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This bloody mess of a horned lizard (genus Phyrnosoma) isn’t in pain from an attack. Chances are he was feeling extremely threatened, and unleashed a defense mechanism nobody would see coming. The first thing this reptile does when threatened, besides camouflaging anyway, is to stay completely still. If the predator proceeds approach, they’ll alternate between short bursts of running and abruptly stopping to confuse the attacker. If this isn’t successful, they’ll resort to swelling up a bit in size to appear larger and more ‘horned.’ If anything, it just makes them more intimidating and harder to swallow. When all else fails, they shock the threat by spurting blood out of their eyes. It’s a grotesque tactic caused by thin-walled, blood-filled spaces called sinuses found within their eye sockets. In case of emergency, they’ll cause blood pressure in their eyes to rise which, in turn, leads to the sinus walls breaking suddenly. Blood erupts from the eyes in a nicely aimed stream of crimson red, reaching up to 4 feet (1.2 meters). A distasteful chemical combined with multiple bursts of these streams is enough to deter any predator..Or unsuspecting human. A video of this reptile in action can be seen here.  Photo credit: randomtruth
For animal enthusiasts, this is a little bit of common sense.. But it’s all too common for people to mix up alligators (family Alligatoridae) and crocodiles (family Crocodylidae). Although they both belong to the order Crocodilia, alligators and crocodiles have their own unique characteristics. For instance, alligators have rounded and wide U-shaped snouts, whereas crocodiles have more pointed V-shaped snouts. Also, crocs have teeth that protrude from the jaw, whether open or closed. Alligators have some pretty, pearly whites that are easily hidden with a closed mouth. A generalization made is that crocodiles have special glands in their tongue to get rid of salt, allowing them to live in saltier locations. This may not always prove to be true, like with the freshwater croc that Australia knows so well, and other possible exceptions with the 23 species of crocodiles. Alligators have a less productive gland, so the two species of alligator stick to freshwater habitats. If worst comes to worst and you can’t identify the large reptile in front of you, refer to it as a crocodilian. This is a term that not only accounts for alligators and crocodiles, but also the lesser known gharial.
Corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) are docile little fellas that roam the eastern United States, but can also be found in the southeastern US, primarily Florida. Eating every few days or so, they prefer to reside in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadows, woodlots, or any abandoned buildings they may decide to inhabit. Younger hatchlings may prefer lizards or tree frogs, but adults prefer larger prey, like mice, birds and bats. In order to successfully catch their prey, they will first bite it, then quickly proceed to wrap it’s coils around it and squeeze tightly until the victim suffocates to death… Although the young, inexperienced individuals may swallow it alive, since they’re new to the constrictor hunting habits. Their gentle behavior in comparison to other species makes them popular house pets, but their identity is easily mistaken for copperheads, which leads to their not-so-accidental death in many backyard homes. Habitat loss also threatens this species, but they are neither threatened nor endangered. Life spans of this slithering reptile are up to 23 years in captivity, but it’s thought to be much less in the wild. Photo credit: disnox
This fearsome reptile is a type of constrictor known as the Blood Python (Python curtus). They’re from Southeast Asia and slither their way through swampy, poorly drained areas and low forested hills. Most people know this snake either for their leather, which approximately 100,000 individuals are killed for a year, or they’re kept as exotic pets. Being wild animals, they are overall considered unpredictable and aggressive, although captive bred blood pythons are considered more docile. In they wild they feed on a variety of small mammals and birds, whereas in captivity they only feed on rats. Females tend to be larger than males, both being heavy built. Measuring in at 1.5 - 2.5 m (5-8 ft), they have short tails in comparison to the rest of their body. These wild pythons will spend most of their time underwater, stalking and waiting for prey, and then once the opportunity comes..Ambushing it. They have an advantage though, since their lower jaw suspends for larger prey and they have curved teeth for an improved grasp on prey. They also contain heat-sensing pits to detect warm blooded prey, along with pits that are evidence these were, at one time, venomous snakes. An internal pair of hind legs is used by males to hold onto females when mating, although may leave a scratch if being used for self-defense.  Photo credit: shadowshador
The Garter Snake is an adorable type of snake belonging to the genus Thamnophis. They’re a very common  species of snake, commonly kept as pets, which inhabits a variety of locations. There’s absolutely no reason to be scared of these snakes, since overall, they only reach a length of about 3 feet, or just under 1 meter. The Vomeronasal organ in their mouth detects chemical stimuli, such as pheromones. Combining this with their normal senses makes them sleek and agile predators. Only slithering along in search of a meal during the cooler parts of the day, when the sun is just rising or falling, feed on a variety of things depending on the species. Aquatic garter snakes prefer leeches, small fish and marine invertebrates whereas other wild garters feast on anything from aquatic invertebrates to young vertebrates. They really prefer not to move during the cold, many hibernating in large aggregations, whether it be under rocks or in dens. Most hope not to get preyed upon by anything from birds, mammals, or even the King snakes which love to chow down on these little guys. Photo credit: Jennifer Schlick
