Reptiles
Scales, shells, and superpowers. Reptiles have walked the Earth for over 300 million years, and every single species is here.
All 12,650 known species are here, from the famous to the ones almost nobody has heard of.
Where reptiles sit on the tree
Meet the stars
★ King CobraThe Mother on the Leaf MoundThe king cobra is the only snake on Earth that builds a nest for its eggs, sweeping leaves into a mound with loops of her own body.3 min story
★ Black MambaThe Snake Who Outran His NameThe black mamba wears gray; its famous name comes from the ink-black inside of its mouth, which it opens wide as a warning.3 min story
★ Green AnacondaThe Giant Who Waited for RainThe green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world, and her babies are born alive in the water, swimming from their first minute.3 min story
★ Reticulated PythonThe Island That Needed a HushThe reticulated python is the longest snake on Earth and swims so well it can cross open sea to settle on far islands.3 min story
★ Paradise Flying SnakeThe Snake That Swims the SkyThe paradise flying snake flattens its body into a ribbon and glides between trees, steering in waves and even turning in mid-air.3 min story
★ Barbados ThreadsnakeThe Snake the World Called LostThe Barbados threadsnake, small enough to curl up on a coin, was feared lost for nearly twenty years until scientists lifted the right rock.3 min story
★ Komodo DragonThe Dragon Who Reads the WindThe Komodo dragon, the largest lizard alive, reads its island with a forked tongue and can smell a meal from kilometers away.3 min story
★ Panther ChameleonThe Battle Fought With LightA panther chameleon changes color with crystals in its skin, and two rivals can settle an entire argument using nothing but light.3 min story
★ Satanic Leaf-tailed GeckoThe Leaf That Was WatchingA gecko in Madagascar has a tail shaped exactly like a dead leaf, a disguise so perfect that searchers stare straight at it and see only leaves.3 min story
★ Thorny DevilThe Devil Who Drank the DawnThe thorny devil drinks through its skin, with tiny grooves between its thorns carrying dew and damp-sand water to the corners of its mouth.3 min story
★ Common Flying DragonThe Dragon Who Trusted the WindA real dragon the size of a pencil spreads its ribs into wings of skin and glides from tree to tree without flapping once.3 min story
★ Marine IguanaThe Lizard Who Grazes the SeaThe marine iguana is the only lizard on Earth that feeds in the sea, and in lean years it can shrink, skeleton and all, then grow back.3 min story
★ Gila MonsterThe Monster Who Carried MedicineA discovery in Gila monster saliva helped scientists create a medicine that now helps millions of people with diabetes.3 min story
★ Armadillo Girdled LizardThe Lizard Who Became a RingWhen danger comes, the armadillo girdled lizard bites its own tail and rolls into a spiky ring of armor that is almost impossible to grab.3 min story
★ Leatherback Sea TurtleThe Softest Shell in the SeaThe leatherback, the largest turtle on Earth, has a leathery back instead of a hard shell and can dive more than 1,000 meters on one breath.3 min story
★ Alligator Snapping TurtleThe Oldest Trick in the RiverThe alligator snapping turtle wiggles a worm-shaped piece of its own tongue as bait, and fish swim right into its open mouth.3 min story
★ Mata MataThe Turtle Made of LeavesThe mata mata looks exactly like a pile of dead leaves, and when a fish swims close it swallows it in one lightning-fast gulp of water.3 min story
★ Saltwater CrocodileThe Crocodile Who Rode the SeaThe saltwater crocodile, the largest reptile on Earth, crosses the open ocean by riding currents the way a surfer rides a wave.3 min story
★ GharialA Hundred Babies on His BackA father gharial guards the riverbank's hatchlings, and one male in India was seen carrying more than a hundred babies on his back at once.3 min story
★ TuataraThe Old One and the Third EyeThe tuatara hatches with a third eye on top of its head and belongs to a reptile family more than 200 million years old.4 min story
★ Green Sea TurtleThe Beach She Never ForgotA green sea turtle can cross about 2,000 kilometers of open ocean to nest on the very beach where she hatched, guided by Earth's magnetic field.4 min story
