Reptile Wars

[weatherboi]

If you have any love for snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, tortoises, alligators, dinosaurs, or any other reptile I might have missed, then this is the place to post a picture and show some love.


http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/000/cache/baby-american-crocodile_12_990x742.jpg

I love how the female croc comes back and digs up her babies to help them get out of their shells.

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CrMIX5woBwE/SpWMIObVR3I/AAAAAAAAAuc/hDDFFf4JKQk/s400/baby+snake+deadpan.jpg


I am not including any facts because I am not as nerdy as boy of weather...:glasses:

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://images.clipartof.com/small/85906-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-An-Adorable-Big-Head-Baby-Snake.jpg

[Bèsame*]

I will be staying way way way over on the other side of this site. Please watch them critters and don't let them escape!!

[weatherboi]

http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/willow/dinosaur-info0.gif

[chefhmboyrd]

http://fourstory.org/images/channel-images/3811/tumblr_llgbj644ec1qcbgj8.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2old3AAE_JE/TzU_7ih-inI/AAAAAAAAELY/dcOpjgG0ePM/s1600/reptile.jpg

[Tommi]

http://www.sdnhm.org/archive/fieldguide/herps/images/cole-var.jpg
Western Banded Gecko

We have gecko's everywhere, and they can be seen in the strangest places, and you wonder how they can do that..well.

""With all the leaping around they do geckos need to be sure-footed to survive, so it helps that their feet are stickier than our strongest super glue. Every square millimeter of their footpads contains about 14,000 superfine hair-like structures, and each one of them is tipped with between 100 and 1000 even finer bristles (see second photo). The gecko is able to tap into powerful electrostatic forces that surge in the narrow gaps between the hairs. It’s these van der Waals forces that lend the gecko’s feet their near-supernatural tackiness. So forget nails, the mathematics of these forces indicates that — and we stress that this is purely speculation — a full-sized gecko on your ceiling could support the weight of a 290-pound chandelier

http://whyfiles.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mgeckotoes.jpg
Every square millimeter of gecko footpads contain about 14,000 superfine hair-like structures.

[The_Lady_Snow]

Tommi is a fact show off:|



:sunglass:

[Tommi]

Tommi is a fact show off:|

:sunglass:
I wondered once, how they got in the house as I watched them climbing the glass patio door and hanging in the sunshine for a nap.

Gecko Toes too...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w6OfYNc8xEE/THt9xMmHo3I/AAAAAAAAABI/BKUywciZt78/s320/gge.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

I wondered once, how they got in the house as I watched them climbing the glass patio door and hanging in the sunshine for a nap.

Gecko Toes too...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w6OfYNc8xEE/THt9xMmHo3I/AAAAAAAAABI/BKUywciZt78/s320/gge.jpg

OMGAY at those cute toesies!

[Tommi]

http://bio.research.ucsc.edu/~barrylab/classes/herps/Phylogeny/Lizards/Scleroglossa/Teiidae/pics/full%20pics/C_t_mundus2.jpg

California Whiptail


:cheesy:


_

[Hollylane]

http://i45.tinypic.com/jl2whu.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/10/03/magazine/03turtles-span/03turtles-t_CA1-articleLarge.jpg

Loggerheads after the BP spill
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/magazine/03turtles-t.html

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4fc4ede769bedd2d4a00004e/dinosaur.jpg

[Martina]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/7/29/1280410311041/A-Giant-tortoise-at-a-mud-001.jpg

[Martina]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/7/29/1280410313820/Marine-iguanas-on-San-Cri-003.jpg

[Tommi]

http://leopardgeckofacts.com/img/baby_leopard_gecko3.jpg
a baby leopard gecko

a newborn baby leopard gecko
http://www.reptileshq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/baby-gecko.jpg

[Gentle Tiger]

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/002/cache/american-crocodile_219_600x450.jpg

Did you know that the american crocodile (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/american-crocodile/) is considered an endangered species?

[Gentle Tiger]

http://www.learningspark.com.au/shop/nt/fwcroc/fwcroc600.jpg

Did you know fresh water crocodiles can run something like 18 miles an hour? The article said gallop.

