Fox snake

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Pantherophis (Elaphe) vulpina
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: 3 to 5 feet
Range: The Mid- to Northwest areas of the United States.
Habitat: Forests, grasslands and farm areas.

The fox snake is known for its stalking behavior, its odor and the reddish coloration of some of the snakes' heads. Members of the rat snake clan can have stripes, blotches, or a combination of stripes and blotches; even unicolored species can be found. The fox snake is basically a spotted snake that can have beautiful shades of brown on the body with a yellow-orange to reddish colored neck and head. Rat snakes also have several representatives that are amelanistic (lacking black pigment) or leucistic (white coloration with blue eyes).

Housing for the rat snake group can be simple. Cages should be escape-proof, roomy and well-ventilated. Hide boxes are appreciated by most forms. Substrates that work well include pine shavings, newsprint, indoor-outdoor carpeting or paper toweling. These animals do best with ventral heating--provide a heater on the bottom of one side of the cage setting up a temperature range from which the animal can select its preferred body temperature.

Fox snakes do well in captivity on a diet of rodents or chicks.

Rosy Boa

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Lichanura trivirgata
Family: Erycinidae
Adult Size: 24 to 32 inches
Range: Found from Southern California east to south-central Arizona and then into northwestern Mexico, including Baja California.
Habitat: This little boa is found in deserts and other dry areas, typically near oases or other local sources of moisture near rocks and similar cover.
Diet : carnivore

Many workers now place this species in the genus Charina along with the rubber boa.
Long considered one of the easiest snakes to care for, rosy boas are at home in a small, dry terrarium with minimal decorations. An adult or small group can be kept in a 10-gallon or 20-gallon terrarium or similar plastic box on a substrate of shredded aspen, sand or coconut fibers. The substrate should be at least 2 inches deep to allow the snake to burrow. Provide a branch or other decoration as a hiding spot. Water should be presented only two or three times a week in a shallow bowl and the substrate must not be allowed to become wet. Maintain a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, dropping a bit at night, but give the snake an undertank heating pad or a basking light in one corner for a localized higher temperature of 90 to 100 degrees. Although nocturnal in nature, many captives learn to become active during the day and are easy to handle.

Feeding is not a problem with adults, which will commonly take two or three hopper or small adult mice once or twice a week. Newborn specimens may not feed for several weeks before taking their first pinky mouse and some may require a gecko or other small lizard as their first meal.

This species is widely bred in captivity in a variety of color forms or subspecies.

Komodo Dragon

Type: Reptile
Size: 10 ft (3 m)
Weight: 330 lbs (150 kg)
Range : islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores (Indonesia)
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 30 years+

Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands for millions of years, although amazingly, their existence was unknown to humans until about 100 years ago.

Reaching 10 feet (3 meters) in length and more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms), Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards on Earth. They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails.

As the dominant predators on the handful of islands they inhabit, they will eat almost anything, including carrion, deer, pigs, smaller dragons, and even large water buffalo and humans. When hunting, Komodo dragons rely on camouflage and patience, lying in wait for passing prey. When a victim ambles by, the dragon springs, using its powerful legs, sharp claws and serrated, shark-like teeth to eviscerate its prey.

Animals that escape the jaws of a Komodo will only feel lucky briefly. Dragon saliva teems with over 50 strains of bacteria, and within 24 hours, the stricken creature usually dies of blood poisoning. Dragons calmly follow an escapee for miles as the bacteria takes effect, using their keen sense of smell to hone in on the corpse. A dragon can eat a whopping 80 percent of its body weight in a single feeding.

There is a stable population of about 3,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons on the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores. However, a dearth of egg-laying females, poaching, human encroachment, and natural disasters has driven the species to endangered status.