Reptiles are often presented as cold-blooded, insensitive, and dangerous. But there is more interesting than it seems at first glance, as regards our scaly friends. After a closer acquaintance, it may turn out that they are not always the ones we see them.

Dancing caiman

Safe toothy giant
Sometimes, the view may change under the influence of evolutionary pressure, occupying a new niche. India's unique gavialas have a surprisingly long, needle-like muzzle and many sharp teeth. Gavialy were never responsible for any human victims, because their bite is extremely weak, and their behavior is much less aggressive than the typical crocodile hunt. Gavial can seem extremely creepy, or even ridiculous at times. Unfortunately, these reptiles are endangered by a variety of causes, including human intervention, siltation, and water pollution.

Snake Eggs
African snake-eating eggs raid nests for bird eggs, which they swallow entirely with their elastic jaws. Lacking traditional teeth, these “soft-mouth snakes” have knobby protuberances along their head. As soon as the egg is swallowed, these “back teeth” cut it as it moves towards the stomach. Egg-eaters are truly bizarre, but fortunately, these snakes have no danger to humans.

Crocodile tears
Crocodiles are often referred to as heartless killers among reptiles. However, their predatory lifestyle does not reveal the whole picture. Crocodiles show especially good care for their young people, protecting their offspring, as well as any other mammal. Interestingly, people are usually at the end of the crocodile list of culinary preferences, becoming a victim only in exceptional circumstances. And there are even stories of human friendship and reptiles. For example, Poncho, an American crocodile, was found and rescued by a fisherman in Costa Rica. Over the following years, the man developed a relationship with a crocodile, who not only recognized him, but also swam with him, played and did not harm him.

False snake
There are legless lizards, which many confuse with snakes. However, a thorough examination will show a more intrinsic lizard head, ear canals behind the eyes or longitudinal stripes - all these are features of a lizard, not a snake. Some legless lizards can grow to large lengths - more than one meter in some cases. These reptiles prey on a wide range of prey and compensate for the lack of poison with a rather strong bite.

Snake's paws
Religious stories can tell how "evil" snakes were cursed and lost legs, and evolutionary biologists truly believe that snakes once had legs. However, this change is most likely caused by environmental pressures and natural selection - the absence of limbs has become an advantage. More advanced species of snakes, such as vipers, have no limbs at all, but primitive snakes retain the pelvic girdle, with small processes and tiny claws.

Horned lizards
True horns are characterized by their bone-like structures surrounded by fortified keratin. This is the same type of material as human nails. Jackson's three-nosed chameleon looks bizarre - in appearance this reptile looks prehistoric, inhabiting the forests of East Africa. Scions from the head of this reptile are three essential horns that have much in common with the horns of mammals. The horns of this lizard are used in disputes with competitors.

Alligators and birds
Large enough to attack a man, the American alligator would seem to be the worst nightmare of herons, flamingos, storks and other water birds. However, wading through vegetation and treading algae, alligators create large pools that remain flooded during the dry season. These areas attract a large number of fish that these birds can hunt.

Canadian Boa
Boidae family snakes, including boas and anacondas, are the protagonists of cinema scenes in the rainforest, stirring tourists' imaginations. A small species of boida family Boidae inhabits selected areas of British Columbia in Western Canada. Its range extends halfway to the Alaskan border. Boa boas can grow in length to more than 0.5 meters. What is strange for a snake, he prefers colder temperatures and does not like it when the temperature rises too high. A rubber boa has the ability to regulate its own temperature, which is rarely the case for reptiles. The creature is very similar to a miniature anaconda, but its tail is thickened, slightly resembling the second head. It is designed to confuse potential predators, as well as prey. Rubber boas prey on many small animals, and can live up to 70 years.

Fancy turtles
Turtles belong to the turtle family. There are both water-dwelling and land turtles. Some of them have extremely strange features. They may resemble a clam, but unlike the inert shell of oysters, their shield is actually a complex bone structure that evolved from the chest of their ancestors. More strange is the lack of a normal diaphragm in order to breathe. As a result, turtles cannot cough, which makes them vulnerable to infection. The vocal cords are absent, but hissing and roaring can be produced by air pressure in many varieties. Finally, certain species attract their prey with the help of their tongue, like a worm-like bait. These ancient creatures have a true host of new and bizarre features.

