#859: Yarara

The Yarará is a species of pit viper found in South America. Here, he makes his home in deciduous tropical forest and open savannah. His prey consists of birds and small mammals, which he incapacitates with venom. Although he has a reputation for being deadly, and can inflict a painful & venomous bite, this is rarely fatal. Females are ovoviviparous, birthing up to 20 offspring at a time.

#805: Viper

The Vipers are a Family of venomous snakes, widespread across the world. She comes equipped with a long pair of fangs, hinged for deep penetration. These fangs are hollow, and are generally folded back into a sheath, revealed when the snake is hunting or threatened. Vipers do not always inject venom - venom production is energy-expensive, and can take time to replenish. Venom is generally injected when they seek to immobolize prey.

#791: Velvet Gecko

Velvet Geckos are a Genus of gecko endemic to Australia. They are arboreal and nocturnal, patterned in a cryptic but colourful shades that provide camouflage during the day. As night falls, he ventures out to hunt for invertebrates, and may even consume smaller geckos. Habitat varies, from caves to spinifex fields, woodland to rock face. Like other geckos, the Velvet Gecko cannot blink, and must lick his eyes to keep them moist.

#778: Uma

As I near the end of the alphabet, you will notice that I start to "cheat" a little. Until now, I've more-or-less avoided scientific names, unless the critter has no common name - but there are precious few creatures beginning with U - and even less with X.

This fellow is an Uma, a Genus of fringe-toed lizards. There are six species, who occupy the low desert areas of North America. They are named for the fringe of scales along their hind toes. These help the lizard to move swiftly across the shirting sand dunes of his desert home. He is specialised in other ways too: his upper jaw overlaps the lower, he can close his nostrils and flaps close his ear openings. His upper and lower eyelids interlock. These adaptations stop the intrusion of sand into his body.

#754: Thorny Devil

The Thorny Devil is an Australian lizard, named for the spiny protrusions that cover her body. These not only protect her from predation, but also collect condensation overnight. Her body is covered in hygroscopic grooves, which channel the water into her mouth. She inhabits arid scrubland and desert and lives on a diet of ants - consuming thousands in a day. Eggs are laid in a burrow, and hatch after a few months.

#753: Terrapin

Terrapin is the name given to several species of small turtle, such as this Diamondback Turtle. Like the dove and the egret, terrapin is a name more of convenience than serving a taxonomical purpose. Due to their small size, they have become fairly popular in the pet industry and Diamondbacks are farmed as food. Diamondbacks are almost entirely aquatic, coming ashore only to breed. Although most Terrapins favour freshwater, the Diamondback lives in the marine environment, although she stays close to shore. To obtain fresh water, she sips rainwater from the surface, or catches it as it falls.

#707: Snapping Turtle

The Common Snapping Turtle of North America is named for his hornery disposition. He commonly makes his home in shallow ponds and streams, lurking beneath the mud, only his head exposed. His diet is a variable one; he scavenges on plant and animal matter, actively eating any living thing that comes within his range. Long-lived, he does not reach sexual maturity until 12-20 years old, depending on climate. Females travel long distances over land, seeking a suitable substrate - sandy soil - in which to lay her eggs. She will lay up to 80 eggs a year, but survival rates are low and predation by herons, mustelids and other predators common.

#701: Skink

The Skinks are a diverse Family of lizard, ranging in size from 7.5 cm to 36 cm. They are characterised by their long, tapering bodies, with no pronounced neck, and small limbs. Some species are entirely limbless. Sinks move much like snakes, their legs acting as stabilisers. Most species favour a diet of insects and other invertebrates, although a few feed on vegetative matter. They are a cosmopolitan Family, found in deserts, mountains, grasslands and woodlands. Leaf litter is a favourite habitat, as is tussock; most species are terrestrial in nature.

This fellow is a Mountain Skink, found in Arizona and New Mexico. It is one of the American Plestidon lizards, where juveniles are characterised by their blue tails. The Mountain Skink sometimes retains this into adulthood. If attacked, the Skink can shed his tail, severing blood vessels, bone and muscle and leaving behind the twitching appendage to distract the predator. Although capable of regeneration, the new tail will contain cartilage rather than bone. This process - known as autonomy - is found in other reptile species as well.