[Martina]

Couldn't resist posting this.

http://www.automopedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/pimpedvw.jpg

[Gentle Tiger]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CrMIX5woBwE/SpWMIObVR3I/AAAAAAAAAuc/hDDFFf4JKQk/s400/baby+snake+deadpan.jpg


I am not including any facts because I am not as nerdy as boy of weather...:glasses:

I love the expression! I can the captions now. LOL

[weatherboi]

Gmorning!!!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZP9pAZm_PyM/Tt7qdOq9PRI/AAAAAAAAi24/yEZONURYtmQ/Baby%2BSea%2BTurtle%2Bfrom%2BTumblr.gif

[Hollylane]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/7/29/1280410313820/Marine-iguanas-on-San-Cri-003.jpg

I'm sensing a Galapagos theme...

http://www.expeditions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/old/galapagos_marine_iguana_swimming.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs41/f/2009/052/7/7/77db211d320e502f7b3edcbb52391f2f.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/089/c/5/cute_snake_illustration_by_santuaric-d3crz74.jpg

[Martina]

Apparently, this baby hippo decided to adopt the 100 year old tortoise as its mother after it got orphaned during the tsunami in the Indian Ocean some years ago. The tortoise is male, and according to the ecologist, was very happy being a mom.


http://www.worldwidefeatures.com/pictures/small/65/115831112grs_owen_1.jpg

http://www.guy-sports.com/fun_pictures/hippo_owen.jpg

http://jaced.com/blogpix/2007/hippotortoise/004.jpg

http://jaced.com/blogpix/2007/hippotortoise/006.jpg

LINK (http://jaced.com/2007/06/28/befriended-hippo/)

[chefhmboyrd]

http://thorg.chattablogs.com/images/reptiles01.jpg

[Martina]

http://blog.yampu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/namibian_gecko_ot5ia1.jpg

oops -- he is a reptile. I was gonna post a frog pic, but he was cuter. He is a reptile, right?

[Martina]

http://megaodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Worlds-strangest-looking-animals-03.jpg

[Martina]

http://megaodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Worlds-strangest-looking-animals-10.jpg

[willow]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxer83sIcb1qku73m.png

[willow]

https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlonCBbnLJqv21eJzl2JillpOPUFSHP mzXcU-YuosI7sMMu2ZSAw

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/179/0/5/057f4de1e1979c94664adb350525615f-d3b2u1q.png


Mutants in a halfshell!! TURTLE POWER!!

[willow]

http://www.picturesoftheplanet.com/cache/reptiles/snake-pictures/green-snake_950_watermark.jpg

[Martina]

----------- :eek:

[Martina]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557166_282101618570609_1517945726_n.jpg

[dark_crystal]

http://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/6/20/xaJyXKo3bUmT2vqs6ieuyg2.jpg

[dark_crystal]

http://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/9/11/9wf_23pHaUSlgxn5OOiCNw2.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://donkey-sanctuary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/DSC_8980_DxO.jpg

[Ginger]

http://blog.yampu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/namibian_gecko_ot5ia1.jpg

oops -- he is a reptile. I was gonna post a frog pic, but he was cuter. He is a reptile, right?



Frogs and salamanders are amphibians.

Snakes, lizards, crocodiles (includes everything from caimen to alligators to Nile crocodiles, etc.) and turtles (includes everything from tortoises, which are completely land dwelling, to sea turtles, soft-shelled fresh water turtles, etc.) are reptiles.

Oh, PS, I think this photo is a leopard gecko, a lizard, or reptile.

Gosh I love seeing their pics here...

And PS, I think this photo is a leopard gecko, or lizard, which is a reptile.

[willow]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LLLT1paT23Y/TPdh8Vp0S6I/AAAAAAAABnw/5Np6GTSuwSc/s1600/a.jpg

[Martina]

http://getlol.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cute-lizard-600x446.jpg

[Martina]

http://static.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/1111049-bigthumbnail.jpg

[Ginger]

I just want to say how much I love, love, love this thread! I rush to check on it when I log in.

[Martina]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5088599252_0211561ec8.jpg

[Martina]

http://academic.reed.edu/biology/professors/srenn/pages/teaching/web_2006/christine_beckel/images/camo_lizard_1_pic.jpg

[Martina]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01501/Gecko_1501448c.jpg

[Martina]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/02/09/article-1249627-08358D1C000005DC-174_634x420.jpg

[nycfem]

Mesmerizing, life affirming photos from all, but... I think Martina is winning the Reptile Wars.

[Martina]

http://s1.hubimg.com/u/5533264_f520.jpg

[Martina]

*groan* but . . . .

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wqo9IVCWV5E/TEC0HG4ksqI/AAAAAAAAEVU/ZEJ8t6vXFFQ/s320/bz+REPTILE+07-09-10.jpg

[Martina]

http://previews.agefotostock.com/previewimage/bajaage/cee4caffeedcbd969e1ff3c0195047f3/MB-03778108.jpg

[Tommi]

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/dublinfringefestival/REPTILIAN-programmeimagePREFERED.jpg

[Martina]

i agree with nycfembbw that these are some beautiful creatures. Google images has got me trapped. TY for the thread.

