Posts Tagged With: reptiles

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 65

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 65

We’re off to some of the most famous islands on planet earth; where Charles Darwin himself discovered and honed his theory of evolution! Today’s reptile isn’t what most would call pretty, but man are they cool! So let’s head out to meet…

e e galapagos

MEET THE MARINE IGUANA!

marine iguana   Range/Habitat: Galapagos Islands, coast-oceans

   Diet: herbivore: algae, seaweed

   Length/Weight: 4-5 ft/ 1-3.3 lbs

   Conservation Status: vulnerable

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Marine Iguanas colors vary by the island they live on.
  • They have large flat tails to help them swim along the rocky coasts.
  • Marine Iguanas have razor sharp teeth to eat seaweed and algae.
  • Marine iguanas sneeze to get rid of excess salt.
  • They sun themselves on lava rocks after being the cold ocean waters.

Marine Iguanas may be one of our most favorite animal of all times! They are so prehistoric looking and wonderful! Plus what could be cooler than having the ability to sneeze salt?

 marine iguana2

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 64

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 64

Happy Reptilian Tuesday! We’re staying in Southeast Asia today to meet a beautiful snake who lives high in the trees! These guys really identify with the song “It’s Not Easy Being Green”! Grab your backpack and let’s go!

e & e rainforest2

MEET THE GREEN TREE PYTHON!

green tree python   Range/Habitat: New Guinea and surrounding islands/ rainforests

   Diet: Carnivore: small mammals, birds

   Length:  6- 7 ¾ ft

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Green Tree Pythons are arboreal (spend most of their time in trees).
  • They are bright green.
  • Green Tree Pythons are ambush predators.
  • They coil around branches with their head hanging down.
  • Green tree pythons have prehensile tails that help them hang from branches.
  • Green tree python babies are bright yellow.

These snakes are so gorgeous with their bright coloration. You would think they would stand out, but that color helps them camouflage in the rainforests!

green tree python2  green tree python3

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 62

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 62

We’re going to the warm climates of the Southwestern United States to meet a small lizard named after a big reptile! Grab your backpacks and let’s head out on today’s adventure!

e e woods (2)

MEET THE ARIZONA ALLIGATOR LIZARD!

arizona alligator lizard3    Range/Habitat: Southwestern U.S.- Northwest Mexico/ forests-

mountains-grasslands

     Diet: Carnivore: insects, spiders

    Length:  7 ½-12”

    Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

  • Arizona alligator lizards have stripes of dark brown and light brown.
  • Arizona alligator lizards are diurnal.
  • They have folds of skins down each side of their bodies.
  • They are shy and secretive.
  • Arizona alligator lizards hibernate during the winter.

These little lizards don’t look like the large reptiles they are named after. That’s a good thing, we can’t imagine a bunch of mini alligator relatives running around out there!

arizona alligator lizard2   arizona alligator lizard

 

 

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 60

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 60

It’s that most wonder day where we meet a reptile and we’re going to Southeast Asia to meet a small and cute lizard! Who’s ready to meet….?

e e grass yard

MEET THE GARDEN LIZARD!

garden lizard   Range/Habitat: Western-Eastern South Asia/ farmland, urban

   Diet: Omnivore: insects, small animals

   Length: 12-14”

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Garden lizards have long tails.
  • Garden lizards’ color varies.
  • The males have red throats and mouths during breeding season.
  • Garden lizards are excellent climbers.
  • Garden lizards are ambush predators.

We sure wouldn’t mind having these little Garden lizards in our garden! They really can help keep the insect population in check and that can be good for your plants!

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, gardens, nature, reptiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 59

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 59

We’re going exploring in the US today for an aquatic reptile with a bite! Let’s grab our wellies and your night vision goggles and let’s go exploring near a pond and see if we can find today’s animal!

EE NIGHT MARSH

MEET THE COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE!

common snapping turtle   Range/Habitat: South Canada-USA-Mexico/ ponds, lakes & streams

   Diet: Omnivore: fish, frogs, aquatic plants

   Length/Weight: 10-20”/9.5-35 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Common Snapping Turtles carapaces (top shell) vary in color, from brown to green.
  • They have long tails.
  • Common snapping turtles are nocturnal.
  • Common snapping turtles spend most of their lives in water.
  • They have webbed feet.
  • Common snapping turtles hibernate in cold weather.
  • Female common snapping turtles lay a clutch of eggs and the sex of the babies is determined by the temperature of the nest.

Common snapping turtles are such amazing creatures. Those snapping beaks are definitely built for eating! We’ll stay away those!

common snapping turtle2  common snapping turtle3

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, turtles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

YEAR OF THE SNAKE DAY # 5

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

YEAR OF THE SNAKE DAY #5

It’s the last day of Snake week and we’re going to the Mediterranean to meet one cool snake! In fact these snakes are quiet popular! Are you ready for our last adventure of the week? Let’s do this!

e e grasslands2

MEET THE LEOPARD SNAKE!

leopard snake   Range/Habitat: Southern Europe- Mediterranean/forests, suburbs

   Diet: Carnivore: rodents

   Length/Weight: 28-39”

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Leopard Snakes are also known as the European Ratsnake.
  • They are constrictors.
  • Leopard Snakes are cream with red and black blotches.
  • Leopard Snakes are shy and secretive.
  • They are crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn).

