hiding spot. Water should be presented only two or three times a week in a shallow bowl and the substrate must not be allowed to become wet. Maintain a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, dropping a bit at night, but give the snake an undertank heating pad or a basking light in one corner for a localized higher temperature of 90 to 100 degrees. Although nocturnal in nature, many captives learn to become active during the day and are easy to handle.

Feeding is not a problem with adults, which will commonly take two or three hopper or small adult mice once or twice a week. Newborn specimens may not feed for several weeks before taking their first pinky mouse and some may require a gecko or other small lizard as their first meal.

Komodo Dragon

Type: Reptile
Size: 10 ft (3 m)
Weight: 330 lbs (150 kg)
Range : islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores (Indonesia)
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 30 years+

Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands for millions of years, although amazingly, their existence was unknown to humans until about 100 years ago.

Reaching 10 feet (3 meters) in length and more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms), Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards on Earth. They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails.

As the dominant predators on the handful of islands they inhabit, they will eat almost anything, including carrion, deer, pigs, smaller dragons, and even large water buffalo and humans. When hunting, Komodo dragons rely on camouflage and patience, lying in wait for passing prey. When a victim ambles by, the dragon springs, using its powerful legs, sharp claws and serrated, shark-like teeth to eviscerate its prey.

Animals that escape the jaws of a Komodo will only feel lucky briefly. Dragon saliva teems with over 50 strains of bacteria, and within 24 hours, the stricken creature usually dies of blood poisoning. Dragons calmly follow an escapee for miles as the bacteria takes effect, using their keen sense of smell to hone in on the corpse. A dragon can eat a whopping 80 percent of its body weight in a single feeding.

There is a stable population of about 3,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons on the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores. However, a dearth of egg-laying females, poaching, human encroachment, and natural disasters has driven the species to endangered status.

Pac-Man Frog

Type : Amphibian
Scientific Name: Ceratophrys ornata
Family: Leptodactylidae
Adult Size: Rarely longer than 4 to 6 inches.
Range: Originate from the South American countries of Columbia and Argentina.
Habitat: Grasslands, croplands and near temporary bodies of water.
Diet : Carnivore

The horned frogs are not an overly active species, and captives do not require particularly large terraria. An adult female (or pair) of horned frogs will thrive in a 15- to 20-gallon (horizontally oriented) aquarium. Captive specimens may be maintained either terrestrially, or in a plain terraria containing only a half inch of water. Horned frogs that are provided sufficient soil will quickly burrow and remain buried for more than 95 percent of the time, leading many owners to keep them in a plain terraria. This type of set-up requires frequent, if not daily, cleaning as bacteria proliferate in this type of terrarium.

Several small food items are better for a frog than one large one. At 3 to 4 weeks old, the frog should be able to consume a pinky mouse or several crickets every 3 to 4 days. As the frog grows, the size of prey can be increased and offered less often. Adult frogs only need to be fed once every two weeks or so.

Amazon Tree Boa

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Corallus hortulanus
Family: Boidae
Adult Size: Often attains 4½ feet; occasionally attains 6½ to slightly more than 7 feet.
Range: Predominantly a species of Amazonian South America east of the Andes to the Atlantic coast. They occur from Central Venezuela, eastern Colombia and the Guyana Shield countries in the north to central Bolivia and central Brazil in the south. In forested eastern Brazil the range extends far southward.
Habitat: Besides typical rainforest habitats, this highly arboreal taxon occurs also in dryer forests and in many grassland habitats. It is often seen in river- and oxbow-edge trees.
Diet : Carnivore

This species is also referred to as the Garden Tree Boa, by experienced hobbyists as ATBs, and, in error, as Cook’s Tree Boa (a different species). Although hobbyists now breed many of the more desirable colors (red, orange, yellow and combinations of these colors), the majority of the less coveted colors (brown, tan, olive, gray, charcoal and combinations) are collected from the wild and imported. Brightly colored examples are usually considerably more expensive than those of duller color. Both captive bred and imported individuals are usually readily available in the pet trade.

