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.

Pac-Man Frog

Type : Amphibian
Scientific Name: Ceratophrys ornata
Family: Leptodactylidae
Adult Size: Rarely longer than 4 to 6 inches.
Range: Originate from the South American countries of Columbia and Argentina.
Habitat: Grasslands, croplands and near temporary bodies of water.
Diet : Carnivore

The horned frogs are not an overly active species, and captives do not require particularly large terraria. An adult female (or pair) of horned frogs will thrive in a 15- to 20-gallon (horizontally oriented) aquarium. Captive specimens may be maintained either terrestrially, or in a plain terraria containing only a half inch of water. Horned frogs that are provided sufficient soil will quickly burrow and remain buried for more than 95 percent of the time, leading many owners to keep them in a plain terraria. This type of set-up requires frequent, if not daily, cleaning as bacteria proliferate in this type of terrarium.

Several small food items are better for a frog than one large one. At 3 to 4 weeks old, the frog should be able to consume a pinky mouse or several crickets every 3 to 4 days. As the frog grows, the size of prey can be increased and offered less often. Adult frogs only need to be fed once every two weeks or so.

Amazon Tree Boa

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Corallus hortulanus
Family: Boidae
Adult Size: Often attains 4½ feet; occasionally attains 6½ to slightly more than 7 feet.
Range: Predominantly a species of Amazonian South America east of the Andes to the Atlantic coast. They occur from Central Venezuela, eastern Colombia and the Guyana Shield countries in the north to central Bolivia and central Brazil in the south. In forested eastern Brazil the range extends far southward.
Habitat: Besides typical rainforest habitats, this highly arboreal taxon occurs also in dryer forests and in many grassland habitats. It is often seen in river- and oxbow-edge trees.
Diet : Carnivore

This species is also referred to as the Garden Tree Boa, by experienced hobbyists as ATBs, and, in error, as Cook’s Tree Boa (a different species). Although hobbyists now breed many of the more desirable colors (red, orange, yellow and combinations of these colors), the majority of the less coveted colors (brown, tan, olive, gray, charcoal and combinations) are collected from the wild and imported. Brightly colored examples are usually considerably more expensive than those of duller color. Both captive bred and imported individuals are usually readily available in the pet trade.

Amazon tree boas will bite readily and their long teeth render this an unpleasant experience. They are often best handled with a snake hook.

Baby and imported tree boas may become dehydrated during transportation. Immediate rehydration is very important. When misted, freshly collected examples often drink beadlets of water from their bodies and nearby leaves more readily than from cage bottom drinking bowls. High cage humidity will help reduce dehydration but does not replace the need for the snakes to drink. Elevating the drinking bowl and roiling the water surface with an aquarium air stone (activated by a small vibrating pump) will often induce the snake to drink. Dehydration can result in regurgitation or refusal to eat. Imported snakes may also bear endoparasites. A stool sample should be analyzed by a veterinarian and if necessary purging should be carried out.

Birds are an important prey item of wild specimens. Captives should be fed weekly and usually accept prekilled mice proffered on forceps. The mouse should not be larger in diameter than the width of the boas head. When hungry a tree boa will usually prowl actively in its cage or lie coiled with head and neck extended downward in a sinuous S striking-curve.

Relatively high cage humidity should be provided these boas. Live plants can add beauty to a cage and also help elevate humidity. Baby Amazon tree boas can be maintained in a 5 to 10 gallon capacity terrarium. Adults should have a terrarium of at least a 20 gallon capacity and a 30 to 50 gallon size is probably better. A temperature gradient of 75 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit should be provided. Although they do not always climb, horizontal perches of about the same diameter as the snake’s body and climbing space should be provided. Amazon tree boas will usually choose a forked branch on which to coil. When the snakes are in elevated positions they usually anchor themselves with their prehensile tail.

St. Helena Mountain Kingsnake

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Lampropeltis multicinta zonata
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: Adults average 36 inches in length.
Range: Throughout the Mendovino, Napa and Sonoma counties in California; intergrades with the Sierra mountain kingsnake occur northward into southeastern Oregon, and the Washington population also appears to be comprised of intergrades.
Habitat: Forests and wooded areas near water with rock outcrops.
Diet : Carnivore

The St. Helena mountain kingsnake, is a little-known subspecies found in wooded areas ranging throughout the Mendovino, Napa and Sonoma counties in California; intergrades with the Sierra mountain kingsnake occur northward into southeastern Oregon, and the Washington population also appears to be comprised of intergrades.

