Reptiles Definition

Eastern Hognose Snake: These snakes have broad heads and pointed up-turned snouts. They are tan, black or brown but can have orange, yellow, gray, olive or red coloring. Hognose snakes are known as "drama queens" because when they feel threatened they play dead.

WEST WARWICK — You'd be hard pressed to walk into Ray Melise and George Stowell's new pet shop on Main Street and ask for a reptile or insect they don't have in stock. It'd be even harder to find one they can't import for you. Recently opened at 1189 Main Street, 401 Reptiles is a local one-stop-shop for everything reptile related. With more than 400 different insects, amphibians, reptiles and other creatures, the shop is quickly becoming a popular go-to spot for reptile owners and connoisseurs. Headed up by Melise and Stowell and their team of employees, the shop carries everything from your basic ball pythons to Madagascar hissing cockroaches, geckos, tortoises, frogs, giant centipedes and hundreds of others. The shop caters to both the reptile novice and expert breeder, carrying everything a reptile owner could ever need, like mealworms, crickets, feeder mice, ha...

A photographer has captured beautiful images of the "phenomenal" Greenland dog as numbers of this unique domesticated breed dwindle and their Arctic home undergoes rapid changes due to climate change. The images were snapped by South African wildlife photographer and filmmaker Danie Ferreira over the course of his extensive travels to the polar regions—including expeditions to Greenland, the Canadian High Arctic, the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and Antarctica—over the past 30 years. Ferreira has now published a book, Out in the Cold , that contains images from these travels, many of which pay homage to the extraordinary determination, stamina and strength of the Greenland dogs that have played an integral role in human transport and exploration in the Arctic region for centuries. The Greenland dog is a large, domesticated, husky-type breed that is used as a sled dog. This breed is native to Greenland—the world's largest island—but such is their suitability for this ...

A Southwest Florida woman has been ridding cane toads from home yards and communities across the region. 35-year-old Jennifer Southall, an invasive species specialist, has been catching toads for 15 years. She said she catches as many as 100 cane toads a night. The large and warty amphibians were brought to Florida in the 1950s to eat pests in sugar fields. However, 70 years later, cane toads have become the invaders. "This is my life; this is my job," Southall said. "It's personal to me. I almost lost my dog, and I watched my mother's dog die in my arms because of these toads. So, that's why I started my business." Southall, said the toads can eat practically anything that fits in their mouths, including frogs and even cat food. The poisonous toads release a white toxin from glands in their backs, which can kill pets and native wildlife. It can also cause skin irritation in humans who handle the toads. After the hunt is over, Southall euthanized her c...

The Guam rail, also known as the ko'ko', has all the architectural grace of a wood-paneled Buick station wagon. Mostly brown, with white longitudinal stripes on its head and a houndstooth pattern around its midsection, it has a crow-sized chassis, tiny wings, and long, chickenish legs. It is narrow in profile, designed for a life of scurrying through the underbrush. The rail cannot fly, and it nests on the ground. This way of life suited the rail fine until humans released brown tree snakes onto its native island of Guam. In the early 1970s, the bird began a "drastic numerical and distributional decline," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and by 1983, fewer than 100 individual birds remained. In the mid-1980s, Fish and Wildlife and a consortium of zoos gathered up what birds they could find and began breeding them. Guam rails, it soon became clear, are willing captive breeders. In 1989, the agency proposed releasing some of the birds back into the...

While zombies, werewolves and ghosts inhabit an area of the Halloween season beyond science, the real creatures connected to the season bring some incredible abilities to the spooky table. Here are 13 glimpses into the lives of creatures from bats to spiders: Yes, there are vampire bats that do indeed drink blood, but they are not in Pennsylvania. Bats native to Pennsylvania – all insect-eaters – are the little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, Indiana bat, small-footed bat, silver-haired bat, tri-colored bat, big brown bat, red bat and hoary bat. Bats are the only flying mammal. Some of the 1,300-plus species worldwide can fly at more than a 100 mph, which makes bats the fastest mammal. Black cats have stronger immune systems than cats of other colors because the gene mutation that causes the black coats also impart some added immunity, according to the National Institutes of Health. Crow communities hold a grudge for generations, according to research at the University of Washingto...