Amazon tree boas will bite readily and their long teeth render this an unpleasant experience. They are often best handled with a snake hook.

Baby and imported tree boas may become dehydrated during transportation. Immediate rehydration is very important. When misted, freshly collected examples often drink beadlets of water from their bodies and nearby leaves more readily than from cage bottom drinking bowls. High cage humidity will help reduce dehydration but does not replace the need for the snakes to drink. Elevating the drinking bowl and roiling the water surface with an aquarium air stone (activated by a small vibrating pump) will often induce the snake to drink. Dehydration can result in regurgitation or refusal to eat. Imported snakes may also bear endoparasites. A stool sample should be analyzed by a veterinarian and if necessary purging should be carried out.

Birds are an important prey item of wild specimens. Captives should be fed weekly and usually accept prekilled mice proffered on forceps. The mouse should not be larger in diameter than the width of the boas head. When hungry a tree boa will usually prowl actively in its cage or lie coiled with head and neck extended downward in a sinuous S striking-curve.

Relatively high cage humidity should be provided these boas. Live plants can add beauty to a cage and also help elevate humidity. Baby Amazon tree boas can be maintained in a 5 to 10 gallon capacity terrarium. Adults should have a terrarium of at least a 20 gallon capacity and a 30 to 50 gallon size is probably better. A temperature gradient of 75 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit should be provided. Although they do not always climb, horizontal perches of about the same diameter as the snake’s body and climbing space should be provided. Amazon tree boas will usually choose a forked branch on which to coil. When the snakes are in elevated positions they usually anchor themselves with their prehensile tail.

St. Helena Mountain Kingsnake

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Lampropeltis multicinta zonata
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: Adults average 36 inches in length.
Range: Throughout the Mendovino, Napa and Sonoma counties in California; intergrades with the Sierra mountain kingsnake occur northward into southeastern Oregon, and the Washington population also appears to be comprised of intergrades.
Habitat: Forests and wooded areas near water with rock outcrops.
Diet : Carnivore

The St. Helena mountain kingsnake, is a little-known subspecies found in wooded areas ranging throughout the Mendovino, Napa and Sonoma counties in California; intergrades with the Sierra mountain kingsnake occur northward into southeastern Oregon, and the Washington population also appears to be comprised of intergrades.

Cages should be escape proof, complete with water and hiding area. Kingsnakes and milk snakes must be housed separately (except during the breeding season) because they are cannibalistic. Inexpensive enclosures such as plastic shoe or sweater boxes work well if there are ventilation holes drilled in the sides. Aquariums or home-made enclosures also work well if you want to display the snake. A variety of substrates may be used (aspen shavings, corn-cob-type rodent bedding or newspaper) to keep the animals clean, warm and dry.

Kingsnakes will feed on just about anything. They will consume warm-blooded prey such as rodents and birds, as well as cold-blooded prey such as lizards and frogs (in addition to other snakes).

Many species adapt well in captivity if kept between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with a nighttime temperature drop of five to 10 degrees. Temperature control is important as it maintains feeding response and digestion.

Yellow Rat Snake

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Pantherophis (Elaphe) obsoleta quadrivittata
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: 4 to 6 feet
Range: In its pure form, this snake is found from coastal North Carolina to southeastern Georgia and over most of the Florida peninsula. In the Florida Everglades a very similar snake is brilliant orange and often is known as the Everglades rat snake, E. o. rossalleni.
Habitat: Yellow rat snakes are arboreal, often found high in cypress and oak trees in search of prey. They usually are found near water but also can be common near homes and barns.
Diet : Carnivore

The taxonomy of the American rat snakes is currently being debated and changes often. Some workers do not recognize the subspecies quadrivittata as distinct from the main species, and some prefer to use the name Elaphe alleghaniensis for eastern U.S. rat snakes, using obsolete for a species from west of the Mississippi River. Recently workers have suggested that American rat snakes should be placed in the genus Pantherophis or even combined with the genus Pituophis (normally containing the pine snakes).

