Famous Reptiles

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan – On a grimy pavement, a man squats in front of a tiny pan on a stove. The pungent aroma of sizzling fat diffuses through the air as he deftly adds a pinch of herbs into the golden rust-colored mixture. Neatly positioned next to him is a bizarre assembly line of ingredients: saffron, cinnamon and a group of kitten-sized lizards. The man, Muhammad Nasir, is a vendor of lizard oil, a topically applied ointment used to "treat" erectile dysfunction in Pakistan – a sort of liquid Viagra. He has been selling the oil in Rawalpindi city's historic Raja Bazar marketplace for five years. The oil, locally known as "sanda tael", is extracted from the roasted fat of Indian spiny-tailed lizards and is sold by indigenous healers and street peddlers. "This lizard oil is massaged onto the penis. It's a cure for male impotence and makes the penis long, thick and hard. It gives strong sustained erections and also prevents premature ejaculation," ...

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You've heard about snakes on a plane, but what about snakes in your neighborhood? A massive, 10-foot-long, 75-pound boa constrictor was captured by a deputy in a St. Lucie County, Florida, neighborhood with help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Agriculture Deputy Clay Mangrum helped wrangle the slithery suspect from the Tall Pines neighborhood on Oct. 28. Mangrum said he is well-acclimated around snakes, but this was the first time removing a boa. "I was able to gain control of the snake by grabbing it behind its head," he said. "I then pulled it from where it was hiding and gained some control of its body.  Other deputies on scene assisted by holding the snake bag." Deputies received a 911 call after the snake was spotted on the side of a modular trailer in between some bend...

The five-lined skink, the only lizard native to Vermont, was recently spotted in a rare sighting by The Nature Conservancy in Vermont team. Seeing a lizard on the trail might not seem too exciting to some, but this lizard is endangered in Vermont and finding it in a protected area brought joy that the conservationists' work was making a difference. They captured a photo of the lizard, which was black with five distinct peachy lines running down from its head down its back and fading into its blue tail − pretty "snazzy" as one commenter on Instagram said. Brush up on your knowledge of this endangered, five-stripped Vermont friend with five facts: What does a five-lined skink look like? The five-lined skink can be brown, gray or black, and stripe boldness can vary according to the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Stripes can fade on adult male skinks and they can develop reddish orangish heads. Young five-lined skinks have bold light-colored stripes ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] WATCH: Savannah Monitor Lizard Crawls On FL Home's Window 🦎    NowThis

[unable to retrieve full-text content] How to stay safe if you encounter a rattlesnake this spring or summer    Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Who walked on land as the first among all animals? Did they care for their offspring? The answer is: not the king of the jungle or any species of bird; not even us! It was those slime-coated frogs, toads and their cousins. They are the pioneers in bending all the known laws of evolution.  They envisaged the land invasion from water, exemplifying tenacity when it came to child care. In short, they have showcased the art of adaptation to the world.  In science, we call them amphibians. And, amphibians rank higher among the most kind-hearted and attentive parents in nature.  A biological wonder You do not need to have a vast scientific knowledge to know of a frog's residence. Decomposing leaf-litter, forest undergrowth, tiny puddles, bottom of a swamp and so on. There is no standard norm for what we might call their home-sweet-home.  Wet, damp, full of microbes, and predators lurking around – all of these make an amphibian's lair. ...

Following a rigorous review of the best available scientific and commercial information regarding the past, present and future threats, as well as ongoing conservation efforts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing two Distinct Population Segments (DPS) of the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Southern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as endangered. The Northern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as threatened. The Service is also finalizing a section 4(d) rule designed to conserve the Northern DPS of lesser prairie-chicken while allowing greater flexibility for landowners and land managers. "The lesser prairie-chicken's decline is a sign our native grasslands and prairies are in peril. These habitats support a diversity of wildlife and are valued for water quality, climate resilience, grazing, hunting and recreation," said the Service's Southwest Regional Director Amy Lueders. "The Service ...

The fallow deer of Sidney Island have been handed another reprieve. A plan to eliminate fallow deer from the small island facing the town of Sidney was put on hold last month after a vote by the island's property owners failed to meet the 75 per cent threshold to pass. Fifty-five per cent of the approximately 90 residents eligible to vote were in favour of the cull. Some have since filed a claim with the Civil Resolution Tribunal to challenge the threshold level. A number of different values are at play on the island regarding this issue. Some stakeholders favour the cull for ecological reasons. Parks Canada, which manages about 180 hectares at the island's north end and proposed the cull last year, says eradicating the invasive deer species is essential to restoring the island's natural ecology and aiding the recovery of native plants that support insects, butterflies, songbirds, rodents and black-tailed deer. Fallow deer, native to southern Europe, are...

