Kids Encyclopedia

Pond Turtle — The Western Pond Turtle rarely lives in ponds. This is due to the fact that before the construction of farm ponds and reservoirs there were relatively few ponds in the western United States. The turtle’s habitat includes streams, large rivers, and slow-moving water. They are most common in areas with large rocks and boulders, where they go …

Python — The Pythonidae are a family of non-venomous snakes found in Africa, Asia and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Currently, 8 genera and 26 species are recognized. Adults range in size from 0.5 to 10 meters (1.5 to 33 feet) in length. One species, Python reticulatus, the reticulated python, holds the …

Pit Viper — The Crotalinae (Pit Viper) , or crotalines, are a subfamily of venomous vipers found in Asia and the Americas. They are distinguished by the presence of a heat-sensing pit organ located between the eye and the nostril on either side of the head. Currently, 18 genera and 151 species are recognized: 7 genera and 54 species in …

Night Lizard — Night lizards (family name Xantusiidae) are a group of very small, viviparous (live-bearing) lizards, averaging from less than 4 cm to over 12 cm long. It has only three genera, with approximately 23 living species. The genera are divided by geographic range: Xantusia in southwestern North America and Baja California, Cricosaura in Cuba, and Lepidophyma, the most …

Painted Turtle — The Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) is a reptile that is common in North America,southern Canada, and northern Mexico and is a water turtle related to other water turtles such as sliders and cooters. This turtle lives in ponds, lakes, marshes, and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms. The maximum carapace size, or shell length, for …

Musk Turtle — A fiesty little turtle with two light stripes on head, barbels on chin and throat. Carapace smooth or with 3 keels, unserrated, highly domed, and elongated; olive-brown to dark gray and often obscured by a layer of algae. Juveniles have keeled and patterned carapaces with irregular dark streaks, or spots. Plastron small, with 11 scutes and a …

Massasauga — Sistrurus catenatus is a venomous pitviper species found primarily in the United States. Three subspecies are recognized, including the typical form described here. Sistrurus catenatus is not a large snake, with adults ranging from 45 to 75 cm in length. Its color pattern consists of a grey or tan groundcolor with a row of large rounded brown/black blotches …

Monitor — Monitor lizards are the family Varanidae, a group of carnivorous lizards which includes the largest living lizard, the Komodo Dragon. Varanidae contains only a single genus: Varanus. The various species of Varanus cover a vast area, occurring through Africa, the Asian subcontinent from India and Sri Lanka to China, down Southeast Asia to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, …

Map Turtle — Graptemys is a genus of turtles known commonly as map turtles or sometimes sawback turtles. They are aquatic, freshwater basking turtles that are found throughout the eastern half United States and into southern Canada. They superficially resemble many other species of aquatic turtle, including sliders (genus Trachemys) and cooters (genus Pseudemys), but are distinguished by a keel …

Mamba — Mambas, of the genus Dendroaspis, are fast-moving tree-dwelling snakes of Africa. (“Dendroaspis” is literally “tree snake”.) They belong to the family of Elapidae which includes cobras, coral snakes, kraits and, debatably, sea snakes, all of which can be extremely deadly. The black mamba is the largest venomous snake in Africa, with an extremely potent neurotoxic venom that attacks …