All in Wildlife Conservation
Out of all reptiles in existence, tortoises are one of the most widely kept as pets. This is not surprising considering that unlike other reptiles, they are perceived as mostly docile and non-threatening to humans. There's also, of course, the cuteness factor. Unfortunately, humans seem to be just as uninformed regarding their needs and husbandry as they are of any other reptilian order.
The Conraua goliath is one of those species that most people with no interest in amphibians will have heard of because of its size. The 'biggest frog' factoid being an almost must for any pub quiz...or perhaps more realistically, for any pub quiz I would certainly enjoy.
Like many other small gecko species, the Hemidactylus turcicus is one of those species that we tend to take for granted. The type that most people will see on the walls of the house they rented for their holidays but never really stop to think about.
When people find out that one of my pets is a snake, their first reaction tends to be a fearful 'yuck' followed by 'Does it bite? Is it poisonous?'. There are a few things wrong with these questions but let's first address the fearful 'yuck' reaction.
At the end of April, I went back to Sao Paulo in Brazil for my cousin's wedding and to visit my family. It'd been nearly three years since the last time I'd been to Brazil, so as you can imagine, lots had changed.
The Common Lizard (Zootoca (formerly Lacerta) Vivapara) is one of the most adaptable and widespread reptiles in Central and Northern Europe. In fact, unlike any other species, it can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle in Norway. With reptiles being almost exclusively ectothermic, seeing a lizard thrive in mostly cold climates is truly amazing.