Famous Reptiles

More Great Content: ↓ Continue Reading To See This Amazing Video As you may already know, Arizona is home to many types of snakes, some of which can be dangerous. Black and white snakes are no exception – while some are harmless, others can deliver a painful bite that may require medical care. That's why it's so important to be able to identify these snakes. If you see a snake with black and white coloring on its body, the best thing to do is to stay away from it or call for professional help. With that said, here are some things you should know about common black and white colored snakes you can find in Arizona: 1. The Desert Kingsnake (Lampropeltis splendid) Desert kingsnakes average 3-4 feet in length. ©Jon Bolton/Shutterstock.com The desert kingsnake is a small to medium-sized snake, averaging 48 inches or 122 centimeters long. But individuals can range in size from 32 to 64 inches or 81 to 163 centimeters. The desert kingsnake is black or dark brown with light-colored ban...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Watch this lizard fight and kill a snake    The Canberra Times

You love your pets at least as much as your own kids. With Halloween fast approaching, you might be fixated on finding costumes for your kids so that they can dress up for the holiday and get all the candy. But, if you're only getting costumes for the humans in your life, you're missing out on an amazing opportunity to dress up the dog, cat, or even bearded dragon in your life. Well, once again, Petco has opened up its 'Bootique', chock full of costumes that are howlingly good fun. And, in celebration of this delightful fact, we've rounded up the best Petco Halloween costumes for 2022. Now, if you're dressing up your pet, chances are you're looking for a good laugh. And with costumes that range from dill pickles to a pizza headpiece to even (wait for it) a dog doing a beer run with another one on its back, you're going to guffaw. Because, really, isn't that the point of putting your pet in a pirate costume? You want to 'ooh' and 'aah'...

There is a lot to know about the science of crested gecko husbandry and if you're serious about getting a crested gecko, we'd urge you to check out resources like the Reptiles magazine online care guide or Phillippe de Vosjoli's 2012 book, "Crested Geckos: From the Experts at Advanced Vivarium Systems." Having said all that, here's a basic introduction to housing your crestie. Any pet that can scale glass walls needs an escape-proof enclosure. Most owners keep their grown geckos in 20-gallon (76-liter) glass terrariums with secure screen mesh lids. Babies can be held in a setup measuring half as large. If you have to choose between a tall, skinny cage and a wider, shorter one, pick the former. Remember, crested geckos love climbing. To that end, provide the animal with a few dried branches and mayb...

© Copyright Gannett 2023

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to force it to ensure protections for 12 plants and animals under the Endangered Species Act, including the alligator snapping turtle and Suwannee alligator snapping turtle. Today's lawsuit seeks final protections for the gargantuan turtles, which are threatened by habitat degradation, trapping, entanglement in fishing gear, nest predation from predators like racoons, and climate change. "The Service must follow through with its proposal to protect these fierce and imperiled turtles," said Elise Bennett, Florida director at the Center. "These incredible creatures lose ground in the fight against extinction each day that protections are delayed. The Endangered Species Act works, but only once those protections are in place." Following a 2012 Endangered Species Act listing petition and legal victory from the Center, the agency proposed protecting the Suwannee a...

W hen Muriel Akouewanou finished her studies in natural sciences in Benin, she struggled to find work and was unemployed for two years. Then, she saw an advert on TV. Textile factories were being built in a new industrial zone, 28 miles from Cotonou, the city where Akouewanou, 24, lived with her parents, and they needed workers. "To be honest, it didn't appeal to me," she says. "It was something I'd never done, I'd never worked with machines." Nevertheless, she applied, and was accepted on to the six-month training scheme. To her surprise she enjoyed the work. Now, her salary covers all her expenses and allows her to give some money to her parents. Her dream is to become a textile engineer in Benin's emergent industry. In the past few years, Benin has become Africa's leading cotton producer, with annual production of 728,000 tonnes in 2020-2021, according to government figures. Traditionally it has exported almost all of that raw, with most of it...

Monday, August 1, 2022 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....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Center for Biological Diversity and Nokuse Education, Inc. filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for denying Endangered Species Act protections to the eastern population of gopher tortoises. The decision left the beleaguered reptiles without lifesaving federal safeguards in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and most of Alabama. The Service denied protections in 2022 despite originally finding in 2011 that the tortoise warranted protections — and despite its own projections of staggering range-wide population declines over the next 80 years. By 2100 nearly three-quarters of the remaining gopher tortoise populations will be lost, the Service projects. "Without lifesaving Endangered Species Act protection for our gopher tortoises, urban sprawl will keep driving them ever closer to extinction," said attorney Elise Bennett, Florida director at the Center. "That's bad news for the tortoise and for hu...

Since her TV debut, the former porn actress has appeared in fashion ads and recorded rap songs, and will star in two films. Name: Chloe Cherry Age : 25 Hometown: Lancaster, Pa. Now Lives: In a two-bedroom apartment in Hollywood with a roommate. Claim to Fame : An acting novice who made her TV debut in Season 2 of "Euphoria," Ms. Cherry played Faye, a wide-eyed, pouty-lipped girlfriend of a drug dealer who can't seem to escape heroin and violence. "When I got the part, I still wasn't sure if I had that great of an acting ability," Ms. Cherry said. Her confidence grew when the show's creator, Sam Levinson, "kept rewriting things," she said, so that her character had more screen time. "I'm still so shocked by how big the response has been," she said. Big Break: Her life story is as heretical as any "Euphoria" plotline. In 2015, days after turning 18, she fled small-town Pennsylvania for Miami to become a porn star. "I ...

For Release: Thursday, March 23, 2023 Volunteers Prepare to Document and Assist Salamanders and Frogs during Annual Breeding Migrations in Hudson Valley Throughout the Hudson Valley, community volunteers are getting out their flashlights, reflective safety vests, and raingear in anticipation of annual amphibian breeding migrations, which typically begin in March, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. Volunteers will document the migration and help salamanders and frogs as part of DEC's annual Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project. "The Hudson Valley is home to remarkable amphibian diversity and during this time of year, road mortality poses a significant threat to salamanders and frogs migrating from forests to vernal pools for breeding," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "DEC is grateful to the dedicated volunteers ready to assist amphibians attempting road crossings during their annual migrations. ...

A compilation of facts, questions and answers A rare bongo The Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, described the bongo as "one of the most majestic and endangered members of the antelope family" in its announcement of the rare, recent birth of a female eastern bongo calf. How rare are bongos? According to the zoo, only about 100 eastern bongos remain in the wild and about 300 bongos are protected in accredited zoos; "their ornate horns and vibrant orange coat make them a target for hunting and poaching." ### A rare catch Fishing guides Dylan Wier and Blaine Kenny knew that the fish they had hooked on Orange Beach, Alabama, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico was a big one. They thought they might have a tiger shark on their hook. About a half an hour later they, indeed, found themselves reeling in a shark but it wasn't a tiger shark; it was an eleven foot great white shark, a species that is rare for the Alabama coast. In fact, the...