Ball pythons are one of the smallest species of pythons. Males and females are typically distinguishable by size, with males maturing at around 2-3 feet in length and females maturing at 3-5 feet. These snakes are non-venomous, relying instead on constriction to...

California kingsnakes are found across much of the western United States. They are highly adaptable when it comes to habitat and are found in woodlands, coniferous forests, grasslands, cultivated fields, tropical scrubs, deserts, and riparian areas. These snakes are...

Corn snakes bear a superficial resemblance to venomous copperheads and are often killed when misidentified. This is especially unfortunate because corn snakes are harmless to humans and actually help manage rodent populations, reducing crop damage and disease spread....

As their name implies, desert tortoises are incredibly well-adapted for life in arid regions. They are built for digging and spend as much as 95% of their lives underground in order to reduce water loss and to regulate body temperature. These tortoises can survive for...

Box turtles are easily distinguishable by their brightly-patterned, hinged shell, which allows them to retract almost completely to hide from danger. Eastern box turtles are largely terrestrial, although they do prefer to live in areas that are adjacent to marshes,...

Leopard geckos differ from their tropical cousins in a variety of ways. For example, they have true eyelids that allow them to blink dust away and lack the specialized toe pads that allow many other gecko species to climb up smooth surfaces. Instead, their clawed feet...

The red-footed tortoise is a small tortoise species native to South America. They are highly omnivorous, eating a wide variety of fruits, grasses, fungi, insects, and small vertebrates. The majority of their diet consists of fruits and seed pods. After the fruit is...

The red-tailed green rat snake is a thin-bodied, semi- arboreal species, which has an average adult length of 60 to 70 inches. There is not a notable sexual dimorphism in relation to size or color. Naturally endemic to Southeast Asia, red-tailed green rats range...

The sulcata, also known as the African spurred tortoise, is the third largest tortoise species in the world, reaching weights of over 200 pounds! They grow quickly when young, doubling in size each year for the first few years of their lives. This hardy tortoise, like...