Dogs are a popular pick when it comes to owning a pet. About 70% of U.S. households own a pet and 69 million homes are dog owning, according to a 2021-22 survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association. Dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Around 200 dog breeds are registered at the American Kennel Club. Small dogs are especially popular as they're easier to care for, have less costs associated and fit certain lifestyles, Highland Canine says. For what they lack in size, they make up with their energetic and fun personalities. Searching for a new apartment mate? Look no further. What human foods are safe for dogs?: Here's what is and isn't safe for your pet to consume. What is the smallest dog breed? The smallest dog breed in the world is commonly regarded as a Chihuahua, according to Highland Canine. Named after the Mexican city, Chihuahuas have an average height of 5 to 8 inches, weighing no more than 6 pounds.   Seen in movies like "Legally...

Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Police in Texas said a reported rattlesnake inside a resident's home was found to be an apparent escaped pet python searching for shelter. The Universal City Police Department said a homeowner contacted authorities Wednesday morning after discovering what she believed to be a rattlesnake inside her house. Officer Hector Luevano, who has experience with snakes, responded to the home and discovered the serpent was actually a non-venomous python. "The lady provided him with an old pillowcase to transport the snake and it was later picked up by our animal control folks," police Lt. Sheila "Tina" Vitacco told KSAT-TV. "The officer asked if the lady wanted to keep it since it was a pet but she was not having any of that." Luevano took the snake back to the police station, where it was later retrieved by Universal City Animal Services. Officials said they believe the snake to be an escaped pet and are now trying to find the animal...

A striking bearded dragon lizard, prized for her distinctive orange scales, has been abducted from an Upper West Side pet store, swiped from her tank and smuggled out under a bandit's shirt. Workers at Petqua (located at Broadway and 98th Street) say they watched the thieves steal Sandy, a coveted three-year-old reptile whose owners had boarded her at the shop while they went out of town for the holiday weekend, but could not catch them in time. Police have reportedly opened an investigation into the heist, while Sandy's family has put out a $1,000 reward for her safe return, no questions asked. Regal. (Courtesy of Stacey Shapiro) Just before 4 p.m. on Saturday, a Petqua manager said he saw two young men, believed to be in their early 20s, enter the store and head downstairs, where Sandy had taken up temporary residence with the tropical fish and turtles. The manager, Sam, recognized one of them as a shady, would-be lizard dealer: "He created suspicion around him," ...

The unusual circumstances that led to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the Endangered Species Act in 1978 have not surfaced much since then. But the stage is being set in Nevada for another potentially significant test of the nation's premier wildlife protection law in a legal battle over a geothermal power plant with similarities to the precedent-setting fight over the snail darter and a dam in Tennessee nearly a half century ago. Even smaller than that tiny species of perch, the endangered critter in Nevada is a quarter-sized toad found only in high-desert wetlands fed by underground springs on federal land. Citing the potential threat posed by the water-pumping power plant, the Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Dixie Valley toad endangered on a temporary, emergency basis in April — only the second time in 20 years it's taken such action. And while the geothermal plant would generate electricity by spinning...

Lavander Albino KEEPING ball pythons as pets, especially for first-time snake owners, is actually easier than most people think.  Very recently, I visited my high school classmate to check out his unique serpentine collection.  Kiddo and a Butter Enchi Pastel (three-gene snake) "It's called a ball python (Python regius) because of its tendency to curl into a ball (especially when stressed or startled)," said Kiddo Yap, who began his ball python collection, 3K Exotics Ball Pythons, just last October 2020. 3K is derived from his name and his two kids, Kix and Kae.  From just 4 ball pythons, he now has a total of 80 ball pythons, including those he personally bred.  Chocolate Fire Orange Dream (three-gene snake) "I got amazed with the endless possibilities that you can produce by breeding them," he said.    Ball pythons are perfect as pets as they don't grow too big or too long. From snout to v...

Winter is a time when people head indoors while animals tend to head south or into hibernation. In many northern or cooler climates, this can include snakes and other reptiles that become less active during the chillier months of the year. It would be only natural to assume that it's practically impossible to come across one in your yard or on a nature walk anytime before the flowers start to bloom, but as it turns out, crossing paths with a reptile during the coldest season is not entirely out of the question. Read on to see when experts say you should watch out for snakes in the winter. READ THIS NEXT: Watch Out for These Venomous Snakes "Suddenly Invading," Experts Caution. bradenjalexander / Shutterstock The first hints of warm weather in spring usually signify a significant change in how we plan activities and spend time outdoors. Of course, the same can be said for snakes, who become more active as the m...