Reptiles

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

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A Turtle or a Sea Snake?

Apr 29, 2013 - 9:11AMLike other sea snakes, the turtle-headed sea snake (Emydocephalus annulatus) has fangs and venom. But its venom is weak so, instead of defending with a bite, the species tends to react to danger by swimming back to a crack or...

Tern and Loggerhead Sea Turtle, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Jan 11, 2013 - 10:40AM
“I slowly approached this bird resting on the back of a turtle just under...

Island Leaf-Toed Gecko
Oct 25, 2012 - 9:45AM
The Island Leaf-Toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus insularis) is one of several...

SPOTLIGHT

Marine Iguanas: One Species at a Time

No iguana wants to be cooked alive on a hot rock and then served up as dinner for a Galapagos hawk. But it turns out the... 		a marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus
A Hawaiian monk seal
Backbone of Biodiversity at Risk
Oct 28 2010 - 7:01pm
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, maintains the Red List of Threatened Species, an inventory of the global conservation status of plants and animals. In a 2010 study, researchers concluded that one-fifth of the world's vertebrates (animals with backbones) are...
Crustacean Epibionts
Nov 8 2011 - 3:48pm
In a 2011 study published in the Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, researchers documented a number of different organisms living on olive ridley and green turtles in the Pacific. Of these "epibionts," crustaceans made up more than 40% of those observed. Some are depicted here:...
Island Leaf-Toed Gecko
Oct 25 2012 - 9:45am
The Island Leaf-Toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus insularis) is one of several species of geckos that live in the mangroves of the Caribbean’s Mangal Cay. More about mangroves can be found in our Mangroves featured story.
Spectacled Caiman
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
A spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodiles) patrols a salty pond at the Smithsonian Institution’s research station in Bocas del Toro, Panama. A bony ridge between its eyes gives it the appearance of wearing glasses—and its common name.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle recovers from oil
Jun 4 2010 - 10:56am
A young Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) recovers at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Turtles were cleaned and nursed back to health with the help of New England Aquarium staff.
Meet the Seven Sea Turtle Species
May 10 2013 - 12:56pm
There are seven species of sea turtles, which are marine reptiles that need to breathe air to survive. Six of the seven species are found in US waters, and the flatback turtle is only found in the Western Indo-Pacific. Most of their lives are spent at sea, with some species diving to depths of 3000...
Papahanaumokuakea, United States
Nov 4 2010 - 12:07pm
The Papahānaumokuākea site in the United States was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2010. The site is a vast isolated cluster of small low-lying islands and atolls with its surrounding ocean.
American Crocodile
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
An American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, resting on a bed of seagrass. These medium-sized crocodiles live in freshwater and saltwater habitats of Central America, the northern coasts of South America, the Caribbean Islands, and the southern tip of Florida. They're most commonly found in mangrove-...
Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles
Nov 8 2010 - 2:19pm
The Aldabra Atoll site in the Seychelles was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982. The site is comprised of a coral reef surrounding four large coral islands, which enclose a shallow lagoon.
Bizarre and Beautiful Coral Reef Animals
Dec 4 2009 - 3:05pm
Coral reefs support an amazing array of life forms many of them beautiful, some of them downright bizarre. Dive in and take a look through this photo gallery.
Tagging and Tracking Animals Underwater
May 16 2012 - 4:35pm
How do we know where ocean animals swim day and night? Scientists are getting snapshots into the daily lives of whales, sharks, and even fish by tagging the animals to track their movements.  
Sundarbans National Park, India
Nov 5 2010 - 1:21pm
The Sundarbans National Park site in India was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. The site, located in the Ganges delta, contains the world's largest mangrove forest and hosts a number of rare and endangered species including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP)
Aug 22 2012 - 1:57pm
The TOPP program brought together scientists from seven countries to explore the lives of large mid-water animals such as sea turtles, birds, whales, tuna, sharks, seals and even squids. Animals that live throughout the open ocean are often hard to track, and because of this difficulty, we know...
Habitat for Leatherback Turtles
Jan 31 2012 - 10:52am
Endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtles now have nearly 42,000 square miles of Pacific Ocean to call their own. Thanks to a decision in January 2012 by the National Marine Fisheries Service, these magnificent reptiles will now be safeguarded off the U.S. West Coast.
Searching for Life -- Epibionts -- On Sea Turtles
Nov 8 2011 - 4:34pm
Amanda Feuerstein with a nesting olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). Feuerstein is a co-author of a study that surveyed algae, crustaceans, mollusks, and other epibionts that live on olive ridley and green sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean. You can read about the study on the Ocean Portal blog.
Galapagos Tortoise
Jul 6 2010 - 5:00pm
On the Galapagos Islands, William Dampier wrote excitedly of the giant tortoises he encountered: “I do believe there is no place in the world that is so plentifully stored with these animals….” This photo was taken at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island,...