221 Amphibians and Reptiles Encyclopedia

Scientific name : Bungarus sp. Family : Elapidae Native to : South and South-East Asia Interesting fact : Kraits bite and hold the bite for a while injecting a large amount of venom into the victim. Conservation status : Vulnerable Kraits are a group of highly venomous snakes. There are 13 different species growing to […]

Common name : Komodo monitor Scientific name : Varanus komodoensis Family : Varanidae Native to : Indonesia Interesting fact : Even if its prey escapes its powerful attack, its saliva (rich in bacteria) kills it within 24 hours. The Komodo will then sniff the trail of its dead prey and eat it. Conservation status :

Common name : Kokoe poison frog Scientific name : Phyllobates aurotaenia Family : Dendrobatidae Native to : Coast of Columbia Interesting fact : The tribal men of the columbian forest would put the frog on a stick and show it over fire to bring its skin toxin out. This is then rubbed onto their arrow

Scientific name : Batrachoseps regius Family : Plethodontidae Native to : Fresno county, California Conservation status : Vulnerable Kings river slender salamander is a small and slender salamander that is 3.2 to 3.5 cm long. It is shiny black with a tan dorsal stripe. The head is large with a distinct neck. These lungless salamanders

Scientific name : Ophiophagus hannah Family : Elapidae Native to : South and South-East Asia Interesting fact : Female cobras lay eggs inside nests made of leaves and guard them till they hatch. Conservation status : Vulnerable The world’s longest venomous snake, the King cobra, is 18.8 feet long. It can raise itself high, hiss

Scientific name : Batrachoseps simatus Family : Plethodontidae Native to : Kern County in California Interesting fact : Like most salamanders of the family, they are lungless salamanders breathing through their skins. Conservation status : Vulnerable These 5 cm long salamanders are shiny and dark brown covered in reddish spots. They have narrow heads with

Common name : Atlantic ridley sea turtle Scientific name : Lepidochelys kempii Family : Cheloniidae Native to : Gulf of Mexico Interesting fact : Each hatchlings has a temporary tooth called ‘caruncle’, solely for breaking open its egg shell. Conservation status : Critically Endangered Smallest of all sea turtles, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is characterized

Common name : Blue general, Aodaisho Scientific name : Elaphe climacophora Family : Colubridae Native to : Japan Interesting fact : Its vertebra is adapted to crush eggs that it eats. Conservation status : Not Assessed The Japanese rat snake is a non-venomous snake that is 120 to 160 cm long. They are olive, bright

Scientific name : Cyclura collei Family : Iguanidae Native to : Jamaica Interesting fact : In 1940, Jamaican iguanas were considered extinct and were later re-discovered in 1990. Conservation status : Critically Endangered Jamaica’s largest native land animal is the Jamaican iguana and is one of the ten species of rock iguanas. Comb-like scales run

Common name : Three-horned chameleon Scientific name : Trioceros jacksonii Family : Chamaeleonidae Native to : Kenya and Tanzania Interesting fact : They don’t drink water but lick the dew drops from leaves. Conservation status : Least Concern You can identify the male Jackson’s chameleon with its three-horned head. The females have none. Being a

Common name : Paraguayan caiman, Red caiman, Piranha caiman, Southern spectacled caiman Scientific name : Caiman yacare Family : Alligatoridae Native to : Central South America Interesting fact : They love to feed, almost exclusively, on piranha fish, giving them their common name, piranha caiman. Conservation status : Least Concern Jacaré caimans are similar to

Common name : Inyo mountains slender salamander Scientific name : Batrachoseps campi Family : Plethodontidae Native to : California, United States Interesting fact : They are ‘lungless’ salamanders that breathe through their skins. Conservation status : Endangered The slender salamander is found in the Inyo Mountains in California. Growing to about 6 cm, they have

Common name : Spectacled cobra, Binocellate cobra, Asian cobra Scientific name : Naja naja Family : Elapidae Native to : India Interesting fact : They can spit venom over a distance of 2 metres when threatened. Conservation status : Not Assessed. Protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) The Indian spectacled cobra forms a

Common name : Black-tailed python, Indian rock python Scientific name : Python molurus Family : Pythonidae Native to : Southern Asia Interesting fact : After a heavy meal (a deer, for eg.), they can go for almost a year without food. Conservation status : Near Threatened Living in forests and woodlands is the third longest

Common name : Gavial, Fish-eating crocodile Scientific name : Gavialis gangeticus Family : Gavialidae Native to : India Interesting fact : Humans are their only predators who hunt them for leather and meat. Conservation status : Critically Endangered A narrow, long and bulbous snout identifies the Indian ghariyal that is closely related to the salt