This is a big snake that needs a large, tall terrarium at least 4 feet long and preferably 3 or 4 feet high. There should be many climbing branches and resting surfaces well above the floor. Almost any substrate can be used, but it should not become too moist. Very humid keeping conditions can lead to dangerous bacterial blister disease in these snakes. Provide a shallow bowl of water that will be used for soaking, and change it regularly.

Yellow rat snakes are among the easiest snakes to feed, as they will take rodents and birds of any appropriate size. Large adults will even take rats, while hatchlings take pinky mice. Wild-caught specimens almost certainly will have intestinal parasites and should be wormed.

Asian Box Turtle

Type: Reptile
Scientific Name: Cuora flavomarginata
Family: Geoemydidae
Adult Size: Females, the larger and more robust of the sexes, attain a length of 6 3/4 inches. Hatchlings are about 1 1/2 inches long.
Range: The Chinese mainland, Taiwan and the Ryukyus.
Habitat: Woodlands and bushlands along Yangtze River drainage areas.
Diet : Omnivore

This Asian box turtle has a highly domed, somewhat elongate carapace and a strongly hinged plastron. The carapace is dark brown, and most specimens bear a yellow vertebral stripe or spot on each vertebral scute. The growth rings (annuli) are usually quite distinct and the central areolae may be yellowish (the carapace of the young turtles is actually quite rough). The plastron is black rimmed with yellow. The head is grayish on top, and the face is pinkish tan to peach. A broad butter-yellow to bright greenish yellow stripe extends from each eye to the neck.

These turtles are very alert, and even after many years of captivity they will return quickly to the dry ground and seek shelter beneath overhanging grasses and other ground cover if disturbed.

At the advent of cold weather or during periods of drought, they burrow deeply enough to completely conceal themselves. Once burrowed in, they usually fail to respond to gentle lawn sprinklings or a brief shower, but will emerge and forage if the ground becomes saturated.

These beautiful box turtles eagerly accept worms and insects, but will also eat an occasional prekilled pinky mouse, trout chow, puppy chow, some berries, other fruits, squash and a little dark lettuce. They will eat both in and out of the water.

Northern Leopard Frog

Type: Amphibian
Size: 3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm)
Group name: Army
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 2 to 4 years


The northern leopard frog is perhaps most recognizable as the formaldehyde-soaked specimen in the high school lab tray.

Once the most abundant and widespread frog species in North America, leopard frogs were widely collected not only for dissection but for the food industry (frog legs) as well.

However, massive declines beginning in the early 1970s, particularly in Canada and the western United States, have significantly reduced their numbers. Scientists have not determined the cause of the declines, but it is likely a combination of ecological factors: pollution, deforestation, and water acidity.

Northern leopard frogs are so named for the array of irregularly shaped dark spots that adorn their backs and legs. They are greenish-brown in color with a pearly white underside and light-colored ridges on either side of their backs. They are considered medium-size, reaching lengths of 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 centimeters), nose to rump. Females are slightly larger than males.

Their range is most of northern North America, except on the Pacific Coast. They generally live near ponds and marshes, but will often venture into well-covered grasslands as well, earning them their other common name, the meadow frog.

Leopard frogs will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouths. They sit still and wait for prey to happen by, then pounce with their powerful legs. They eat beetles, ants, flies, worms, smaller frogs, including their own species, and even birds, and garter snakes

Green Basilisk

Scientific Name: Basiliscus plumifrons
Family: Iguanidae
Adult Size: 18 to 27 inches in total length, most of which is tail
Range: Lower Central America
Habitat: Lush foliage along waterways

The green basilisk or plumed basilisk is among the showiest herps on Earth. No wonder it’s a favorite as a captive! These brilliant green beauties make interesting captives, but require more effort to please in a cage than many other lizards. Give the green basilisk a large cage that’s tall so they can climb on stout branches.

First off, insist upon acquiring a captive-born green basilisk because wild-caught imports are nervous and flighty creatures that rarely settle down to be satisfactory pets. Get one under 12 inches long whenever possible so it will acclimate well and learn not to be afraid of its keeper.