No animal can change colors in this way and look in two directions at once, because the chameleon definitely deserves to know more about it. To the naked eye, it is clear that a chameleon is one of the most beautiful and unusual reptiles on the planet. Here are ten interesting facts that you might not know.
1. Almost half of the world's chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar, with 59 different species that do not exist anywhere outside the island. There are about 160 species of chameleon. They are distributed from Africa to southern Europe, from southern Asia to Sri Lanka. They were also imported to the United States in places such as Hawaii, California and Florida.

2. More on changing colors. Most chameleons change color from brown to green and back, but some can take on almost any color. In just 20 seconds, a repaint may occur. Chameleons are born with special cells that have color or pigment in them. These cells are located in the layers under the upper shell of the chameleon. They are called chromatophores. The upper layers of chromatophores have a red or yellow pigment. The lower layers have blue or white pigment. When these pigment cells change, a change in the skin color of the chameleon occurs.

Chromatophores change because they receive a message from the brain. The message tells the cells to grow or shrink. These actions cause the cell pigments to mix - just like paint. Melanin also helps chameleons change color. Melanin fibers can spread like cobwebs through layers of cells, and their presence causes the skin to darken.

Many people think that the color of chameleons is in harmony with their surroundings. Scientists disagree with this. Their research shows that light, temperature and mood make chameleons change. Sometimes a color change can make the chameleon more relaxed. Sometimes it helps reptiles communicate with other chameleons.

3. Chameleon eyes have a 360 degree view and see in two directions at once. Chameleons have the most special eyes among any reptiles. They can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects at the same time, which allows their eyes to move independently of each other..

This gives them a full 360-degree arc around their body. When mining is detected, both eyes can be focused in the same direction, providing sharp stereoscopic vision and depth perception. Chameleons have very good eyesight for reptiles, allowing them to see small insects at a long distance (5-10 m).

4. Chameleons vary greatly in size and body structure with a maximum length varying from 15 millimeters in the male Brookesia micra (one of the smallest reptiles in the world) to 68.5 centimeters in the male Furcifer oustaleti.

5. The tongue of a chameleon can be 1.5–2 times the length of their body. They can shoot out of their mouths to capture prey. Recently it was discovered that smaller chameleons proportionally larger languages ​​than large ones. Language throwing occurs with extremely high efficiency, reaching prey in just 0.07 seconds.

7. Males are usually much brighter. Many have ornaments on their head or face, others may have large combs on top.

8. Chameleons do not hear very well. Like snakes, chameleons do not have an external or middle ear, thus, there is no eardrum. However, chameleons are not deaf. They can pick up sound frequencies in the range of 200-600 Hz.

9. Chameleons are seen in both ordinary and ultraviolet light. Chameleons exposed to ultraviolet light show greater activity and are more prone to hunting.

10. The American chameleon is actually not a chameleon. Anolis carolinensis is not a true chameleon, but a small lizard of the iguana family.

What kind of animals the third eye helps to navigate in space?

The third eye, or parietal eye, is a common photosensitive organ in some jawless, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. It is located between the main eyes and much smaller in size, and also tightened with skin, although more transparent. It has a retina, a nerve and an analogue of the lens, which allows us to perceive the direction of sunlight, the polarization of light from the sky and, according to some hypotheses, the lines of force of the Earth’s magnetic field. For many species, the necessity of a parietal eye for normal orientation in space has been experimentally confirmed. In birds and mammals, only the pineal organ remains from the third eye - the so-called pineal body, which is part of the endocrine system.

What kind of person has been a wild crocodile friend for 20 years?

In 1991, Costa Rican Gilberto Sedden discovered a dying crocodile shot in the left eye on the bank of a river. He took him away in a boat and nursed for six months at home, where he not only fed and gave medicine, but also hugged the reptile, which he called Pocho. When Pocho recovered, Gilberto took him to the river, but he returned to his house and began to live in a pond nearby. Every day they began to swim together, play and hug, and later Gilberto began to arrange for tourists from this show. In 2011, Pocho died of old age.

What marine and terrestrial reptiles are able to mate and produce offspring?