Cages should be escape proof, complete with water and hiding area. Kingsnakes and milk snakes must be housed separately (except during the breeding season) because they are cannibalistic. Inexpensive enclosures such as plastic shoe or sweater boxes work well if there are ventilation holes drilled in the sides. Aquariums or home-made enclosures also work well if you want to display the snake. A variety of substrates may be used (aspen shavings, corn-cob-type rodent bedding or newspaper) to keep the animals clean, warm and dry.

Kingsnakes will feed on just about anything. They will consume warm-blooded prey such as rodents and birds, as well as cold-blooded prey such as lizards and frogs (in addition to other snakes).

Many species adapt well in captivity if kept between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with a nighttime temperature drop of five to 10 degrees. Temperature control is important as it maintains feeding response and digestion.

Yellow Rat Snake

Type : Reptile
Scientific Name: Pantherophis (Elaphe) obsoleta quadrivittata
Family: Colubridae
Adult Size: 4 to 6 feet
Range: In its pure form, this snake is found from coastal North Carolina to southeastern Georgia and over most of the Florida peninsula. In the Florida Everglades a very similar snake is brilliant orange and often is known as the Everglades rat snake, E. o. rossalleni.
Habitat: Yellow rat snakes are arboreal, often found high in cypress and oak trees in search of prey. They usually are found near water but also can be common near homes and barns.
Diet : Carnivore

The taxonomy of the American rat snakes is currently being debated and changes often. Some workers do not recognize the subspecies quadrivittata as distinct from the main species, and some prefer to use the name Elaphe alleghaniensis for eastern U.S. rat snakes, using obsolete for a species from west of the Mississippi River. Recently workers have suggested that American rat snakes should be placed in the genus Pantherophis or even combined with the genus Pituophis (normally containing the pine snakes).

This is a big snake that needs a large, tall terrarium at least 4 feet long and preferably 3 or 4 feet high. There should be many climbing branches and resting surfaces well above the floor. Almost any substrate can be used, but it should not become too moist. Very humid keeping conditions can lead to dangerous bacterial blister disease in these snakes. Provide a shallow bowl of water that will be used for soaking, and change it regularly.

Yellow rat snakes are among the easiest snakes to feed, as they will take rodents and birds of any appropriate size. Large adults will even take rats, while hatchlings take pinky mice. Wild-caught specimens almost certainly will have intestinal parasites and should be wormed.

Asian Box Turtle

Type: Reptile
Scientific Name: Cuora flavomarginata
Family: Geoemydidae
Adult Size: Females, the larger and more robust of the sexes, attain a length of 6 3/4 inches. Hatchlings are about 1 1/2 inches long.
Range: The Chinese mainland, Taiwan and the Ryukyus.
Habitat: Woodlands and bushlands along Yangtze River drainage areas.
Diet : Omnivore

This Asian box turtle has a highly domed, somewhat elongate carapace and a strongly hinged plastron. The carapace is dark brown, and most specimens bear a yellow vertebral stripe or spot on each vertebral scute. The growth rings (annuli) are usually quite distinct and the central areolae may be yellowish (the carapace of the young turtles is actually quite rough). The plastron is black rimmed with yellow. The head is grayish on top, and the face is pinkish tan to peach. A broad butter-yellow to bright greenish yellow stripe extends from each eye to the neck.

These turtles are very alert, and even after many years of captivity they will return quickly to the dry ground and seek shelter beneath overhanging grasses and other ground cover if disturbed.

At the advent of cold weather or during periods of drought, they burrow deeply enough to completely conceal themselves. Once burrowed in, they usually fail to respond to gentle lawn sprinklings or a brief shower, but will emerge and forage if the ground becomes saturated.

These beautiful box turtles eagerly accept worms and insects, but will also eat an occasional prekilled pinky mouse, trout chow, puppy chow, some berries, other fruits, squash and a little dark lettuce. They will eat both in and out of the water.

Northern Leopard Frog

Type: Amphibian
Size: 3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm)
Group name: Army
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 2 to 4 years

The northern leopard frog is perhaps most recognizable as the formaldehyde-soaked specimen in the high school lab tray.

Once the most abundant and widespread frog species in North America, leopard frogs were widely collected not only for dissection but for the food industry (frog legs) as well.

However, massive declines beginning in the early 1970s, particularly in Canada and the western United States, have significantly reduced their numbers. Scientists have not determined the cause of the declines, but it is likely a combination of ecological factors: pollution, deforestation, and water acidity.