Green basilisks are primarily carnivores that gobble up almost any animal smaller than themselves. In captivity, insects (for juveniles) and mice make up the bulk of the diet. Offer live, moving food items late in the morning after the green basilisk has had time to bask and warm up to hunting temperature.

Green basilisks come from steamy forests where it’s never extremely dry. Mist their cage often to maintain a high level of humidity, yet assure adequate ventilation so the air and cage never stays wet and mold starts to grow. Also install a small water bowl for drinking water.

Warty Newt

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 7 in (18 cm)
Weight: 0.22 to 0.37 oz (6.3 to 10.6 g)
Average lifespan in captivity: Up to 25 years


The warty or great crested newt lives only in Europe. Females, which are larger than males, can reach 7 inches (18 centimeters) in length, making these stout-bodied amphibians the continent’s largest newts.

True to its name, the warty newt has skin that is covered in small bumps. The skin contains glands that secrete a milky, acrid-smelling substance to dissuade predators. Its other common name derives from the dramatic, jagged crest that males develop along their backs during the spring breeding season.

These newts are generally dark colored on top and orange or yellow with black spots underneath. They also have white speckles on their flanks and a large, vertically flattened tail that bears a white streak down the side.

Warty newts are nocturnal and are voracious eaters, feeding on worms, slugs, and insects on land, and tadpoles and mollusks in water. They are more terrestrial than most newts, but must remain near bodies of fresh water to keep their skin moist.

These newts spend a significant portion of their lives in hibernation, usually from around October to March of each year. On a rainy night in March, they awaken and trek back to the pond where they hatched to mate.

Females lay from 200 to 300 eggs, but only about half develop into tadpoles. Tadpoles emerge from their eggs in about 21 days and feed on small insects like water fleas and tiny worms. Warty newts are extremely long-lived, with some exceeding 16 years of age. Like all newts, they can regrow body parts if necessary, but that ability diminishes as they age.

Warty newt populations are in decline throughout their range, and they are considered an endangered species. They and their habitats are protected under European law.

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Type: Reptile
Size: 2 ft (65 cm)
Weight: 100 lbs (45 kg)
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: About 50 years


The Kemp’s ridley turtle is the world’s most endangered sea turtle, and with a worldwide female nesting population roughly estimated at just 1,000 individuals, its survival truly hangs in the balance. Their perilous situation is attributed primarily to the over-harvesting of their eggs during the last century. And though their nesting grounds are protected and many commercial fishing fleets now use turtle excluder devices in their nets, these turtles have not been able to rebound.

For this reason, their nesting processions, called arribadas, make for especially high drama. During an arribada, females take over entire portions of beaches, lugging their big bodies through the sand with their flippers until they find a satisfying spot to lay their eggs. Even more riveting is the later struggle to the ocean of each tiny, vulnerable hatchling. Beset by predators, hatchlings make this journey at night, breaking out of their shells using their caruncle, a single temporary tooth grown just for this purpose.

Found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, but also as far north as Nova Scotia, Kemp’s ridleys are among the smallest sea turtles, reaching only about 2 feet (65 centimeters) in shell length and weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Their upper shell, or carapace, is a greenish-grey color, and their bellies are off-white to yellowish.

They prefer shallow waters, where they dive to the bottom to feed on crabs, which are their favorite food, and other shellfish. They also eat jellyfish, and occasionally munch on seaweed and sargassum. They may live to be 50 years old.

Females aren’t sexually mature until about ten to twelve years of age. They nest every one to three years and may lay several clutches of eggs each season. Highly migratory animals, they often travel hundreds of miles (kilometers) to reach their nesting beach, usually the same beach they hatched from.

Marine Iguana

Type: Reptile
Diet: Herbivore
Size: 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m)
Weight: 1 to 3.3 lbs (.5 to 1.5 kg)
Average lifespan in the wild: 5 to 12 years

The much-maligned marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands are so famously homely, even Charles Darwin piled on, describing them as "hideous-looking" and "most disgusting, clumsy lizards."

It's true, they're not pretty, with their wide-set eyes, smashed-in faces, spiky dorsal scales, and knotty, salt-encrusted heads. But what these unusual creatures lack in looks they make up for with their amazing and unique ecological adaptations.