★ Galapagos Giant TortoiseA Very Old ItchGalapagos giant tortoises live more than 100 years and stand up tall so tiny finches can pick away the ticks they could never reach on their own.4 min story
★ American AlligatorThe Keeper of the Last PondIn the dry season, American alligators dig gator holes that hold the last water and keep fish, turtles, and wading birds alive until the rains return.4 min story
★ Nile CrocodileThe Song Beneath the SandA mother Nile crocodile hears her babies chirping under the sand, digs them out, and carries them to the river in one of the strongest jaws ever measured.4 min story
★ Frilled LizardTwo Heartbeats of BraveA startled frilled lizard flares a neck frill about 25 centimetres wide, then escapes by sprinting upright on its two back legs.3 min story
★ Leopard GeckoA Tail Full of WinterA leopard gecko stores winter fat in its tail, and if a predator grabs it, the tail snaps off, wriggles to distract, and later grows back.3 min story
★ Gaboon ViperMade of Fallen LeavesThe gaboon viper's fangs are about 5 centimetres long, the longest of any snake, yet its leaf-patterned skin makes it nearly invisible on the forest floor.3 min story
★ Boa ConstrictorThe Night of a Thousand WingsA boa constrictor can feel its prey's heartbeat while it squeezes, and it is one of the few animals whose scientific name matches its everyday name.3 min story
★ Green IguanaWhen the Shadow Crossed the SunA green iguana has a pale third eye on top of its head that senses light and shadow, warning it when a hawk's wings cross the sun.3 min story
★ Indian CobraTwo Moons on Her HoodThe Indian cobra's famous spectacle marking sits on the back of its hood, so the cobra herself can never see it.3 min story
★ Burmese PythonA Fire With No FlameA mother Burmese python shivers for two months straight, without eating, to keep her eggs warmer than the air around them.4 min story
★ Western Diamondback RattlesnakeThe Warning That Never Wears OutA rattlesnake's tail muscles shake up to ninety times a second for hours, built from dry keratin that grows a new segment with every shed.4 min story
★ Tentacled SnakeShe Struck at TomorrowA tentacled snake tricks a fish's own escape reflex into swimming straight into its mouth, striking where the fish will be, not where it is.4 min story
★ Nano-chameleonA Kingdom the Size of a LeafIn 2021 scientists found the smallest reptile ever known in Madagascar, a chameleon small enough to stand on a fingertip.3 min story
★ Tokay GeckoThe Loudest Name on the WallThe tokay gecko is named for the loud call it makes, shouting its own name through the house at night.3 min story
★ Olive Ridley Sea TurtleThe Night a Thousand Mothers Came AshoreIn an arribada, tens of thousands of olive ridley turtles nest together on the same beach in a few nights.4 min story
★ Plumed BasiliskThe River That Held Him UpA plumed basilisk runs straight across open water, slapping it with fringed toes so fast it stays on top for several metres before sinking and swimming.3 min story
★ Shingleback SkinkThe Twelfth Spring on the Same TrackShinglebacks find the same mate again every spring, some pairs staying together for more than twenty years, and flash a bright blue tongue when threatened.3 min story
★ Eastern Box TurtleThe Door She Carried With HerAn eastern box turtle has a hinge that seals its shell completely shut, and some box turtles live for many decades, a few even past a hundred years.3 min story
★ Texas Horned LizardThe Stone That Learned to CryWhen danger gets close, a Texas horned lizard can squirt blood from her own eyes, more than a metre, and it tastes foul to a coyote or fox.4 min story
★ Common Garter SnakeThe Winter She Wasn't AloneEvery spring at Narcisse, Manitoba, tens of thousands of garter snakes pour from the same limestone dens at once, the largest snake gathering on Earth.3 min story
★ Milk SnakeColors Borrowed From DangerThe harmless milk snake wears red, black and yellow bands that mimic the venomous coral snake so closely that predators leave it alone.3 min story
★ Yellow-bellied Sea SnakeThirst at the Edge of the WorldShe spends her whole life at sea and drinks only the thin layer of fresh rain floating on the ocean surface after a storm.4 min story
