Amphibians
What Is an Amphibian?
Like birds, reptiles, mammals, and fishes, amphibians are vertebrates—that is, creatures with a backbone and an internal skeleton. Amphibians live part of their life in water and part on land. Even those species that lay eggs on land start life in a fluid-filled egg, breathing through gills.
What Is a Reptile?
Today there are 6,800 reptile species on earth; the major groups are alligators and crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and snakes. All reptiles are cold-blooded, which is why they warm themselves in the sun, and have bodies covered in dry, horny scales. Some reptiles lay eggs; others give birth to live young.
| Bearded Dragon | |
| Giant Day Gecko |
This bright green, diurnal lizard is from the island of Madagascar. Its native habitat is sub-tropical rainforest. It eats crickets, mealworms, waxworms and soft fruits. |
| Crocodile Gecko |
This medium, mottled brown bumpy-skinned nocturnal lizard is from the island of Madagascar. Its native habitat is sub-tropical. It eats crickets, mealworms, waxworms and soft fruits. |
| Prehensile-Tailed Skink |
Prehensile-Tailed Skinks come from the Solomon Islands, located Northeast of Australia. Adults can grow to 13 inches in length, with half made up by the tail. They live 7-9 years in the wild, but can live up to 20 years in captivity. These nocturnal, arboreal herbivores use their tail as an appendage to aid in climbing trees in search of leaves to eat. |
| Green Iguana |
The Green Iguana is a large Central American lizard. In the wild, you would find them climbing trees near rivers in tropical rainforests. The adults are herbivores and eat leaves, fruits and flowers while the juveniles need protein and include insects in their diet as well. They can grow to 6′ and use their long tail as a whip to protect themselves. |
| Honduran Milksnake |
Honduran Milksnakes are big, aggressive feeders that live on the ground in the rainforest of Honduras. Adults can grow to 6 feet in length. Milksnakes typically feed on other snakes, lizards, frogs, and other cold-blooded animals in the wild. Farmers mistakenly believed these snakes stole milk from their cows, hence the name. |
| Sinaloan Milksnake |
Sinaloan Milksnakes are medium-sized snakes that live on the ground in the rainforest of Sinaloa, Mexico. Adults can grow to 5 feet in length. Milksnakes typically feed on other snakes, lizards, frogs, and other cold-blooded animals in the wild. Farmers mistakenly believed these snakes stole milk from their cows, hence the name. |
| Eastern Kingsnake |
Found all over the Eastern United States, kingsnakes typically feed on small mammals, other snakes, lizards, frogs, and other cold-blooded animals in the wild. They are immune to the venom of the rattlesnake and will eat them. |
| Ball Python |
Ball Pythons are from the savannahs and dry woodlands of tropical West Africa. Found mostly on the ground, their coloration helps them blend in with the grass and brush cover. They are nocturnal, foraging for small rodents at night. They use the heat-sensing pits that surround their mouth to locate prey. |
| California Kingsnake |
Found in the deserts of Southern California, United States. Our specimen is an albino, desert phase snake. Snake breeders often value the albino trait in the pet trade, but this coloration in the wild would be lethal. |
| Corn Snake |
The Corn Snake is found in most of the United States. This snake has beautiful orange, red and black colorations marking its body. The ventral scales have the beaded look of Indian corn, hence the name. |
| Red-Eared Slider |
This is a medium sized fresh water turtle from Southeastern North America. Red patches on side of head help identify this turtle. Adult Sliders are herbivores and eat aquatic plants while the juveniles eat fish, crawfish and assorted insects. |
| River Cooter |
This is a large fresh water turtle from southeastern North America. Cooters eat fish, crawfish and assorted insects. They can grow up to 16″. |
| American Alligator |
Native to Georgia, the American Alligator can be found in swamps and marshes in the southeastern part of North America. They eat fish, mammals, birds, turtles, snakes, frogs and invertebrates and may grow up to a foot per year. The largest record of an alligator is 20 feet long and weighing in at 1000 pounds. Their powerful tail is used for swimming and the feet are webbed to help swim and to walk in mud. |
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