Posts Tagged With: reptiles

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 27

Yay it’s Reptilian Tuesday and we’re packing our bags and heading to Africa to meet a lizard who is brightly colored! Who’s hoping on board with us? Grab your passports and let’s go looking for lizards!

MEET THE RAINBOW LIZARD!

   Range/Habitat: Western to Eastern Central Africa/ grasslands, desert

   Diet: Omnivore: mainly insects with occasional vegetation

   Length: 12-16”

   Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

• Male Rainbow Lizards turn bright orange and blue when they bask in the sun.
• Female Rainbow Lizards are grey all the time.
• Rainbow lizards have sticky tongues to help them grasp insects.
• They live in small social groups with a dominant male and females and less dominate males.
• Dominate males sit on the highest point to bask and the other lizards of the group bask at lower points.
• Male Rainbow Lizards bob their heads to attract females.
• Female Rainbow Lizards lay around 25-30 eggs in a clutch.

Aren’t these lizards gorgeous with their bright colors? It sure is cool that they live in small social groups too. We do wonder how sticky their tongues are; who wants to test it out?

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 26

It’s Tuesday and you know what that means! It’s the day of the week when we meet a reptile! Woohoo! We’re heading to the grasslands of Africa to meet a big tortoise! Who’s ready to go? Let’s do this!

MEET THE AFRICAN SPUR-THIGHED TORTOISE!

   Range/Habitat: Africa (Southern Sahara)- grasslands/sand dunes

  Diet: Herbivore: grasses, weeds, leaves

  Length/Weight: 24-36”/100-200lbs

  Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

• African Spur-thighed tortoises have spurs on their hind legs.
• They are the 3^rd largest tortoise on the planet.
• African spur-thighed tortoise males are smaller than females.
• They live in burrows.
• They graze on grass and weeds.
• They have a life span from 30-50 years.

These big tortoises are awesome! They are largest tortoise that lives on the mainland, since Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises all live on islands!  These guys are often kept as pets. They need loads of special care and space, because they are so big; so it’s very, very important that you do your research before deciding to get one!

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 25

Who’s up and ready to start their day with an adorable lizard? We definitely are! Bring on Reptilian Tuesday and let’s head to the hot hot desert of the South Western United States. Bring your sunglasses, a hat and some water because this lizard likes it extra hot!

MEET THE COLLARED LIZARD!

Range/Habitat: Central-South West United States

Diet: Carnivore: insects, lizards

Length: 8-14”

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts

• Collared lizards get their name from the two black and one white stripe around their necks.
• Collard lizards can run on their hind legs only (similar to Frilled Lizards).
• They are most active on very hot days!
• They have very strong jaws to help them crush through their favorite prey!
• Collared lizards live in burrows or under rocks.
• Collared lizards are the state reptile of Oklahoma!

These neat little lizards enjoy a climate that most of think is just way to hot! That’s what makes them special! And how cool is it that they can run on their hind legs? Ellie and Edmond wish they could do that!

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 24

We’re heading to the Caribbean to find today’s reptile! Be on the lookout for this member of the boa constrictor family! Slap on some sunscreen and put on your shades, because it’s Reptilian Tuesday!

MEET THE CUBAN WOOD SNAKE!

Range/Habitat: Cuba/rainforest-suburbs

Diet: Carnivore: frogs, lizards, rodents

Length: 32-39”

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts

• Cuban Wood Snakes are also known as the Cuban Black-tailed Dwarf Boa.
• Their colorations vary from gray to brown to orange.
• Cuban wood snakes are members of the boa family.
• Like other boas, Cuban wood snakes kill their prey by squeezing it.
• Cuban wood snakes ball up to protect themselves from predators. They then release a stinky slime near the base of their tail!

Phew!! What is that stinky odor? That’s our friend the Cuban Wood Snake! Animals sure have some amazing ways to protect themselves from predators. Our least favorite is being stinky ;)! If you were an animal, what adaptation would you want to protect yourself from predators? Ellie say she already has hers, it’s being huge! Edmond would like to change his color like a chameleon!