#689: Sea Snake

The Sea Snakes are a subfamily of venomous snakes adapted almost entirely to a marine existence. Many species are laterally flattened, and all have a paddle-like tail. Only one Genus, the Laticauda (which includes this Banded Sea Krait), is capable of moving on land. The other species have greatly reduced scales, rendering them helpless outside the aquatic environment. Sea Snakes feed on fish and small cephalopods. Although most species are considered fairly mild-natured, they are amongst the most venomous of all snakes. These bites are generally quite painless, with no swelling of the wound, but the symptoms include headache and general muscular pain, followed by partial paralysis and the possibility of renal failure or cardiac arrest.

#642: Rattlesnake

The Rattlesnakes are venomous reptiles native to the Americas. She is named for her rattle: a structure formed of interlocking segments of keratin. By contracting her muscles, she can cause these structures to vibrate against each other, the sound amplified by their hollow interior. This acts as a warning system to predators that might disturb her as she rests. Although her bite can cause swelling, pain, hermorrhaging and heart failture, Rattlesnakes only attack if provoked - and many more Rattlesnakes die by human hands than humans by a Rattlesnake's fangs (about 5 of the latter per year).

#636: Radiated Tortoise

The critically endangered Radiated Tortoise is native to Madagascar. He makes his home in the dry forests of the south and southwest. Here his population is in severe decline. Hunting and habitat loss have taken their toll, aqs is illegal poaching for the pet trade. His diet is vegetarian, with Opuntia cacti being a particular favourite. He can live well over 100 years, with the oldest recorded Radiated Tortoise living 188 years.

#625: Queen Snake

The Queen Snake is a non-venomous North American snake. His diet is very specific - he preys almost exclusively on newly-moulted crayfish, supplemented by the occasional frog, fish or invertebrate. These he locates by using his tongue, transfering scent from the air to receptors inside his mouth. During the colder months, he retreats into a crack - either natural or artificial - to hibernate. This is when he is at his most vulnerable and may fall prey to predators - including the very crayfish upon which he feeds.

#617: Python

The Pythons are a Family of non-venomous snakes found in Australia, Africa and Asia. Like the boa, to which they are not closely related, Pythons kill by constriction. She is an ambush predator, lying in wait for prey to wander by, then she strikes. Her back-curving teeth grip the unfortunate creature, and she wraps her coils quickly about it. The force is significant, but it is suffocation that kills her victim, not crushing. The animal is then swallowed whole. Unlike boa, Pythons are oviparous and the female even incubates her eggs, her body vibrating to keep temperatures constant. There are many species and many colour-morphs, with some specimen attaining 8m or more in length.

I am not entirely sure what species this is - I suspect the reference image was a colour-morph of the Ball Python. She does bear some resemblance, however, to a Scrub Python.

****


Tomorrow we begin on the Qs.
At this rate, I predict that I will be finished the alphabet some time in January.

#597: Ploughshear Tortoise

The Ploughshare Tortoise is now found only in a small patch of dry deciduous forest in north-western Madagascar. He has suffered greatly from deforestation and being hunted by both humans and pigs, who target the eggs. Unfortunately, poaching also occurs as demand for this attractive reptile is high, despite it being internationally protected as a Critically Endangered species. The term "ploughshare" comes from the male's gular projection - the part extending out the front of his belly shell - which resembles an old-fashioned ploughshare. The is used in courtship, as rival males fight for the right to mate with the female, seeking to overturn his rival, literally.

Creature Feature #562: Padloper

The Padlopers are a Genus of tiny tortoises, found only in Southern Africa. The tiny Speckled Padloper measures between 6-10 cms (with the females being the longest). The largest, the Greater Padloper averages just over 10cm in length. All species are vegetarian and have a specialist diet, restricted to plants found in their natural region. This unfortunately, does not deter people poaching them and introducing them into the pet trade. Only the Speckled and the Parrot-billed have been shown to adapt to captivity.