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_101/1164590600me55Hu.jpg

[Gentle Tiger]

http://www.animalpictures1.com/data/media/139/funny_crocodile_3.jpg

[Gentle Tiger]

http://www.animalpictures1.com/data/media/139/funny_baby_crocodile.jpg

[Martina]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/530456_283215738445243_2096819520_n.jpg

[Ginger]

Snake, by D.H. Lawrence, 1885-1930


A snake came to my water-trough
On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,
To drink there.
In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before
me.

He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom
And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of
the stone trough
And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,
i o And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,
He sipped with his straight mouth,
Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,
Silently.

Someone was before me at my water-trough,
And I, like a second comer, waiting.

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,
And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment,
And stooped and drank a little more,
Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth
On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking.
The voice of my education said to me
He must be killed,
For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are venomous.

And voices in me said, If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.

But must I confess how I liked him,
How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough
And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless,
Into the burning bowels of this earth?

Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him? Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him? Was it humility, to feel so honoured?
I felt so honoured.

And yet those voices:
If you were not afraid, you would kill him!

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so, honoured still more
That he should seek my hospitality
From out the dark door of the secret earth.

He drank enough
And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black,
Seeming to lick his lips,
And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,
And slowly turned his head,
And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,
Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.

And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,
And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and entered farther,
A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into that horrid black hole,
Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing himself after,
Overcame me now his back was turned.

I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.

I think it did not hit him,
But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed in undignified haste.
Writhed like lightning, and was gone
Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the wall-front,
At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with fascination.

And immediately I regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!
I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.

And I thought of the albatross
And I wished he would come back, my snake.

For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.

And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.

Taormina, 1923

[Ginger]

From "Crusoe in England," by Elizabeth Bishop, one of my all-time favorite images:


The turtles lumbered by, high-domed,
hissing like teakettles.

[Ginger]

The Old Lizard

by Federico García Lorca
translated by Lysander Kemp

In the parched path
I have seen the good lizard
(one drop of crocodile)
meditating.
With his green frock-coat
of an abbot of the devil,
his correct bearing
and his stiff collar,
he has the sad air
of an old professor.
Those faded eyes
of a broken artist,
how they watch the afternoon
in dismay!

Is this, my friend,
your twilight constitutional?
Please use your cane,
you are very old, Mr. Lizard,
and the children of the village
may startle you.
What are you seeking in the path,
my near-sighted philosopher,
if the wavering phantasm
of the parched afternoon
has broken the horizon?

Are you seeking the blue alms
of the moribund heaven?
A penny of a star?
Or perhaps
you've been reading a volume
of Lamartine, and you relish
the plateresque trills
of the birds?

(You watch the setting sun,
and your eyes shine,
oh, dragon of the frogs,
with a human radiance.
Ideas, gondolas without oars,
cross the shadowy
waters of your
burnt-out eyes.)

Have you come looking
for that lovely lady lizard,
green as the wheatfields
of May,
as the long locks
of sleeping pools,
who scorned you, and then
left you in your field?
Oh, sweet idyll, broken
among the sweet sedges!
But, live! What the devil!
I like you.
The motto "I oppose
the serpent" triumphs
in that grand double chin
of a Christian archbishop.

Now the sun has dissolved
in the cup of the mountains,
and the flocks
cloud the roadway.
It is the hour to depart:
leave the dry path
and your meditations.
You will have time
to look at the stars
when the worms are eating you
at their leisure.

Go home to your house
by the village, of the crickets!
Good night, my friend
Mr. Lizard!

Now the field is empty,
the mountains dim,
the roadway deserted.
Only, now and again,
a cuckoo sings in the darkness
of the poplar trees.

[Ginger]

Snake by Theodore Roethke

I saw a young snake glide
Out of the mottled shade
And hang, limp on a stone:
A thin mouth, and a tongue
Stayed, in the still air.

It turned; it drew away;
Its shadow bent in half;
It quickened and was gone

I felt my slow blood warm.
I longed to be that thing.
The pure, sensuous form.

And I may be, some time.