As Steve Irwin would say.. Crikey; What a beaut! The Australian Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) is endemic to the tropical parts of Northern Australia. They’re easily distinguished by their narrow snouts and small size, and their generally brown color may very depending on their habitat. These reptiles are opportunistic feeders, preying on anything from fish and crustaceans to small mammals or birds and even insects! I think my favorite part about these crocodiles are their unique adaptation. Besides walking weird, they gallop when threatened. They push their rear legs back up and down together while reaching out with their front legs. Their front legs then push back, while the rear legs swing forward to meet them. Both pairs of legs are in synchronous but opposite motions, which allows this croc to reach up to 15 mph (25 km/h) and sometimes move so fast they become airborne. Unlike their prehistoric crocodilian cousins which did this to outrun prey, these guys only use this strange gait when frightened.  Photo credit: kmkeshav
Rat snakes are mid-sized or larger constrictors that are found primarily in the northern hemisphere. They may occupy top levels of the food chain, seeing as they eat rodents and birds and can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) long. These reptiles have become extremely popular as pets, even though sometimes they tend to be skittish and even aggressive. Their bites are, for the most part, not too serious, and produce no threat to humans. Originally thought to be nonvenomous, scientists have discovered very faint traces of venom in Old World species, but it is not enough to even harm a human.  Photo credit: WabbyTwaxx
This is a beautiful type of snake known as the Asiatic Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus). It the world’s longest snake and reptile, but not the most heavy built. They typically inhabit Southeast Asia. Adults can grow up to 23 feet (63.5 m) but normally only reach 10-20 feet (3-6 m). They’re definitely not poisonous, considering the only ‘poisonous’ snake is the Tiger Keelback. They are also nonvenomous, which makes them less of a threat to humans. Large species are certainly powerful enough to kill us, but I’m sure they have better things to do with their lives, like take leisurely swims. That’s right; these snakes can swim, and swim good at that! They’ve been reported far out at sea, and have even colonized small islands within their geographical range! These pythons won’t be afraid to defend themselves against a human though, since they are ambush predators. There’s a simple way to avoid being one of the rare attack victims, don’t harass the snake, or any other wildlife you see! Typically eating smaller prey, such as birds and small mammals or rodents, the largest prey ever found was a Sun Bear weighing 23 kg! Don’t worry though; it was eaten by a beast of a snake which measured in at 23 feet (6.95 m).  Photo credit: ameland 1732
This beauty of a reptile is known as the Tiger Keelback (Rhabdophis tigrinus) and is found in a few select areas of Eastern Asia. The typical length of this snake is around 60-100 cm (24-39 inches). Chemical and visual cues are used by this snake in order to find food, which basically means they use both smelling and their tongues, along with their eyes to hunt. The unlucky prey that will be digested by these unique fellows are typically small vertebrates. During colder weather, since they are cold blooded animals, they show more signs of aggression towards predators. In warmer weather, they are more likely to flee from a threat. They also have two glands, known as nuchal glands, which secrete steroid irritants gained from eating toads. This is a good defense used during colder weather. Even though they are venomous, human fatalities are extremely rare due to the teeth being located further back in the mouth than most snakes. This makes it hard for the teeth to grip and sink into the flesh of a larger prey, making it hard for venom to enter the blood stream. Photo credit: t-mizo
The Philippine Sailfin Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus) is endemic to the Philippines. They may also be known as the Soa-soa Water Lizard. That’s because they’re specially adapted to be not only excellent swimmers, but to also run on water. Like the Green Basilisk Lizard, these reptiles have flattened toes which allow them to walk on water for a limited amount of time.  These guys aren’t afraid to take advantage of the abundance of food in the Philippines. They’re omnivores, feeding on insects, small animals, leaves, flowers and fruit. Because their location (near bodies of water, rice fields, etc.) is so well known, pet traders have collected these animals for pet trade. It also makes them an easy target for food. These factors combined with habitat loss have made this species vulnerable by the IUCN. Photo Credit: Truus & Zoo
This beautiful reptile is called the Zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) and it’s endemic to southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They prefer to inhabit open desert, and are fairly small. They range from 2.5 inches to 4 inches (63 to 100 mm) from snout to vent length. You can tell males from females because males will have black blotches on the sides, which fades into blue patches on the belly. Females don’t have blue patches, and the black blotches are almost entirely absent.  These lizards are diurnal and very alert. They rise early in the hottest weather, and may stand on two legs switching to the opposite two, almost as if they’re dancing. When in danger, they will run swiftly with their toes curled up and tails raised over their back to expose the stripes.. They can even run on their hind legs for short distances. This could help their diet, which consists of insects, spiders, and smaller lizards. Occasionally, they will also eat vegetation, such as spring buds and flowers. Photo Credits: atdahl
This bad boy is one of only two known alligator species; The Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) is smaller than it’s relative the American Alligator, growing an average of 1.5 m (5 ft). They’re native to China, but critically endangered. It’s predicted there’s less than 200 wild individuals; and only 50 of them are old enough to mate! Scientists believe the decline in population is due to not only their habitat being turned into rice patties, but the poisoning of rats which these reptiles will then consume.  So how do you tell the Chinese Alligator from the American Alligator, or even from Crocodiles? Unlike the American Alligator, the Chinese Alligator is fully armored, which is a feature that has otherwise only been seen in a few crocodiles. If you see what you presume is a crocodile, try and think again! If the snout is short and blunt, it’s more likely to be an alligator. If the snout is more tapered and toothy looking, even with the mouth closed, chances are it’s a crocodile.  Photo credit: Jon Inghram
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