In the Galapagos Islands, there are both marine iguanas, which feed mainly on algae, and terrestrial, which are called kenolofs and mainly eat cacti and opuntia. Despite the fact that these lizards belong not only to different species, but even to genera, they are able to mate and produce viable offspring. Hybrid iguanas feel equally well under water and on the ground, and at the expense of sharper claws they can climb up cacti, unlike conolophs, who only pick up fallen fruits. However, hybrids are no longer able to reproduce.

How high can crocodiles climb trees?

Crocodiles can climb trees and willingly do it. Watching individuals of different species in Australia, Africa and America, zoologists have noticed crocodiles climbing trees to a height of two meters, although, according to some local residents, they can still climb much higher - up to ten meters. If young crocodiles can climb vertically along the trunk, only branches tilted to the ground or water will be subdued to adult individuals. Scientists attribute this behavior to the desire of crocodiles to inspect their territory and bask in the sun.

In which animals is necrophilia a common breeding strategy?

In Amazonian Rhinella proboscidea frogs, the number of males is 10 times higher than the number of females. During the mating season, males, fighting for females, form large balls, under which females sometimes drown. This fact does not stop some males - instead of fighting for the living, they extract eggs from the bodies of already dead females and fertilize them. Biologists called this unique behavior "functional necrophilia."

What animals eat their tails and when?

The tail, which the lizard rejects in case of danger, "dances" to attract attention to itself for a long time, and in some species even makes sounds due to the friction of scales against each other. The North American Scinzella after throwing off the tail after some time returns to this place, and if the predator does not eat the tail, eats it itself, because it contains a large amount of nutrients. In rare cases, the tail is cracked, but it does not break off completely - then the lizard in the place of the vertebral vertebrae may grow another tail.

Why are lizards breeding by parthenogenesis still involved in mating games?

Many species of lizards are able to reproduce using parthenogenesis, that is, without the participation of the male. The most well studied parthenogenesis in the population of lizards Cnemidophorus neomexicanus. Despite the complete absence of males among them, reptiles are still involved in marital rituals. Immediately after laying the eggs, the female maintains an elevated level of progesterone, which causes her to play the role of a male, climbing up to other females whose laying is still ahead. Studies have shown that the productivity of lizards after such “mating” due to the release of hormones is higher than in isolated individuals.

How does a snake charmer make a snake deaf to the sounds of a snake dance?

The spectacle snake of the cobra genus is absolutely deaf to the sounds of the pipes. From the side it may seem that the snake seems to be dancing, moving in time with the snake charmer's melody. In fact, she simply follows the movements of the pipe, and also reacts to the vibration that the caster creates by tapping her feet. By the way, the life of the Indian masters of this profession during the presentation does not threaten anything - all the poison from the cobra's teeth is removed in advance.

What animals collect moisture in their eyes, then to drink it?

Geckos of lizards have no eyelids, so they have to periodically moisten the special transparent membrane in front of their eyes with their tongue. And pereponchatolapye geckos that live in the deserts of Namibia, use this feature and for the reverse process. Almost every morning a fog falls on the dunes, after which a liquid condenses before the eyes of a lizard. Then the gecko licks it to quench their thirst.

Which snake feeds exclusively on bird eggs much more than itself?

African egg snake is unique in that it can only eat eggs of birds, whose diameter can greatly exceed the size of the snake itself. She does this thanks to the very mobile joints of the bones of the skull, poorly developed teeth and special processes of the cervical vertebrae. It is thanks to them that the snake breaks open the shell, swallowing the liquid and then spitting out the remnants of the shell.

Which chameleon muscle almost does not slow down with decreasing temperature?

Chameleons are cold-blooded animals, and with a decrease in air temperature, their nervous and muscular activity slows down. However, the rate of ejection of the tongue, which chameleons catch prey, decreases very slightly: if at 35 ° C it is 4 m / s, then at 15 ° C it is 3.4 m / s. This feature helped the chameleons gain an advantage over other reptiles that become inactive in cold weather.

Where do soft-shelled turtles live?

Not all turtles have a hard shell. The tortoises of the soft-bodied superfamily are completely absent from the horn shields, therefore their shell is soft and leathery to the touch. In most species of this taxon, the bone shell is also strongly reduced. This results from the fact that such turtles spend the most part of time motionless, having buried in sand at the bottom of a reservoir and waiting for prey.