[Kätzchen]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4VXrkZe4WmU/TPVWbmUSy7I/AAAAAAAAKjE/9bn_sHqP7dk/s1600/Diamondback+Rattlesnake%252C+Crotalus+atrox.jpg

Western Diamond Back Rattlers (from Idaho) are very dangerous. I couldn't find a picture close to remembling the type I have seen, but I did find this picture: Diamond Backs, no matter how big they get, are capable of walking on their tails, climbing trees or jumping up from rocks (out of nowhere)! They are deadly snakes. If per chance you are bit by one and no help is around, you only have a small window time to get help. Maybe half an hour to an hour? Depending on how severe the bite is or items about the snake bite victim. It's always wise, in Idaho, to carry a snake bite kit and a gun if you're out on the desert or up in the mountains or down by a river. Baby Diamondback rattlers are quick, fast to jump from their nest. I nearly got bit one time, it scared me to death!
I've seen Diamondbacks coiled up on a deserted backroad in Idaho... he was probably about nine to 10 foot long, probably a circumference of about the size of a muscular bicep of a pro-westler, baking on an old cement highway in broad daylight. It's always wise to keep your distance from Diamondbacks.

[Ginger]

Ironic, how the pythons are called "invasive," when they were kidnapped from Southeast Asia and sold over the Internet to idiots in the U.S. who then abandoned them into the Everglades when they got too big—and the pythons looked around at that swampy heaven on earth and said, Sweet!


Nco5y7TQfn0

[Tommi]

http://dusttracksblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/2004-06-06-at-15-01-09-version-2-2004-06-06-at-15-01-09.jpg?w=350

[Martina]

http://cjananda.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/lizard.jpg

[Martina]

http://www.cafleurebon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Lizard.jpg

[Martina]

http://seapics.com/assets/pictures/020965-450-green-sea-turtle.jpg

[LeftWriteFemme]

http://static.flickr.com/61/221621796_0e3b9a8ba2.jpg

[Ginger]

http://www.cafleurebon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Lizard.jpg

"With his green frock-coat
of an abbot of the devil,
his correct bearing
and his stiff collar,
he has the sad air
of an old professor."

See, Lorca had it right!

[Martina]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01620/tortoise-nature_1620774c.jpg

Tortoises at dawn in the Galapagos. According to The Telegraph, one of the best nature photos of all time. Pretty primeval looking, I have to say.

[Martina]

http://tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/01076turtle1.300a.jpg

[Blaze]

I have a very tender spot for Jackson Chameleons, Someone let some lose in Hawaii's mountain terrain and the population exploded. So we would go in the evening and bring head flashlights and cages and catch them and sell them, we made a pretty good business out of selling them.
Until I realized that many people don't know how to properly care for these lovely creatures so I stopped catching them I couldn't let another innocent lizard starve to death or live in a little wire or glass cage without the right elements and care to live happily. So I started to just photograph them instead.

http://www.thegardensofeden.org/img/s2/v1/p1043853636-3.jpg

Above are males, I tend to like them more because of their horns and prehistoric look, below is a female, females don't have horns, but they are still pretty...

http://www.theness.com/images/blogimages/chameleon1.jpg

[Martina]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gL1lWh4zMr0/TIkMnMTFWOI/AAAAAAAAEjY/243Q2Vkmvwc/s1600/giant-turtle-head-and-shoulders.jpg

As a caption, all I can think of is, "Well . . . ."

[Martina]

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/u/H6yMi6fUB_1JR964xxG8RxsYArlNNn1lR5PWutchIbm9bVhIMc Zz0KAp-1fwx_y6ssh63xjpzWSrNQ/

[Martina]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K7i75YJbqpk/TxiR6zE67CI/AAAAAAAABp8/sct2PEvWBAA/s1600/Night_Eyes_3149-lg.jpg

[Kätzchen]

My daughter swam with Rocket Girl on a scuba diving trip to the Hawaiian Islands, a couple of years ago.

http://hawksbillturtles.org/hawkbill.jpg

The Hawksbill Turtle is a critically endangered species.

LINK: http://hawksbillturtles.org/

[Martina]

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/cream-colored-sea-turtles-spotted-florida-shores-194142698--abc-news-topstories.html

[Kätzchen]

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/4/41762/2164103-50669053_godzilla.jpg

[Kätzchen]

http://www.yellmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Queen_AlienPress_still01.jpg

[Martina]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/307837_4038873203219_1921080115_n.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/baby-animals/reptiles/gallery/komodo-dragon.jpg

*rawr*

[weatherboi]

http://alloveralbany.com/images/baby_turtles_1.jpg

dirt all over but the eyes

[weatherboi]

http://images.whereilive.com.au/images/uploads/2012/07/25/8779d56f20b84f4a8ff366185b83920e_resized.jpg

baby croc seized in an airport

[willow]

http://www.southwestguidebooks.com/images/lizards/collared_lizard.JPG

[weatherboi]

http://rlv.zcache.com/never_forget_sad_sauropod_by_mudge_studios_sticker-p217976975362834066envb3_400.jpg

[Martina]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l3h5sippfC1qb5rxpo1_400.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://static.zsl.org/images/originals/baby-komodo2-2140.jpg

[Ginger]

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/baby-animals/reptiles/gallery/komodo-dragon.jpg

*rawr*


Is that a Tegu lizard?