Creature Feature #475: Monitor Lizard

There are 77 species of Monitor Lizards, characterised by their sturdy limbs, powerful tails and claws and their long necks. Most favour a terrestrial lifestyle, although some species are arboreal. They occur naturally in Africa, Oceania and Asia. The Nile Monitor has established itself in Florida, where it is regarded as an Invasive Pest. Monitor Lizards are considered intelligent and have been known to hunt cooperatively to raid crocodile nests, with one lizard luring the mother crocodile away whilst the other breaks open the nest. The decoy then returns to help devour the eggs before the crocodile returns.

This speciman is an Australian Monitor Lizard, also known as a Perentie.

Creature Feature #431: Loggerhead

The Loggerhead is a large sea turtle, found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. She is omnivorous, her diet consisting mostly of bottom-dwelling invertebrates. The only time she comes ashore is to breed, hauling herself up the beach and scraping a pit into which to deposit her eggs. She will lay over 100 eggs. These hatch about 80 days later, with the youngster digging their way out during the night. They must then make the perilous journey to the sea, following the glow of the moon upon the horizon.

Loggerheads are endangered due to habitat destruction/disturbance, getting captured in fishing nets and drowning, ingesting plastic debris, and also climate change - the gender of the offspring is determined by the temperature of the eggs, meaning that gender skews are likely.

Creature Feature #421: Leopard Gecko

The Leopard Gecko can be found in the deserts of Asia, Pakistan and India. Unlike most Geckos, he possesses eyelids and therefore can actually blink, this is likely an adaptation to his dry, dusty environment. He is terrestrial and crepuscular in nature, preying on insects and other invertebrates. These he stalks, tail swishing, in much the same manner as his namesake - the Leopard. Leopard Gecko are popular in captivity and have been bred to enhance the golden colour. Wild specimens tend to be duller. His skin is very durable and shed regularly, with the old skin being consumed.

Creature Feature #414: Leatherback Turtle

The Christmas "silly season" must be getting to my brain - I've been so busy drawing these Animal-a-Day critters, I've forgotten to actually upload them! No, wait, this blog is actually set to Pacific Standard Time. I didn't forget on saturday - just yesterday!

The Leatherback Turtle is the largest living turtle - specimens have been found up to 3 metres long. Unlike other turtles, she lacks a bony carapace; hers is instead covered in skin and oily flesh. She is extremely hydrodynamic, using her long flippers to propel herself through the open ocean. In this manner she is capable of reaching speeds up to 35 km/hr. The adult Leatherback feeds almost entirely on jellyfish, although other soft-bodied sea creatures - such as squids - are sometimes taken. Unfortunately, a plastic bag floating in the ocean can resemble prey, and up to a third of Leatherbacks are thought to have ingested plastic. This can obstruct her digestive system or remain in her gut, undigested which inhibits her feeding, and thus her growth and rate of maturity.

She is Vulnerable to extinction.

Creature Feature #413: Leaf-tailed Gecko

Not just any Leaf-tailed Gecko either - this is the SATANIC Leaf-tailed Gecko.

Leaf-tailed Geckos are a Family of Gecko, endemic to Madagascar. Here his cryptic colouration (generally shades of brown and black, with hints of purple) allow him to all but disappear against the bark of the tree.

Seriously, they are all but impossible to see, here's a photograph I took of some:

How many can you see?

There are numerous species of Leaf-tailed Gecko. This fellow lives in the eastern rainforests (despite the tsingy in the background - oops). He follows a nocturnal lifestyle, venturing out at night to capture insects. If threatened he will also flatten himself against the bark to reduce his shadow and, if that fails, opens his mouth wide to expose the bright red inner. He is also capable of shedding his tail. Leaf-tailed Gecko are threatened by habitat loss - many of the species are vulnerable to extinction - and also by poaching. Due to his impressive appearance, he has become desirable in the pet trade and certain numbers of some species are allowed to be exported every year.