★ Pig-nosed TurtleThe Flood That Woke Them AllThe pig-nosed turtle's eggs wait fully formed inside the shell until the first wet-season flood wets the sand, then all hatch together.4 min story
★ Solomon Islands SkinkThe Tree With Many WatchersThe Solomon Islands skink is the only skink with a fully prehensile tail, and it lives in family groups called circuli that guard their young together.3 min story
★ Argentine Black and White TeguThe Spring She Warmed HerselfFor a few weeks each spring, an Argentine tegu warms her body from within, several degrees above her surroundings, even at night.3 min story
★ Common Egg-eating SnakeThe Snake With No Teeth to BiteThe rhombic egg-eating snake has almost no teeth, yet it swallows bird eggs wider than its head and cracks them open using spurs on its spine.3 min story
★ Chinese AlligatorThe Alligator Who Slept Through WinterThere are only two kinds of alligator on Earth, and the small one spends over half of every year asleep underground.3 min story
★ Pancake TortoiseThe Tortoise Who Chose to RunHer shell is so flat and thin it bends, so instead of hiding she runs and wedges herself into a rock crack.3 min story
★ Madagascar Giant Day GeckoThe Gardener With No HandsThis bright green gecko drinks nectar and carries pollen on its snout, so the forest's flowers depend on a lizard for seeds.3 min story
★ SidewinderThe Snake Who Never Touched the SandA sidewinder crosses hot desert sand by looping sideways so only two small parts of it ever touch the ground at once.3 min story
★ Jackson's ChameleonThree Bumps and a PromiseA male Jackson's chameleon grows three horns like a tiny Triceratops, and unlike most chameleons, his mate gives birth to live babies.4 min story
★ Sunbeam SnakeColors Only the Sun Could SeeA sunbeam snake looks plain and dark until sunlight splits her scales into a rainbow that fades the moment she sheds or dies.3 min story
★ Gopher SnakeA Rattle She Never HadA gopher snake flattens her head, hisses through a throat flap, and buzzes her tail like a rattlesnake, though she has no rattle and no venom.3 min story
★ Green AnoleThe Flag He Raises in the SunA male green anole unfolds a pink throat flag and flips from green to brown in seconds, though he is not a true chameleon.3 min story
★ Grand Cayman Blue IguanaThe Blue That Waited to Be AnsweredDown to just 10 to 25 in the wild by 2002, Grand Cayman blue iguanas have rebounded to over a thousand through raising and release.3 min story
★ Common Snapping TurtleA Whole Winter Held in Her ThroatA common snapping turtle spends the whole winter underwater, breathing through the lining of its throat and skin while buried in mud beneath the ice.3 min story
★ Giant South American River TurtleBefore Any Shell Had CrackedBaby arrau turtles call from inside their eggs so a whole nest hatches together, and waiting mothers answer, then swim with them for weeks.3 min story
★ Black CaimanThe Dark That Filled the River AgainThe black caiman is the Amazon's largest predator, and after nearly disappearing by the 1970s it has returned to rivers across the basin.3 min story
★ Mourning GeckoShe Carried an Island Inside HerAlmost every mourning gecko is female and lays eggs that hatch without a male, so one gecko alone can found a whole new colony.3 min story
★ Central Bearded DragonThe Lizard Who Argues With Her ArmsA bearded dragon waves one arm to say I am no threat, and its hottest eggs can hatch as females no matter what their chromosomes say.3 min story
★ Ball PythonThe Roundest Secret in the GrassA ball python rolls into a tight ball when scared, and a mother coils around her eggs for two months without eating, shivering to keep them warm.3 min story
★ Mexican Mole LizardTwo Arms and No Legs at AllThe Mexican mole lizard has two tiny clawed arms up front and no legs at all, a worm-shaped body that lives its whole life underground.3 min story
Watch it move
All videos →Gharial: The Reptile Who Carries His 100 Babies
Paradise Flying Snake: The Snake That Swims the Sky
Leatherback Turtle: The Softest Shell in the Sea
Panther Chameleon: The Battle Fought With Light
Thorny Devil: The Lizard That Drinks With Its Skin
King Cobra: The Snake That Builds a Nest
Komodo Dragon: The Lizard That Reads the Wind
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