Northern leopard frogs are so named for the array of irregularly shaped dark spots that adorn their backs and legs. They are greenish-brown in color with a pearly white underside and light-colored ridges on either side of their backs. They are considered medium-size, reaching lengths of 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 centimeters), nose to rump. Females are slightly larger than males.

Their range is most of northern North America, except on the Pacific Coast. They generally live near ponds and marshes, but will often venture into well-covered grasslands as well, earning them their other common name, the meadow frog.

Leopard frogs will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouths. They sit still and wait for prey to happen by, then pounce with their powerful legs. They eat beetles, ants, flies, worms, smaller frogs, including their own species, and even birds, and garter snakes

Green Basilisk

Scientific Name: Basiliscus plumifrons
Family: Iguanidae
Adult Size: 18 to 27 inches in total length, most of which is tail
Range: Lower Central America
Habitat: Lush foliage along waterways

The green basilisk or plumed basilisk is among the showiest herps on Earth. No wonder it’s a favorite as a captive! These brilliant green beauties make interesting captives, but require more effort to please in a cage than many other lizards. Give the green basilisk a large cage that’s tall so they can climb on stout branches.

First off, insist upon acquiring a captive-born green basilisk because wild-caught imports are nervous and flighty creatures that rarely settle down to be satisfactory pets. Get one under 12 inches long whenever possible so it will acclimate well and learn not to be afraid of its keeper.

Green basilisks are primarily carnivores that gobble up almost any animal smaller than themselves. In captivity, insects (for juveniles) and mice make up the bulk of the diet. Offer live, moving food items late in the morning after the green basilisk has had time to bask and warm up to hunting temperature.

Green basilisks come from steamy forests where it’s never extremely dry. Mist their cage often to maintain a high level of humidity, yet assure adequate ventilation so the air and cage never stays wet and mold starts to grow. Also install a small water bowl for drinking water.

Warty Newt

Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 7 in (18 cm)
Weight: 0.22 to 0.37 oz (6.3 to 10.6 g)
Average lifespan in captivity: Up to 25 years

The warty or great crested newt lives only in Europe. Females, which are larger than males, can reach 7 inches (18 centimeters) in length, making these stout-bodied amphibians the continent’s largest newts.

True to its name, the warty newt has skin that is covered in small bumps. The skin contains glands that secrete a milky, acrid-smelling substance to dissuade predators. Its other common name derives from the dramatic, jagged crest that males develop along their backs during the spring breeding season.

These newts are generally dark colored on top and orange or yellow with black spots underneath. They also have white speckles on their flanks and a large, vertically flattened tail that bears a white streak down the side.

Warty newts are nocturnal and are voracious eaters, feeding on worms, slugs, and insects on land, and tadpoles and mollusks in water. They are more terrestrial than most newts, but must remain near bodies of fresh water to keep their skin moist.

These newts spend a significant portion of their lives in hibernation, usually from around October to March of each year. On a rainy night in March, they awaken and trek back to the pond where they hatched to mate.

Females lay from 200 to 300 eggs, but only about half develop into tadpoles. Tadpoles emerge from their eggs in about 21 days and feed on small insects like water fleas and tiny worms. Warty newts are extremely long-lived, with some exceeding 16 years of age. Like all newts, they can regrow body parts if necessary, but that ability diminishes as they age.

Warty newt populations are in decline throughout their range, and they are considered an endangered species. They and their habitats are protected under European law.

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Type: Reptile
Size: 2 ft (65 cm)
Weight: 100 lbs (45 kg)
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: About 50 years

The Kemp’s ridley turtle is the world’s most endangered sea turtle, and with a worldwide female nesting population roughly estimated at just 1,000 individuals, its survival truly hangs in the balance. Their perilous situation is attributed primarily to the over-harvesting of their eggs during the last century. And though their nesting grounds are protected and many commercial fishing fleets now use turtle excluder devices in their nets, these turtles have not been able to rebound.

For this reason, their nesting processions, called arribadas, make for especially high drama. During an arribada, females take over entire portions of beaches, lugging their big bodies through the sand with their flippers until they find a satisfying spot to lay their eggs. Even more riveting is the later struggle to the ocean of each tiny, vulnerable hatchling. Beset by predators, hatchlings make this journey at night, breaking out of their shells using their caruncle, a single temporary tooth grown just for this purpose.

Found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, but also as far north as Nova Scotia, Kemp’s ridleys are among the smallest sea turtles, reaching only about 2 feet (65 centimeters) in shell length and weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Their upper shell, or carapace, is a greenish-grey color, and their bellies are off-white to yellowish.