Scientists figure that land-dwelling iguanas from South America must have drifted out to sea millions of years ago on logs or other debris, eventually landing on the Galápagos. From that species emerged marine iguanas, which spread to nearly all the islands of the archipelago. Each island hosts marine iguanas of unique size, shape and color.

They look fierce, but are actually gentle herbivores, surviving exclusively on underwater algae and seaweed. Their short, blunt snouts and small, razor-sharp teeth help them scrape the algae off rocks, and their laterally flattened tails let them move crocodile-like through the water. Their claws are long and sharp for clinging to rocks on shore or underwater in heavy currents. They have dark gray coloring to better absorb sunlight after their forays into the frigid Galápagos waters. And they even have special glands that clean their blood of extra salt, which they ingest while feeding.

Their population is not well known, but estimates are in the hundreds of thousands. They are under constant pressure from non-native predators like rats, feral cats, and dogs, who feed on their eggs and young. They are protected throughout the archipelago and are considered vulnerable to extinction.

Green Anaconda

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 20 to 30 ft (6 to 9 m)
Weight: Up to 550 lbs (227 kg)
Group name: Bed or knot
Average lifespan in the wild: 10 years


Member of the boa family, South America’s green anaconda is, pound for pound, the largest snake in the world. Its cousin, the reticulated python, can reach slightly greater lengths, but the enormous girth of the anaconda makes it almost twice as heavy.

Green anacondas can grow to more than 29 feet (8.8 meters), weigh more than 550 pounds (227 kilograms), and measure more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter. Females are significantly larger than males. Other anaconda species, all from South America and all smaller than the green anaconda, are the yellow, dark-spotted, and Bolivian varieties.

Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. They are cumbersome on land, but stealthy and sleek in the water. Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lay in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged.

They reach their monumental size on a diet of wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybara, caimans, and even jaguars. Anacondas are nonvenomous constrictors, coiling their muscular bodies around captured prey and squeezing until the animal asphyxiates. Jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow them to swallow their prey whole, no matter the size, and they can go weeks or months without food after a big meal.

Female anacondas retain their eggs and give birth to two to three dozen live young. Baby snakes are about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long when they are born and are almost immediately able to swim and hunt. Their lifespan in the wild is about ten years.

Spotted Salamander

Type: Amphibian
Size: 7 in (18 cm)
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 20 years


Despite being fairly large and having an extremely broad range, the spotted salamander is actually pretty hard to, well, spot.

They can reach 9 inches (23 centimeters) in length and are prevalent in mature deciduous forests from eastern Canada throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. But these secretive salamanders spend almost their entire lives hidden under rocks or logs or in the burrows of other forest animals.

They will populate upland forests and mountainous regions, but are most common in moist, low-lying forests near floodplains.

They emerge from their subterranean hiding spots only at night to feed and during spring mating. They will actually travel long distances over land after a heavy rain to mate and lay their eggs in vernal pools and ponds.

Visually striking, these stout salamanders are bluish-black with two irregular rows of yellow or orange spots extending from head to tail. Like many other salamanders, they secrete a noxious, milky toxin from glands on their backs and tails to dissuade predators. Their diet includes insects, worms, slugs, spiders, and millipedes.

Spotted salamanders' numbers are generally stable throughout their range, but they are very sensitive to changes in their ecology, and rising water acidity in certain habitats is negatively affecting their population. The pet trade and habitat loss also take a toll

Eastern Coral Snake

Type: Reptile
Size: 20 to 30 in (51 to 76 cm)
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: Up to 7 years

A bite from the notoriously venomous eastern coral snake at first seems anticlimactic. There is little or no pain or swelling at the site of the bite, and other symptoms can be delayed for 12 hours. However, if untreated by antivenin, the neurotoxin begins to disrupt the connections between the brain and the muscles, causing slurred speech, double vision, and muscular paralysis, eventually ending in respiratory or cardiac failure.

