Famous Reptiles

An eastern fence lizard basking in the sun feels a small red ant walk over its back. Not hungry, it ignores the insect. Soon there are lots of ants crawling up its legs, biting the scales that usually protect it and inserting their stingers in its soft underlying flesh. Not having evolved with this threat, the lizard adopts its typical defensive posture of lying flat and closing its eyes, counting on its natural camouflage to protect it. This can be a deadly decision, though. As few as 12 of these ants can kill an adult lizard in less than a minute. A male fence lizard showing off his throat and abdominal badges. Tracy Langkilde , CC BY-ND Such interactions are now common in the southeastern United States, where native animals such as eastern fence lizards ( Sceloporus undulatus ) have shared their habitat with the invasive red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta ) for decades. Our ...

Carlyn Kranking Assistant Editor, Science and Innovation Featuring all sorts of captivating creatures, a handful of images are vying to earn the affection of the public—and with it, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award. From an initial pool of 38,575 images, just 25 were chosen for the shortlist for this competition, run by the Natural History Museum in London. Anyone can vote for their favorite until 9 a.m. Eastern time on February 2, and the museum will announce the winner on February 9. The selected entries are intended to be more than attractive pictures—they're meant to speak volumes. Some demonstrate a predator-prey relationship, while others show conflict or co...

RIO RANCHO, N.M. — On Wednesday, city and business leaders broke ground on "The Block" in Rio Rancho. Mayor Gregg Hull hopes the new development will draw more people to the area. "We started really kind of teasing this project out probably over about a year ago," Hull said. Originally introduced as The Boardwalk, The Block will be the latest addition to the plaza at Enchanted Hills. The $10 million park – which will be built on a 1.3-acre lot using repurposed shipping containers – will follow The Hub, a community center set to open next spring, Turtle Mountain Brewing, a new Ross, and a PetSmart. Together, city officials and private investors say they've poured a total of $55 million into the complex. "It's been incredible to see, just in the last eight years, the incredible development and growth that has happened here in this area," Hull said. "Hopefully, in the very, very near future, we're going to see some incredible opportunities up...

A lizard has been discovered living in a couple's fridge after it camped out in a bag of spinach for nine days. As she went to make dinner Katherine Bacon, 32, saw the belly of the bite-sized beast pressed against the packaging of her leaves. Her husband James, 36, who was alerted to the stowaway by a scream from Katherine, initially thought it was dead. READ MORE: Grisly tiger fight erupts at circus in front of terrified kids leaving blood everywhere But then, to his surprise: "It woke up and started walking around the bag," he said. "We were wondering what we were going to do. The little lizard was pretty cute (Image: Kennedy News and Media) "Our main priority was to make sure the lizard was OK." They reckoned the little fella was more than 10cm long and, after a little googling, concluded that the well-travelled chap was an Italian wall lizard. Of Haywards Heath, West Sussex, they handed the cute little guy over to...

A little more than five years ago, a herd of 122 mule deer fell to their deaths in the mountains of Central California. The pictures from that day are gruesome: dozens of dead deer strewn across a steep boulder field at the bottom of an icy chute. Some of the carcasses are contorted or splayed open. Others are pinched and piled at weird angles among the rocks. One photo in particular shows an unnamed hiker kneeling next to a doe with a pocketknife in their hand. What that photograph doesn't show is the hiker rock-hopping across the boulder field, mercifully slitting the throats of the mortally wounded deer. (This anecdote was shared by several users across multiple online forums.) Mass mortality events like the one that occurred in the John Muir Wilderness aren't all that uncommon. Every year, landslides, floods, avalanches, wildfires, and other natural disasters kill countless critters throughout North America. We're just not always there to watch...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] 'Go, Zumi, go!' Kansas City Zoo announces name of baby rhino from endangered species    Kansas City Star

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Rare black squirrel caught dominating a bird feeder in Maine town    fox23maine.com

Jan. 8—New tracts of land were added to two national wildlife refuges in the Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials report. At Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, 40 acres adjacent to the refuge were added in Cameron County. The northwest portion of the tract is part of an old resaca. Wildlife documented on or near the property include cardinal, horned lark, mockingbird, red-tailed hawk, Harris' hawk, northern harrier and golden-fronted woodpecker, along with evidence of raccoon, coyote and deer. At the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 19.71 acres of a former farm field along the natural floodplain of the Rio Grande were added. Native wildlife species that will benefit from this acquisition include opossums, eastern cottontail rabbits, coyotes, raccoons, striped skunks, bobcats, green jays, golden-fronted woodpeckers, doves, flycatchers, hawks, kestrels and caracaras. In all, nearly 6,000 acres were added to wildlife refuges across Texas....

To begin the meal, serve comforting, warm bowls of Cullen skink, a traditional Scottish soup hailing from Cullen, BBC Good Food suggests. Various recipes exist and Scottish chefs have tailored ingredients, substituting water with milk or mashing potatoes to create a thicker texture, per Cullen Skink, a website dedicated to the eponymous dish. The soup was originally more broth-like and made with scrapings from cattle legs — what the Scots would call "skink" — but as fish became easier to find and use, that ingredient became the main protein for the most widely known rendition. Today, the celebratory starter typically includes haddock, potatoes, milk, onion, and parsley and can be topped with chopped chives and served with toasted bread. Though this smoked fish chowder is a common Burns Night appetizer, Cock-a-Leekie — a soup made with chicken, leeks, and rice — is another fitting way to start the festive meal (via Christina...

More Great Content: ↓ Continue Reading To See This Amazing Video Alaska is home to some of the most diverse and abundant wildlife in the world. In Alaska, you'll find all sorts of creatures, from fish to mammals to reptiles to birds. However, it is the bears who are at the top of the food chain in the state. The state is home to about 70 percent of all North American brown bears and most of the grizzly bears. In addition to that, black bears and Kodiak bears live in the area as well. Because there are so many bears in this area, it comes as no surprise that some of the largest bears have been caught here. Are you curious to find out about the largest bear ever caught in Alaska? In this article, we will examine what may be the largest bear ever caught in Alaska. Additionally, we'll discuss what to do if you encounter a bear in the wild. The Largest Bear Ever Caught in Alaska Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world.  ©slowmotiongli/Shutterstock.com As w...

With over a billion pets worldwide, we've got a fair share of cats and dogs, but I want to see your unusual pets! (I will accept some cute puppies and cats) #1 Never Thought I'd Own Rats - Meet Cicero Report #2 I Have A Blue Eyed Lucy Ball Python. No, It Is Not Albino Report #3 My Goats, Ebony And Ivory (Ebby And Ivy For Short :-D) Report #4 Ganondorf. My Bearded Dragon. He Is Amazing. He Is Sweet, Adventurous And Oh So Smart. He Plays, Likes To Go On Car Rides And Is Potty Trained. He Gives Kisses. He's My Baby Boi But Also Very Loving To My Husband And Son Report #5 Krycek, My Silly Little Lad Report #6 My Banana Cinnamon Ball Python, Odie! Report #7 Dobby The House Goat Report #8 Griffon The Peacock - Abandoned By Mother, Hand Raised By Me, Enjoys Online School Repor...