They prefer shallow waters, where they dive to the bottom to feed on crabs, which are their favorite food, and other shellfish. They also eat jellyfish, and occasionally munch on seaweed and sargassum. They may live to be 50 years old.

Females aren’t sexually mature until about ten to twelve years of age. They nest every one to three years and may lay several clutches of eggs each season. Highly migratory animals, they often travel hundreds of miles (kilometers) to reach their nesting beach, usually the same beach they hatched from.

Marine Iguana

Type: Reptile
Diet: Herbivore
Size: 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m)
Weight: 1 to 3.3 lbs (.5 to 1.5 kg)
Average lifespan in the wild: 5 to 12 years

The much-maligned marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands are so famously homely, even Charles Darwin piled on, describing them as "hideous-looking" and "most disgusting, clumsy lizards."

It's true, they're not pretty, with their wide-set eyes, smashed-in faces, spiky dorsal scales, and knotty, salt-encrusted heads. But what these unusual creatures lack in looks they make up for with their amazing and unique ecological adaptations.

Scientists figure that land-dwelling iguanas from South America must have drifted out to sea millions of years ago on logs or other debris, eventually landing on the Galápagos. From that species emerged marine iguanas, which spread to nearly all the islands of the archipelago. Each island hosts marine iguanas of unique size, shape and color.

They look fierce, but are actually gentle herbivores, surviving exclusively on underwater algae and seaweed. Their short, blunt snouts and small, razor-sharp teeth help them scrape the algae off rocks, and their laterally flattened tails let them move crocodile-like through the water. Their claws are long and sharp for clinging to rocks on shore or underwater in heavy currents. They have dark gray coloring to better absorb sunlight after their forays into the frigid Galápagos waters. And they even have special glands that clean their blood of extra salt, which they ingest while feeding.

Their population is not well known, but estimates are in the hundreds of thousands. They are under constant pressure from non-native predators like rats, feral cats, and dogs, who feed on their eggs and young. They are protected throughout the archipelago and are considered vulnerable to extinction.

Green Anaconda

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 20 to 30 ft (6 to 9 m)
Weight: Up to 550 lbs (227 kg)
Group name: Bed or knot
Average lifespan in the wild: 10 years

Member of the boa family, South America’s green anaconda is, pound for pound, the largest snake in the world. Its cousin, the reticulated python, can reach slightly greater lengths, but the enormous girth of the anaconda makes it almost twice as heavy.

Green anacondas can grow to more than 29 feet (8.8 meters), weigh more than 550 pounds (227 kilograms), and measure more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter. Females are significantly larger than males. Other anaconda species, all from South America and all smaller than the green anaconda, are the yellow, dark-spotted, and Bolivian varieties.

Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. They are cumbersome on land, but stealthy and sleek in the water. Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lay in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged.

They reach their monumental size on a diet of wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybara, caimans, and even jaguars. Anacondas are nonvenomous constrictors, coiling their muscular bodies around captured prey and squeezing until the animal asphyxiates. Jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow them to swallow their prey whole, no matter the size, and they can go weeks or months without food after a big meal.

Female anacondas retain their eggs and give birth to two to three dozen live young. Baby snakes are about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long when they are born and are almost immediately able to swim and hunt. Their lifespan in the wild is about ten years.

Spotted Salamander

Type: Amphibian
Size: 7 in (18 cm)
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 20 years

Despite being fairly large and having an extremely broad range, the spotted salamander is actually pretty hard to, well, spot.

They can reach 9 inches (23 centimeters) in length and are prevalent in mature deciduous forests from eastern Canada throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. But these secretive salamanders spend almost their entire lives hidden under rocks or logs or in the burrows of other forest animals.

They will populate upland forests and mountainous regions, but are most common in moist, low-lying forests near floodplains.

They emerge from their subterranean hiding spots only at night to feed and during spring mating. They will actually travel long distances over land after a heavy rain to mate and lay their eggs in vernal pools and ponds.

Visually striking, these stout salamanders are bluish-black with two irregular rows of yellow or orange spots extending from head to tail. Like many other salamanders, they secrete a noxious, milky toxin from glands on their backs and tails to dissuade predators. Their diet includes insects, worms, slugs, spiders, and millipedes.