This iconic snake, with its bulbous head and red, yellow, and black bands, is famous as much for its potent venom as for the many rhymes—"Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack"—penned to distinguish it from similarly patterned, nonvenomous copycats, such as the scarlet king snake.

Coral snakes are extremely reclusive and generally bite humans only when handled or stepped on. They must literally chew on their victim to inject their venom fully, so most bites to humans don't result in death. In fact, no deaths from coral snake bites have been reported in the U.S. since an antivenin was released in 1967.

Eastern coral snakes are relatives of the cobra, mamba, and sea snake. They live in the wooded, sandy, and marshy areas of the southeastern United States, and spend most of their lives burrowed underground or in leaf piles.

They eat lizards, frogs, and smaller snakes, including other coral snakes. Baby snakes emerge from their eggs 7 inches (17.8 centimetes) long and fully venomous. Adults reach about 2 feet (0.6 meters) in length. Average lifespan in the wild is unknown, but they can live up to seven years in captivity.

American Bullfrog

Type: Amphibian
Size: (adult female) 3.5 to 6 in (9 to 15 cm)
Weight: 1.1 lb (0.50 kg)
Group name: Army or colony
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 7 to 9 years

The baritone call of the bullfrog is so deep and resonant, it resembles the mooing of a cow, hence its name. Only males emit this trademark "jug-o-rum" bellow, and their choruses can be heard during the day or night.

The largest of all North American frogs, this giant can grow to a length of 8 inches (20 centimeters) or more and weigh up to 1.5 pounds (750 grams). Even the tadpoles of this species can reach 6.75 inches (17.2 centimeters) in length.

They are among the most wide-ranging of all North American amphibians, found in freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes from Nova Scotia, Canada, throughout the continental United States, and as far south as Mexico and Cuba. They have even found their way to Europe, South America, and Asia.

Bullfrogs are typically green or gray-brown with brown spots and have easily identifiable circular eardrums, or tympanum, on either side of their heads.

Nocturnal predators, they will ambush and eat just about anything they can fit in their ample mouths, including insects, mice, fish, birds, and snakes. They sit quietly and wait for prey to pass by, then lunge with their powerful hind legs, mouths open wide.

Males are highly territorial and will aggressively guard their land. Females are slightly larger than males.

Green Eyed Tree Frog

Type : Amphibian
Size: 2.8 in (7cm)
Group name : Army
diet : Carnivore

The green-eyed tree frog has adapted its appearance to blend in with the moss-covered rain forests of Queensland, Australia. The frogs' coloration and markings vary with their specific habitat, but they usually have a brownish-green body with rust-colored blotches that match the lichen-covered rocks lining the creeks and streams they tend to live near.

This species gets its name not for green eyes per se, but rather for a line of brilliant green that often adorns the brow of each eye. They are also distinguishable by a row of skin flaps along their arms and legs, which resembles a serrated knife.

Females, which are significantly larger than males, grow to about 2.8 inches (7 centimeters). Males, which emit a mating call that sounds like a quiet tap-tap-tap, max out at about 1.8 inches (5 centimeters).

Green-eyed tree frogs are abundant in the rugged wet tropics of northeast Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef. Their population is healthy in the region's lower elevations, but, for unknown reasons, may have disappeared completely from the higher-altitude areas. They have suffered serious declines in the past, possibly due to a fungus or virus, but their numbers have rebounded, and they are not currently threatened or endangered.

American Crocodile

Type: Reptile
Size: Up to 15 ft (4.6 m)
Weight: Up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 70 years
Diet: Carnivore

The American crocodile is considered an endangered species in nearly all parts of its North, Central, and South American range. Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels.

A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps.

A prehistoric-looking creature, it is distinguishable from its cousin, the American alligator, by its longer, thinner snout, its lighter color, and two long teeth on the lower jaw that are visible when its mouth is closed.

This species is among the largest of the world's crocodiles, with Central and South American males reaching lengths of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet (4 meters), however.

Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. They have been known to attack people, but are far more likely to flee at the sight of humans.

Most countries in the American crocodile's range have passed protection laws, but unfortunately, few governments provide adequate enforcement.