Reptiles

Basiliscus basiliscus

The basilisk lizard, nicknamed the 'Jesus Christ lizard,' is famous for its remarkable ability to run upright across the surface of water for short distances without sinking. Native to the rainforests of Central and northern South America, it relies on this unusual skill primarily to escape predators.

Corallus caninus

The emerald tree boa is a non-venomous constrictor found in the rainforest canopy of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, spending nearly its entire life coiled in trees and rarely descending to the ground. It's a striking example of convergent evolution: the unrelated green tree python of New Guinea and Australia — a completely different snake family from a different part of the world — has evolved an almost identical bright green color, white markings, and coiling posture to fill a very similar ecological niche.

Eunectes murinus

The green anaconda is the heaviest snake species in the world, a massive non-venomous constrictor found in the swamps, rivers, and flooded grasslands of South America. Unlike many large snakes, it spends much of its time submerged in water, where its bulk is supported and it can ambush prey coming to drink.

Iguana iguana

The green iguana is a large arboreal lizard native to Central and South America, often found basking on branches overhanging rivers and streams.

Eretmochelys imbricata

The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered marine reptile named for its narrow, pointed beak, which resembles a bird of prey's hooked bill. It plays a vital ecological role on coral reefs by feeding primarily on sponges, helping maintain the balance of reef ecosystems by preventing sponges from overgrowing and smothering coral.

Ophiophagus hannah

The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, found across the forests, bamboo thickets, and mangrove swamps of South and Southeast Asia, from India and southern China to the Philippines and Indonesia. It is unusual among snakes for building and guarding a nest for its eggs, and despite its size and reputation, it is a shy, diurnal hunter that generally avoids humans rather than confronting them.

Varanus komodoensis

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard species in the world, found only on a handful of Indonesian islands including Komodo, Rinca, and Flores. A powerful apex predator, it can take down prey as large as water buffalo using a combination of a powerful bite, sharp serrated teeth, and a toxic bite that impairs its victim.

Dermochelys coriacea

The leatherback is the largest sea turtle species in the world and the only one without a hard bony shell, ranging farther into cold water than any other reptile.

Crocodylus niloticus

The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest crocodilian and one of the continent's most feared apex predators, ambushing prey at the water's edge across rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

Crotalus atrox

The western diamondback rattlesnake is one of the most dangerous and widely-distributed venomous snakes in North America, easily identified by the diamond pattern along its back.