Spotted salamanders' numbers are generally stable throughout their range, but they are very sensitive to changes in their ecology, and rising water acidity in certain habitats is negatively affecting their population. The pet trade and habitat loss also take a toll

Eastern Coral Snake

Type: Reptile
Size: 20 to 30 in (51 to 76 cm)
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: Up to 7 years

A bite from the notoriously venomous eastern coral snake at first seems anticlimactic. There is little or no pain or swelling at the site of the bite, and other symptoms can be delayed for 12 hours. However, if untreated by antivenin, the neurotoxin begins to disrupt the connections between the brain and the muscles, causing slurred speech, double vision, and muscular paralysis, eventually ending in respiratory or cardiac failure.

This iconic snake, with its bulbous head and red, yellow, and black bands, is famous as much for its potent venom as for the many rhymes—"Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack"—penned to distinguish it from similarly patterned, nonvenomous copycats, such as the scarlet king snake.

Coral snakes are extremely reclusive and generally bite humans only when handled or stepped on. They must literally chew on their victim to inject their venom fully, so most bites to humans don't result in death. In fact, no deaths from coral snake bites have been reported in the U.S. since an antivenin was released in 1967.

Eastern coral snakes are relatives of the cobra, mamba, and sea snake. They live in the wooded, sandy, and marshy areas of the southeastern United States, and spend most of their lives burrowed underground or in leaf piles.

They eat lizards, frogs, and smaller snakes, including other coral snakes. Baby snakes emerge from their eggs 7 inches (17.8 centimetes) long and fully venomous. Adults reach about 2 feet (0.6 meters) in length. Average lifespan in the wild is unknown, but they can live up to seven years in captivity.

American Bullfrog

Type: Amphibian
Size: (adult female) 3.5 to 6 in (9 to 15 cm)
Weight: 1.1 lb (0.50 kg)
Group name: Army or colony
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 7 to 9 years

The baritone call of the bullfrog is so deep and resonant, it resembles the mooing of a cow, hence its name. Only males emit this trademark "jug-o-rum" bellow, and their choruses can be heard during the day or night.

The largest of all North American frogs, this giant can grow to a length of 8 inches (20 centimeters) or more and weigh up to 1.5 pounds (750 grams). Even the tadpoles of this species can reach 6.75 inches (17.2 centimeters) in length.

They are among the most wide-ranging of all North American amphibians, found in freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes from Nova Scotia, Canada, throughout the continental United States, and as far south as Mexico and Cuba. They have even found their way to Europe, South America, and Asia.

Bullfrogs are typically green or gray-brown with brown spots and have easily identifiable circular eardrums, or tympanum, on either side of their heads.

Nocturnal predators, they will ambush and eat just about anything they can fit in their ample mouths, including insects, mice, fish, birds, and snakes. They sit quietly and wait for prey to pass by, then lunge with their powerful hind legs, mouths open wide.

Males are highly territorial and will aggressively guard their land. Females are slightly larger than males.

Green-Eyed Tree Frog

Type : Amphibian

Size: 2.8 in (7cm)

Group name : Army

diet : Carnivore

The green-eyed tree frog has adapted its appearance to blend in with the moss-covered rain forests of Queensland, Australia. The frogs' coloration and markings vary with their specific habitat, but they usually have a brownish-green body with rust-colored blotches that match the lichen-covered rocks lining the creeks and streams they tend to live near.

This species gets its name not for green eyes per se, but rather for a line of brilliant green that often adorns the brow of each eye. They are also distinguishable by a row of skin flaps along their arms and legs, which resembles a serrated knife.

Females, which are significantly larger than males, grow to about 2.8 inches (7 centimeters). Males, which emit a mating call that sounds like a quiet tap-tap-tap, max out at about 1.8 inches (5 centimeters).

Green-eyed tree frogs are abundant in the rugged wet tropics of northeast Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef. Their population is healthy in the region's lower elevations, but, for unknown reasons, may have disappeared completely from the higher-altitude areas. They have suffered serious declines in the past, possibly due to a fungus or virus, but their numbers have rebounded, and they are not currently threatened or endangered.

American Crocodile

American Crocodile

Type: Reptile
Size: Up to 15 ft (4.6 m)
Weight: Up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 70 years
Diet: Carnivore

The American crocodile is considered an endangered species in nearly all parts of its North, Central, and South American range. Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels.

A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps.

A prehistoric-looking creature, it is distinguishable from its cousin, the American alligator, by its longer, thinner snout, its lighter color, and two long teeth on the lower jaw that are visible when its mouth is closed.

This species is among the largest of the world's crocodiles, with Central and South American males reaching lengths of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet (4 meters), however.

Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. They have been known to attack people, but are far more likely to flee at the sight of humans.

Most countries in the American crocodile's range have passed protection laws, but unfortunately, few governments provide adequate enforcement.

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