Reptiles

Reptiles

Skeleton of the holotype of Austronaga minuta (IVPP V18579).
Abbreviations are in the Supplementary Materials. Scale bars, 2 cm (A) and 1 cm (B to D).

Stomach, liver and intestines of 245 million year old marine reptile unearthed in Chinese mountains

This exceptionally well-preserved fossil offered researchers a goldmine of information about the animal’s digestive system.
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Indotyphlops gyirongensis habitat in Gyirong, Xizang, China

Blind snake that looks like a massive earthworm discovered on roadside in China

Researchers found the new species of snake in a forested area near the China-Nepal border.
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Basilisk lizard (Basiliscus basiliscus)

Watch jaw-dropping footage of a creature miraculously sprinting on water to get away from predator

By running at great speeds across water, the basilisk lizard avoids becoming prey – this BBC footage shows exactly how it does it.
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Researchers shined UV light on this 125-million-year-old crocodile. What they found is fascinating 

New research provides key information about the early evolution of a group of reptiles known as crocodylomorphs.
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sea snake facts

"They have some of the deadliest venom in the world, which can cause paralysis, including of the diaphragm, potentially leading to respiratory failure."

All you ever needed to know about the much-feared sea snake
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Burmese pythons in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

Burmese pythons are climbing trees in the swamps of Florida. These people tracked them to find out why

The pythons use trees to bask and rest, gather in groups, and even to brood eggs, say researchers.
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"I was dragged into the murk. I clawed at the sand in hope of grabbing a rock to hit it with and pry my leg out from its jaws"

Marine biologist Melissa Cristina Márquez went searching for one predator – but had a scary encounter with another.
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How long can an alligator hold its breath underwater?

One of the world’s biggest predators can’t breathe underwater – yet it can stay submerged for hours

Laura Kojima explains how alligators are able to stay submerged underwater without breathing for hours at a time
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Black snake

This newly discovered snake species in Ethiopia feasts exclusively on birds'eggs

It took seven years for Dasypeltis albigularis to be formally described
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Credit: Rizky Ade Jonathan/Getty Images

This river contains around 500 deadly saltwater crocodiles. It’s just been approved for the rowing and canoeing events at the Brisbane Olympics

The International Olympic Committee has endorsed the Fitzroy River course for the 2032 Olympics.
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A fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) in a remote off-grid eco-lodge in Costa Rica.

Python vs viper: What's the difference between these two heavyweight snake families?

They might both command a great deal of attention (and fear), but pythons and vipers have entirely different bodies, hunting methods and ways of raising their young
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Jaimie Tuchman/Getty Images

"He was dragged down to the riverbed and was rapidly running out of air…" 8 animals that deliberately drown their prey underwater to drown them

Drowning as a method of killing prey isn't the most popular in the animal kingdom - but it does happen...
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Craig Cordier/Getty Images

"Bites result in grotesque swellings - medical amputations of digits and limbs are not uncommon…" 10 deadliest snakes in Africa

The long-and-short and thick-and-thin of Africa’s deadliest snakes.
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Elephant seal couple. Credit: Foto4440/Getty Images

"She may eat parts of her own arms to essentially accelerate her own demise." 8 females with the worst, most horrible, lives ever

In the animal kingdom, it's often females that wield the power - but that doesn't mean they have it easy.
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Spider-tailed horned viper

This snake's "outrageous" tail looks exactly like a spider. Scientists just looked inside it and found something odd

Researchers examined the bone structure of the spider-tailed horn viper that lures dinner with an extraordinary flick of its tail.
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Venomous inland taipan Australia

It contains some of the world’s deadliest animals, from snakes to crocodiles – so why does Australia have so much dangerous wildlife?

Is the wildlife really more deadly 'down under'? Helen Pilcher takes a look at why Australia has so many dangerous animals
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Green anaconda

"On the first occasion, it only failed to drag the female researcher into the water because her trousers tore at the knee"

Despite its fame and horror film notoriety, very little is known about the anaconda. One man who has got to grips – quite literally – with this giant serpent is Jésus A Rivas... Here he explains what you need to know about this fearsome predator
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Dugite, Perth Hills, Western Australia. Highly venomous snake in the brown snake family.

"They hide in the nooks and crannies of our beds, then come out at night to slurp up our blood like a smoothie…" 8 animals that could be in your bed

We like to think that we choose who we share our bedrooms with, yet sometimes, mother nature has other ideas.
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most dangerous snakes in australia

"It is estimated that just one bite contains enough venom to kill at least 100 humans." 4 most dangerous, deadliest snakes in Australia

Learn about the potent venom of these dangerous reptiles, as well as habitats, and the risks they pose to humans.
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A newt lies flat on a wet surface

"Its ribs stretch the skin to the point that they burst right through it, producing a row of barbs that inject poison into any predator"

The Spanish ribbed newt has one of the most spectacular defence mechanisms out there. Find out how it fights back...
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Scenic view of Independence Monument

“The victim's muscles go rigid, abdomen, chest and back cramp, then cardiovascular collapse can follow.” 8 most dangerous, deadliest animals in Colorado

Sprawling for a whopping 3.5 million acres of wilderness, the state of Colorado includes habitats ranging from sprawling forests to semi-arid shrublands, and alpine tundra to lowland plains.
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It can count to six, recognise faces, reproduce without a male, kill prey much larger than itself – and has a nasty, venomous bite

From Komodo dragons to Nile monitors, here's everything you need to know about the monitor lizard genus
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Sharon Stuart/Getty Images

"Even amongst their fellow apex predators, they are still top of the food chain…" 7 animals so formidable they have virtually no predators

While most animals that have no predators are what we call ‘apex predators’, meaning they are right at the top of the food chain, this is not always the case.
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Green mamba from São Tomé Island

‘Ghost’ green mamba rediscovered after 90 years

Snake experts try to solve a 150-year-old mystery thanks to surprise discovery.
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