Gopher snakes are muscular, long serpents that can be intimidating because of their size; however, but there's little to fear because they are nonvenomous. In fact, they are important to keeping the rodent population in check and maintaining their local ecosystems, according to Stanford University.  "Gopher snakes are members of the genus  Pituophis,  which also includes pine snakes," said Sara Viernum, Wisconsin-based founder of The Wandering Herpetologist. Their specific name is  catenifer , which means "chain bearing," in Latin and refers to the splotched pattern on their backs. Their common name, gopher snake, refers to their taste for gophers.  Physical characteristics "Gopher snakes are large, powerful snakes," Viernum told Live Science. "They typically reach lengths of 36-96 inches [3 to 8 feet]." Compared to other snakes of the same size, they have relatively la...

Hitting the desert trails often is a Southern Nevada spring hiker's key to keeping company with lizards. After hiding for months from winter's cooler temperatures, western zebra-tailed lizards have returned to their business of skittering across the Mojave Desert floor. Yellow-backed spiny lizards with dragonlike scales and turquoise highlights can again be seen ordering neighboring males to back off. And bulky chuckwallas may be spotted in their lookout posts atop rock castles. "April is really the kickoff when temperatures are consistently above 75 degrees," said wildlife biologist Curtis Walker with the Bureau of Land Management's Southern Nevada office. "Generally their prime concern is to get back and refuel, so they can be fit for breeding season and impress each other and defend their territories." Some of the best venues for lizard spotting, Walker said, are Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Sloan Canyon...

A green anole in an experimental enclosure. Credit: Harry Pepper Invasive brown anoles might outcompete their native cousins in the southeastern U.S. merely by living more densely. Brown anoles ( Anolis sagrei ) inadvertently came to Florida in the 1800s by tagging along on cargo shipments. Since then, the invasive species have moved steadily northward in the state, often taking over territories occupied by native green anoles ( Anolis carolinensis ). Researchers know that over time, the invasive Cuban anoles change the native species' habits. After moving in, the newcomer species typically occupies the ground and lower parts of plants and trees, while the green anoles occupy an ecological niche higher up on trees and bushes. The native anoles also become less common once the brown anoles have established themselves in the new territory. The experiment enclosure used in the study. Credit: Harry Pepper "The brown anole is really taking over Florida," said Jor...

A new petition to get pet store chain PetSmart to stop selling exotic animals is making its rounds thanks to an animal advocacy group from Toronto that worries about the fate of such creatures after people realize the amount of work required to properly care for them. World Animal Protection this week issued a demand for PetSmart to stop carrying reptiles like snakes and tortoises, especially given that the company already decided to cease the sale of kittens and puppies (the brand now works with local rescues to adopt out homeless cats, dogs, birds, rabbits and other pets). "PetSmart contributes to the cruel multi-billion-dollar trade that exploits wild animals on an industrial scale. The snakes, lizards, tortoises, and frogs you see at PetSmart are wild animals suffering in the trade," the petition reads. "These animals are treated as mere me...

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It is now illegal to buy, sell or release an Argentine Black and White Tegu lizard in North Carolina. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission voted for that back in February; the new law went into effect August 1. Argentine Black and White Tegu lizards are an invasive species and could be very dangerous to the ecosystem in North Carolina. In Florida, the lizards are already spreading resulting in harmful effects for native species, according to a fact sheet from researchers at the University of Florida. Tegus can grow up to 4 feet in length. They are omnivores who eat fruits, vegetables, eggs, insects and small animals. Because of their varied diet, they can cause many different environmental problems when introduced into new ecosystems. SEE ALSO: Back in 2017, 3 pet tegus escaped from a Wake Forest home Anyone in North Carolina who already owns a tegu can keep the animal but should apply for a permit with the Wildlife Commission. Tegus have joined a li...

Abstract Viviparity, an innovation enhancing maternal control over developing embryos, has evolved >150 times in vertebrates, and has been proposed as an adaptation to inhabit cold habitats. Yet, the behavioral, physiological, morphological, and life history features associated with live-bearing remain unclear. Here, we capitalize on repeated origins of viviparity in phrynosomatid lizards to tease apart the phenotypic patterns associated with this innovation. Using data from 125 species and phylogenetic approaches, we find that viviparous phrynosomatids repeatedly evolved a more cool-adjusted thermal physiology than their oviparous relatives. Through precise thermoregulatory behavior viviparous phrynosomatids are cool-adjusted even in warm environments, and oviparous phrynosomatids warm-adjusted even in cool environments. Convergent behavioral shifts in viviparous species reduce energetic demand during activity, which may help offset the costs of protracted gestation. Whereas da...