221 Amphibians and Reptiles Encyclopedia

Common name : Qudeni dwarf chameleon Scientific name : Bradypodion nemorale Family : Chamaeleonidae Native to : South Africa Interesting fact : Its scientific name means ‘slow-footed’ Conservation status : Near Threatened The word nemorale is a reference to its forest habitat; it means living in groves or woods. The males are a riot of […]

Common name : Siirt lizard Scientific name : Sistrurus catenatus catenatus Family : Lacertidae Native to : North-Eastern Syria, South-Eastern Turkey, South-Western Iran (the Central Zagros Mountains), and some parts of Northern Iraq Interesting fact : They shed their entire skins every few days for several weeks. Conservation status : Least Concern These cold-blooded creatures

Common name : Yellow-blotched sawback Scientific name : Graptemys flavimaculata Family : Emydidae Native to : Southern United States Interesting fact : The patterns on the edge of the shell are used to gauge their age as they fade with time. Conservation status : Vulnerable They are also called ‘sawback turtles’ due to the saw-like

Scientific name : Glyptemys insculpta Family : Emydidae Native to : North America Conservation status : Endangered The deep, circular rings on the wood turtle look like they were carved. They live near streams, creeks or rivers that are shallow with gravel or sandy bottoms.  The turtle is active in the day, and feeds on

Scientific name : Chalcides striatus Family : Scincidae Native to : France, Italy, Portugal and Spain Interesting fact : When disturbed, they run for cover under vegetation, rocks and burrows. Conservation status : Least Concern The Western three-toed skink, with its tiny head and limbs, looks like a snake and grows 43 cm long. Its

Common name : Pacific pond turtle Scientific name : Actinemys marmorata/Emys marmorata Family : Emydidae Native to : United States and Mexico Conservation status : Vulnerable The Western pond turtle has a dark brown to olive-coloured shell that has lighter marbling patterns. The dark head and legs have yellow markings. Their natural habitats are slow-moving

Common name : Plains hog-nose snake Scientific name : Heterodon nasicus Family : Colubridae Native to : Canada, United States and Mexico Interesting fact : It exhibits ‘bluff’ behaviour by acting dead, or pretending to strike victims without biting, hissing and flattening the neck like a hood, etc. Conservation status : Least Concern An upturned,

Scientific name : Plethodon welleri Family : Plethodontidae Native to : United States Conservation status : Endangered Weller’s salamander lives in a small region called the Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. Brassy blotches cover its black body. They live high up in rocky forests and hide under rocks, logs and debris. They come out only

Common name : Northern crested newt, Great crested newt Scientific name : Triturus cristatus Family : Salamandridae Native to : Europe and Asia Interesting fact : Warty newt’s skin produces an acrid smelling secretion to warn predators. Conservation status : Least Concern The warty newt is aptly named due to its warty, dark skin that

Common name : Parachute frogs Scientific name : Rhacophorus nigropalmatus Family : Rhacophoridae Native to : Malaysia and Borneo Interesting fact : Flying frogs can glide up to a distance of 50 feet. Conservation status : Least Concern Skin folds between limbs and extensively webbed feet help the Wallace’s flying frog glide from treetops. Sticky

Common name : Viperine water snake Scientific name : Natrix maura Family : Colubridae Native to : Europe and Africa Interesting fact : When threatened they spray foul-smelling musk, liquid and faeces. Conservation status : Least Concern The Viperine snake gets its name from the fact that it strikes like the adder snake but without

Scientific name : Viperidae Family : Viperidae Native to : Globally distributed with the exception of Australia and Antarctica Interesting fact : Sometimes vipers give ‘dry bites’ without injecting venom to conserve their venom which takes time to secrete again. Vipers are a group of highly venomous snakes that inject deadly toxins with their fangs.

Common name : Beaked sea snake, Hook-nosed sea snake Scientific name : Enhydrina schistosa Family : Hydrophiidae Native to : Tropical Indo-pacific region Interesting fact : Beaked sea snakes can stay under water for five hours. Conservation status : Least Concern The Valakadyn sea snake has a beak-shaped projection on the snout. It is olive

Scientific name : Myobatrachus gouldii Family : Myobatrachidae Native to : Western Australia Interesting fact : There is no tadpole stage and little frogs hatch directly from eggs. Conservation status : Least Concern The turtle frog is a strange looking frog which looks like a small turtle without its shell. The skin is pink and

Scientific name : Agalychnis callidryas Family : Hyla Native to : America and Australia Interesting fact : The famous ‘ribbit’ sound is made by the male frog to attract females. Conservation status : At risk Tree frogs are a group of over 800 species of small frogs that spend most of their life on trees.