User:The Transhumanist/Sandbox143
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Introduction
Selected reptile type
Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The grouping is paraphyletic as some lizards are more closely related to snakes than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.
Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a strong side-to-side motion. Some lineages (known as "legless lizards") have secondarily lost their legs, and have long snake-like bodies. Some lizards, such as the forest-dwelling Draco, are able to glide. They are often territorial, the males fighting off other males and signalling, often with bright colours, to attract mates and to intimidate rivals. Lizards are mainly carnivorous, often being sit-and-wait predators; many smaller species eat insects, while the Komodo eats mammals as big as water buffalo.
Lizards make use of a variety of antipredator adaptations, including venom, camouflage, reflex bleeding, and the ability to sacrifice and regrow their tails. (Full article...)
Selected Crocodilia article
The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the eastern, southern, and central regions of the continent, and lives in different types of aquatic environments such as lakes, rivers, swamps, and marshlands. Although capable of living in saline environments, this species is rarely found in saltwater, but occasionally inhabits deltas and brackish lakes. The range of this species once stretched northward throughout the Nile River, as far north as the Nile Delta. Lake Turkana in Kenya has one of the largest undisturbed populations of Nile crocodiles. Generally, the adult male Nile crocodile is between 3.5 and 5 m (11 ft 6 in and 16 ft 5 in) in length and weighs 225 to 750 kg (500 to 1,650 lb). However, specimens exceeding 6.1 m (20 ft) in length and 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) in weight have been recorded. It is the largest predator in Africa, and may be considered the second-largest extant reptile in the world, after the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). Size is sexually dimorphic, with females usually about 30% smaller than males. The crocodile has thick, scaly, heavily armoured skin.
Nile crocodiles are opportunistic apex predators; a very aggressive crocodile, they are capable of taking almost any animal within their range. They are generalists, taking a variety of prey, with a diet consisting mostly of different species of fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. As ambush predators, they can wait for hours, days, and even weeks for the suitable moment to attack. They are agile predators and wait for the opportunity for a prey item to come well within attack range. Even swift prey are not immune to attack. Like other crocodiles, Nile crocodiles have a powerful bite that is unique among all animals, and sharp, conical teeth that sink into flesh, allowing a grip that is almost impossible to loosen. They can apply high force for extended periods of time, a great advantage for holding down large prey underwater to drown.
Nile crocodiles are relatively social. They share basking spots and large food sources, such as schools of fish and big carcasses. Their strict hierarchy is determined by size. Large, old males are at the top of this hierarchy and have first access to food and the best basking spots. Crocodiles tend to respect this order; when it is infringed, the results are often violent and sometimes fatal. Like most other reptiles, Nile crocodiles lay eggs; these are guarded by the females and males, making the Nile crocodiles one of few reptile species whose males contribute to parental care. The hatchlings are also protected for a period of time, but hunt by themselves and are not fed by the parents. (Full article...)
Selected lizard article
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/20230521_Varanus_rudicollis.jpg/640px-20230521_Varanus_rudicollis.jpg)
The black rough-necked monitor (Varanus rudicollis) is a species of monitor lizard found in Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Burma, and Malaysia. It is also found in Indonesia on Sumatra and islands of the Riau Archipelago It is sometimes known simply as the roughneck monitor. In Thailand is called h̄èā cĥāng (Thai: เห่าช้าง; "elephant bark").
The habitat of Varanus rudicollis is limited to primary and secondary rainforest and mangrove swamps. In the wild the black rough-necked monitor is very rarely seen, but whether this is because of its rarity or its very secretive behavior is uncertain. They are often kept successfully in captivity, but have a shy disposition.
This species is most closely related to its sister group, the water monitor species complex (e.g., the Asian water monitor) which are also in the subgenus Soterosaurus, having split from them 14 million years ago in the middle Miocene. (Full article...)
Selected turtle article
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Kinosternon_durangoense.jpg/320px-Kinosternon_durangoense.jpg)
The Durango mud turtle (Kinosternon durangoense) is a species of mud turtle in the Kinosternidae family.
It is endemic to north-eastern Mexico. It is found in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango. (Full article...)
Picture slideshow
- Image 1Asian vine snake Ahaetulla prasina. This snake has a wide distribution in Asia. It feeds on small reptiles and amphibians, particularly lizards and tree frogs. Adults may attain 1.8 m (6 feet) in total length, with a tail 0.6 m (2 feet) long. Its appearance is very much like those of South American vine snakes. It is a rear-fanged species and is mildly venomous but is not considered a threat to humans.
- Image 2Eastern long-necked turtle
- Image 3Vipera xanthina
- Image 4Sicilian wall lizard
- Image 5Rough chameleon
- Image 6Leiocephalus carinatus
- Image 7Common box turtle
- Image 8Eastern bearded dragon
- Image 10Green sea turtle
- Image 11Common collared lizard
- Image 12Jackson's chameleon
- Image 13Anole at Polychrotinae
- Image 14Red-headed Amazon River turtles
- Image 15White-headed dwarf gecko
- Image 16Bosc's fringe-toed lizards during courtship
- Image 18Carolina anole
- Image 19Trachylepis maculilabris mating
- Image 20Plumed basilisk
- Image 21Yacare caiman
- Image 22Namaqua chameleon
- Image 23Gold dust day gecko close-up
- Image 24Vipera dinniki
- Image 25Mexican beaded lizard
- Image 26Gold dust day gecko
- Image 27Italian wall lizard
- Image 28Trachylepis striata
- Image 29Indian chameleon
- Image 30Ladder snake
- Image 31Aldabra giant tortoise
- Image 32Barracudasauroides
- Image 33Species of Ceratopsia dinosaurs
- Image 34Cape skink - Trachylepis capensis. Close-up on purple Aster flowers.
- Image 35Marginated tortoise hatchling
- Image 36Cerastes cerastes
- Image 37Morelia spilota
- Image 38Bothriechis schlegelii
- Image 39Marine iguana
- Image 40Plestiodon fasciatus
- Image 41Gold dust day gecko
- Image 42Thamnophis elegans terrestris at Western terrestrial garter snake
- Image 43Dwarf yellow-headed gecko
- Image 44Namaqua chameleon
- Image 45A green sea turtle swimming above a coral reef.
- Image 46Steneosaurus
- Image 47Sinai agama
- Image 48Green sea turtle
- Image 49Australian water dragon
- Image 50Phelsuma grandis
- Image 51Leiocephalus personatus
- Image 52Niveoscincus metallicus
- Image 53Green sea turtle
Selected snake article
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Davidraju_Vine_snake.jpg/640px-Davidraju_Vine_snake.jpg)
Ahaetulla nasuta, also known as Sri Lankan green vine snake and long-nosed whip snake, is a venomous, slender green tree snake endemic to Sri Lanka. (Full article...)
Categories
Topics
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
- What are portals?
- List of portals