Monday, November 29, 2010

WEEK 26!!! The shingleback skink aka Tiliqua rugosa!!!




OK, so this week is the week of the skink, even though their will be at least one other on the list. This is one of the most sought after animals in the reptile community, and it demands quite a hefty price.  Commonly referred to as the bobtail skink, or sleepy lizard, this animal is slow and feasts on mostly snails, and vegetation. This lizard can grow to lengths of 25 inches and it can also birth from 1 to 4 live young per season. Another interesting fact about this animal is that they are monogamous, and that the juveniles remain with their parents for several months after birth which is very uncommon of any cold blooded species! Here are a few pics for your fix.....

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

WEEK 25 Behold the feared Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)


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As we creep up to the half way point of this series, The Cold Blood Weekly, we come across one of the only venomous lizards in the world, the Gila Monster aka. Heloderma suspectum cinctum. A very close relative to the only other venemous lizard the Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum), the Gila displays an armored exterior with bone fragments surrounded by scales to protect it's person (or lizard should I say). Dining mostly on eggs, and rodents this beast burrows tunnels, and is known to eat it's fill during only 3 months of the year! It enjoys moist and cool environments and can be tamed quite nicely with a little cautious handling...Enjoy

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

WEEK 24, This week is the first turtle of the countdown, the Geoemyda spengleri!!!!
















Commonly known as the Vietnamese Leaf Turtle this species loves cool and humid environments, and can not tolerate heat all that well. They will eat a wide variety of prey items such as crickets, snails, earthworms, pinkies, etc and the list goes on to include vegetables and fruits. I have noticed that G. spengleri are aggressive and savage feeders when fed crickets. They actively stalk and attack prey items which is really cool to watch. As you can see from the pics, they have long necks, a hooked snout, and big bulgy eyes which make them have a really funny appearance. They enjoy soaking in a water bowel, but they are mainly found chilling out on a mixture of peat, sand, and leaf litter which is constantly moist. They can lay only 1 or 2 eggs per season, and they only reach a maximum of 4.5 inches in length making them a really nice compact species which are really entertaining to observe. Well here they are......