Varanus kingorum, commonly referred to as "Kings Rock Monitor" is one of the smallest monitor species the world has to offer. They like a basking spot that reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit. They burrow, so in captivity six to eight inches of substrate with a few inches of leaf litter is highly recommended for this lizard to feel comfortable. "Leucistic" (white) and wild types both occur in the wild. Thanks to JT Baginski for the pictures... enjoy PS: I know it's been a while since my last post, but it's beginning to become difficult to find species that weren't in the first 52 week countdown, as well as the first 15 of this years countdown. If anyone has a species in mind that they wouldn't mind contributing pictures of I would greatly appreciate it.
Monday, August 18, 2014
I did an interview on Naultinus grayii on Gecko Nation Radio, if you want to check it out click on the link below. Dave Pelle, and Tim Walton are some cool guys, be sure to check them out Sunday evenings live, or catch the recordings at your convenience.
Chamaeleolis barbatus is the pick for reptile of the week. Commonly known as the Cuban False Chameleon, this curious captive is actually a species of anole. These lizards come from tropical forests, and are arboreal. They are carniverous, but may opportunistically consume fruit matter as well. Thanks to Steve Cemelli at www.leapinleachies.com for letting me photograph his collection once again.
So, here we are, only 14 weeks into the year, and already I have posted 3 lizards from the Cordylus genus! Or Smaug for this weeks species if you are into the new classification, or the hobbit, or better yet, both. There are obvious reasons as to why I've chosen these amazing lizards for the countdown. They are rarely seen in captivity, and are the largest of the genus. They are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. I'm not even really sure how many have had success in breeding their captive populations (wikipedia states only one person has successfully persuaded theirs to do so), so this species is just for those that love the animal itself, and not for those looking to make their 'investment' back. That being said, they have been farm bred in South Africa where they are native to. Check out the feeding video below, and again, special thanks to Steve Cemelli at www.leapingleachies.com for letting me photograph and video record his collection for the sole purpose of the countdown, and for the viewing pleasure of those of you that care to venture onto this blog. It is appreciated! Have a good, and safe weekend! Oli
Hey everyone, I just figured I'd take a break in the regularly scheduled weekly broadcast to show some cool pics on what's going on over here. Last evening I was misting some of my geckos when I saw a little tail poking out of the brush. This is what I found to my surprise!
Aside from this New Zealand green gecko "Naultinus grayii" the breeding season is in full swing. Eggs incubating and currently hatching are as follows: Nephrurus amyae, wheeleri, and levis. Pachydactylus vanzylii, and rangei. Strophurus ciliaris and taenicauda. Chondrodactylus angulifer. Tokay geckos. And of course Mourning geckos. I may have forgotten a species or two, but that's the general jist of things. Here's a picture of last years N grayii that was birthed from a different pair than the one pictures above.
This week I'm bringing to you another Cordylus species that I recently acquired. Being that I enjoy the Cordylus cataphractus a lot, I figured, why not add another Cordylus species to the collection. This lizard is commonly known as the Rhodesian girdled lizard. It has yellow checkered patches on it's back. The male has a more vivid yellow coloration, while the female is a larger lizard. These lizards are from Mozambique, Malawa, and Zimbabwe. They live in between rocks. They are relatively flat so that they can fit into tight spaces securely. In the videos below, you can see the female eating crickets. The male is a little more shy, but he normally is also an aggressive feeder.
I figured that I would send a link here for some writing I had done within the past few weeks about major changes to husbandry. Scroll down towards the bottom to see my part. It's an interesting read, not just my write up! ;)
This spotted galliwasp is one of the cooler skinks I have seen in collections. Indigenous exclusively to the Malpelo island of Columbia, this lizard is a strict carnivore. I just read on wikipedia that Malpelo island is void of trees, and feeds on crabs and seabirds, as well as guano! That's pretty interesting I thought!
Again, special thanks to Steve Cemelli of www.leapingleachies.com for allowing me to photograph his collection. It's sometimes not easy to get photos of 52 alternate species. Twice none the less.
So, this week I'm bringing to you one of my favorite amphibian frog species, the terrible dart frog. The ones pictures here are of the mint variety, but I personally like the yellow and the orange types just as much. These frogs will try and consume just about anything they can fit in their mouths as you can see from the video, and they are not skittish to say the least. They are always out and in the middle of everything. Special thanks to Steve Cemelli of www.leapinleachies.com for allowing me to video his collection. Enjoy the pictures and videos. Don't be afraid to comment! Oli
Here, again, I'm bringing another knob tailed gecko to the 2nd 52 week countdown. This may be the last knob tail species of the countdown, so I had to make it a good one. This gecko, like all other Nephrurus is indigenous to Australia. It miraculously popped up in the reptile hobby approximately 7 years ago, and has been coveted ever since! Hardy, beautiful, as well as prolific make this captive very sought after. Enjoy these pictures of my animals.
For week nine I'm coming up with a gecko from the genus Colopus, indigenous to the Kalahari desert, specifically Namibia. Commonly named as a "Kalahari ground gecko" this gecko possesses some nice dorsal stripes as opposed to the closely related Colopus wahlbergi wahlbergi which had more of an irregular back pattern. Special thanks to JT Baginski for these pictures of his current group. Enjoy.....Oli
Here we have yet another Australian gecko on the countdown, and again, another knob-tailed (Nephrurus) species. These are by far one of my favorite in the genus, and hopefully one day I will be fortunate enough to care for a group myself. This species can vary greatly in color depending on their native location. They can be black like the animals pictured below, but they can also be a reddish brown, somewhat similar to N. amyae, and they can also be a nice washed out grey with bands. All of them are exceptional. N. asper are smaller in size compared to N. amyae, which is known as the most massive Australian gecko. Enjoy the pictures below, they were taken by my friend JT Baginski.
Here is a close up so that their rosettes can be seen. You cannot see these in a lot of pictures I see on the web
Shedding N. wheeleri - phantom of the Opera scene
This was taken at night. Sometimes referred to as 'pink phase' this is a common occurrence in N. wheeleri.
Nephrurus wheeleri cinctus, another species from the 'knob-tail' gecko genus; Nephrurus. Indigenous to a small area in Australia, this gecko lives in a desert environment, and is accustomed to its harsh terrain. There is another Nephrurus wheeleri, it is the N. w. wheeleri. The only difference is that it has one less band across it's body; four as opposed to five.