What kind of lizards can be both egg-laying and viviparous?

The Australian lizard called the yellow-bellied three-toed skink is known for different ways of childbearing within the same species. In populations living on the seashore, cubs hatch from eggs, and in cold mountain areas these lizards live viviparous. The genus of forest lizards found in our latitudes also possess similar properties - they lay eggs only in the southwest of their range.

Which animal can get drunk just buried in the wet sand?

The lizard Moloch, living in the deserts of Australia, has the unique ability to collect water with its skin. Liquid that has fallen on the skin is not absorbed immediately, but passes through the microscopic channels between the scales into the mouth of the lizard. Moloch is able to extract water even from wet sand, simply buried in his belly.

Where can I see flying kites?

In Asian countries can be found flying snakes. They can climb to the tops of the trees and from there float down, straightening the edges to the sides and turning into a semblance of a flat ribbon. Some individuals may thus cover distances up to 100 meters.

No animal can change colors in this way and look in two directions at once, because the chameleon definitely deserves to know more about it. To the naked eye, it is clear that a chameleon is one of the most beautiful and unusual reptiles on the planet. Here are ten interesting facts that you might not know.

1. Almost half of the world's chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar, with 59 different species that do not exist anywhere outside the island. There are about 160 species of chameleon. They are distributed from Africa to southern Europe, from southern Asia to Sri Lanka. They were also imported to the United States in places such as Hawaii, California and Florida. We already wrote about the smallest chameleon in the world that lives in Madagascar.

2. More on changing colors. Most chameleons change color from brown to green and back, but some can take on almost any color. In just 20 seconds, a repaint may occur. Chameleons are born with special cells that have color or pigment in them. These cells are located in the layers under the upper shell of the chameleon. They are called chromatophores. The upper layers of chromatophores have a red or yellow pigment. The lower layers have blue or white pigment. When these pigment cells change, a change in the skin color of the chameleon occurs.



Chromatophores change because they receive a message from the brain. The message tells the cells to grow or shrink. These actions cause the cell pigments to mix - just like paint. Melanin also helps chameleons change color. Melanin fibers can spread like cobwebs through layers of cells, and their presence causes the skin to darken.



Many people think that the color of chameleons is in harmony with their surroundings. Scientists disagree with this. Their research shows that light, temperature and mood make chameleons change. Sometimes a color change can make the chameleon more relaxed. Sometimes it helps reptiles communicate with other chameleons.

3. Chameleon eyes have a 360 degree view and see in two directions at once. Chameleons have the most special eyes among any reptiles. They can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects at the same time, which allows their eyes to move independently from each other.



This gives them a full 360-degree arc around their body. When mining is detected, both eyes can be focused in the same direction, providing sharp stereoscopic vision and depth perception. Chameleons have very good eyesight for reptiles, allowing them to see small insects at a long distance (5-10 m).

4. Chameleons vary greatly in size and body structure with a maximum length varying from 15 millimeters in the male Brookesia micra (one of the smallest reptiles in the world) to 68.5 centimeters in the male Furcifer oustaleti.

5. The tongue of a chameleon can be 1.5–2 times the length of their body. They can shoot out of their mouths to capture prey. Recently it was discovered that smaller chameleons proportionally larger languages ​​than large ones. Language throwing occurs with extremely high efficiency, reaching prey in just 0.07 seconds.

6. Chameleon paws are extremely adapted to movement in the trees. On each leg there are five clearly prominent fingers, giving each leg a pincer-like effect. Each toe is also equipped with a sharp claw to help hold tight to the surface when climbing.

7. Males are usually much brighter. Many have ornaments on their head or face, others may have large combs on top.

8. Chameleons do not hear very well. Like snakes, chameleons do not have an external or middle ear, thus, there is no eardrum. However, chameleons are not deaf. They can pick up sound frequencies in the range of 200-600 Hz.

9. Chameleons are seen in both ordinary and ultraviolet light. Chameleons exposed to ultraviolet light show greater activity and are more prone to hunting.

10. The American chameleon is actually not a chameleon. Anolis carolinensis is not a true chameleon, but a small lizard of the iguana family.