Colorful chameleon (photo)
Male panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). More pictures from Madagascar.
Master of Disguise: Oustalet’s Chameleon
These masters of disguise are endemic to Madagascar and can be found in a variety habitats ranging from urban to rural landscapes and moist to dry areas at various elevations. Oustalet’s Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti) are known as the words longest chameleon maturing to nearly 70cm in length. Due to this widespread range there are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN’s Red List. They mainly feed on insects which they catch with...
1,000 new species discovered in New Guinea
Varanus macraei, a monitor lizard first described in 2001, lives on the island of Batanta. WWF calls it “one of the most spectacular reptile discoveries anywhere… with a mesmerising pattern of turquoise and blue.” Photo © Lutz Obelgonner. Scientists discovered more than 1,000 previously unknown species during a decade of research in New Guinea (slideshow), says a new report from WWF. Final Frontier: Newly Discovered...
Photos: the end of the radiated tortoise?
Like the American bison or the passenger pigeon the radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) has gone from super-abundant to nearly extinct. The species could be gone by 2030 warn researchers. Photo by Robert Walker. Once one of the world’s most abundant tortoises, numbering in the millions, Madagascar’s radiated tortoise is on the very brink of extinction. Killed for their meat by one of the world’s most impoverished...
Researcher brings home new species of Malaysian gecko (video)
Herpetologist Lee Grismer discovers a new species of gecko sporting lovely colors and lines. Dr. Lee Grismer from the La Sierra University in Riverside, California, shows off the world’s newest gecko, captured in a cave in...
Photos: tortoise dwarfed by grape, seriously
No, this is not photoshopped: this month-old Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) is actually dwarfed by a grape. A new resident of the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, the tortoise is the offspring of a group of tortoises seized by customs last year as a sting on the illegal pet trade. The tiny tortoise pictured weighs 0.2 ounces (6 grams), but within a decade will weigh nearly hundred times...
Photo: caiman eye
A flashlight catches a camian’s eye in Brazil. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Photos: green basilisk
A green basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) escapes onto a branch from a stream in Costa Rica. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. More photos of green...
Video: giant leaf-tailed gecko hunting at night
Footage from the BBC’s new program Madagascar. The giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) is found on the islands of Nosy Mangabe (mongabay.com’s namesake) and Nosy Bohara. To see photos of Uroplatus fimbriatus and other Malagasy geckos: Leaf-tailed geckos of...
Photo: close-up baby caiman
Close-up of a baby caiman in Costa Rica. Photos by Rhett A. Butler.
Photos: green vine snake
Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Photos by Rhett A....
Picture: Christmas chameleon
Male panther chameleon near Maroantsetra, Madagascar.
Find the chameleon playing dead
Somewhere in this photo is the horned leaf chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris) playing dead. Native to Madagascar, Brookesia chameleons are among the world’s tiniest reptiles. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. To learn more about Brookesia chameleons, including just how small they really are, and see more photos: Brookesia chameleons. If you can’t find the chameleon, it is revealed...
Desert horned lizard
A desert horned lizard, more commonly known as a horny toad, in Big Sur, California. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. To see more photos of Big Sur.
Photo: the bee and the crocodile
In Laongo National Park in Gabon, a bee rests on a African-slender snouted crocodile (Cocodrilo hociquifino africano), also known as the false gavial. The species is considered Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List, but has not been evaluated for over 15 years. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2006. More photos of Gabon’s...