Leopard snakes are often considered the most colorful of the ratsnake family. In Greece, people often invite these snakes into their homes and gardens because they are so could as pest control! We love hearing about people and wildlife sharing space in harmony! See, snakes aren’t so bad after all!

leopard snake2  leopard snake3

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, snakes, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 57

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #57

We’re back to our regular schedule after celebrating black and white birds and small fluffy tailed rodents! We’re off to the deserts of South Africa today to meet one cute reptile! Grab your sunscreen and khakis and let’s head out on today’s adventure!

e e desert

MEET THE WEB FOOTED GECKO!

web footed gecko   Range/Habitat: Western Southern Africa/ desert

   Diet: Carnivore: insects

   Length: 4 ¾-5 ½”

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Web Footed Geckos are pink with dark markings.
  • They have webbed feet that helps them run across the sand.
  • Web Footed Geckos have large eyes.
  • They dig long tunnels in the sand for shelter.
  • They drink water that condenses on their skin overnight.
  • Web footed geckos have wide range of vocalizations.

We really think these awesome little reptiles are cute! They have some amazing adaptations for living in a harsh desert environment.

web footed gecko2  web footed gecko3

Categories: adventure, africa, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, lizards, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #56

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #56

We’re off to the rainforests of East Africa on this first Reptilian Tuesday of 2013.  We’ll be heading towards the canopy of the rainforest! Keep your eyes peeled, because we’ll need to observe today’s reptile from a distance!

e & e rainforest2

MEET THE EAST AFRICAN GREEN MAMBA!

east african green mamba   Range/Habitat: Eastern-Southeastern Africa/ forests-rainforests

   Diet: Carnivore: rodents, birds

   Length: 5-8 ½ ft

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • East African Green Mambas are bright green.
  • They have long bodies and tails.
  • East African green mambas are arboreal (spend most of their time in trees).
  • They are fast moving and agile among the branches.
  • East African green mambas are highly venomous.
  • They have smooth scales.

East African green mambas are gorgeous snakes. They are best when watched from a distance though. Best to leave venomous snakes alone in their habitats!

east african green mamba2

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Year in Review!

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

2012 YEAR IN REVIEW!

Wow! We have one exciting year here at Ellie and Edmond headquarters! We’ve been to every continent on the planet in search of amazing animals and wow did we find some! We’ve met reptiles, mammals, fish and birds in almost every kind of habitat on earth! We sat down and looked over all our stats to see our most viewed post of the year and we’re re-posting it for you today! So let’s take one more adventure in 2012 and head out to meet one nifty reptile again!

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK DAY #2

It’s day two of American Animals week and we drove the RV down to the Southwestern United States to find a really cool reptile! Grab your sunscreen or mud and your sunglasses, because it’s going to be a hot one!

MEET THE GILA MONSTER!

   gila monsterRange/Habitat: Southwestern US-desert, scrub, rocky outcrops

   Diet: Carnivore: eggs and small animals

   Length: 14-20 “

   Conservation Status: threatened

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Gila Monsters are one of two venomous lizards in the whole world (the other is the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard.)
  • They brightly colored to ward of predators.
  • Gila Monsters have a forked tongue like a snake and it helps them “smell” for prey.
  • They inject venom into their prey when they bite. They have special glands in their lower jaw that stores the venom.
  • Gila monsters’ tails store fat so they can survive when food is scarce or when they hibernate in the winter.
  • Gila monsters have bumpy heads. Those bumps are part of their skull.
  • They are not harmful to humans, despite their bad reputation! So Gila Monsters aren’t so monstrous after all!

We think Gila monsters are super cool! These amazing reptiles are protected here! That is good news, because it sure would be a shame if we didn’t have this neat lizard to see!

  


Categories: adventure, american, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, lizards, nature, reptiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 55

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #55

Are you ready to meet a cute little reptile today? We’re staying on the continent of Africa but heading to the deserts of Northern Africa. So grab your sunglasses and sunscreen and let’s head out on an adventure!

e e desert

MEET THE ELEGANT SAND GECKO!

elegant sand gecko   Range/Habitat: Northern-Eastern Africa/ desert

   Diet: Insectivore: ants, beetles, moths

   Length: 3 ½-4 ¼”

  Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Elegant sand geckos have long limbs and long tails.
  • They are sand colored to help them camouflage in with the desert.
  • Elegant sand geckos live in holes in the sand.
  • They are excellent diggers.
  • Elegant sand geckos have large eyes.
  • They are most active at dusk

Elegant sand geckos are so cute with their big eyes. They are all the better to spot bugs with my dear! Hahahaha!

elegant sand gecko2

 

Categories: adventure, africa, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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