I would say a monitor but it looks too sleek and the colors are wrong...

Pretty boy.

[Ginger]

http://images.whereilive.com.au/images/uploads/2012/07/25/8779d56f20b84f4a8ff366185b83920e_resized.jpg

baby croc seized in an airport


Looks like a baby caiman. Look how long and skinny the snout is.

Baby got teeth like razors!

I can make their baby sound in my throat but you can't hear it.

Here, baby baby.

[weatherboi]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Jmv4oU5K4LM/Sjk9JjSeZAI/AAAAAAAAAgM/aNoKIa9yrS4/s400/baby-snake2.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://www.curiositiesbydickens.com/wp-content/uploads/babycrocodilesinhand.jpg

[Gentle Tiger]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2WzadFgt3vI/TwU-ak9iUdI/AAAAAAAAAgA/LOaqaMxHV1E/s1600/reptiles-for-sale-500.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/548675_363442157071816_1787564603_n.jpg

Dragons DO exist!!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=363442157071816&set=a.119791638103537.28779.117905868292114&type=1&theater

"A Real Life Dragon ~ Gliding Lizard

Researchers in Indonesia have discovered what looks like a teeny tiny dragon. As yet, we have no information on whether they guard small piles of gold or attack miniature castles

This was a nesting female found in the Lambsuango Forest reserve in 2009 and was immediately released after this photograph was taken.

No everyone, this is not photoshopped. Just google 'gliding lizard' - there are around 15 described species, mostly found in South East Asia. This is thought to be a new species with the genus but further study will be required to confirm that. — "

[weatherboi]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/60649_432214743501660_1703772159_n.jpg

the under belly markings are beautiful!!! ART!!!

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x4176595/Baby_Leopard_Gecko_1832584.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/421254_316589485115142_805963886_n.jpg

Deep in the Costa Rican jungle, a fisherman named Chito discovered a crocodile that had been shot in the eye by a cattle farmer and left for dead. Chito was able to drag the massive reptile into his boat and brought him to his home, where he stayed by his side for months, nursing him back to health.

He named the croc Pocho. “I stayed by Pocho’s side while he was ill, sleeping next to him at night. I just wanted him to feel that somebody loved him, that not all humans are bad.” said Chito, ““It meant a lot of sacrifice. I had to be there every day. I love all animals – especially ones that have suffered.”

The day finally came when Pocho was strong enough to go back into the wild. Chito took him to a lake near his house and released him, but the animal simply got back out of the water and followed him home.

“Then I found out that when I called his name he would come over to me.” says Chito. The fisherman has been hesitant to tell his story, even though 20 years have passed since he first rescued Pocho.

Pocho is roughly 5.18 meters (17 feet) long. He and Chito play, wrestle and hug on a daily basis. That bond, Chito said, took years to forge.

“After a decade I started to work with him.”, says Chito casually, “At first it was slow, slow. I played with him a bit, slowly doing more.”

Chito has told his story now only to raise awareness of the cruelty that can be done to animals, and the difference that affection and treating other rightly can make.

“He’s my friend, I don’t want to treat him like a slave or exploit him.”
said Chito, “I am happy because I rescued him and he is happy with me because he has everything he needs.”

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs17/i/2007/208/5/6/Reptiles_by_schtickl.jpg

[willow]

http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2008/07/red-spitting-cobra.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/353/7/e/my_baby_puppy_the_iggy_by_3ahia-d357a28.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs32/i/2008/235/c/b/Sea_Turtle_01_by_blckbaronstock.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qe1wgxDiEdU/TDiPFa68OvI/AAAAAAAABAM/W8q_t7guglI/s1600/h_baby_snake_02.jpg

[blackboot]

The Gold Dust Day Gecko and I were having a conversation.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/599443_3339369815372_324213660_n.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/095/7/a/reptile_by_remussirion-d4v4o0d.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://oddemail.com/files/2010/06/764px-Red-headed_Rock_Agama1.jpg

[Martina]

http://s2.hubimg.com/u/6257681_f520.jpg

[willow]

http://teachers.greenville.k12.sc.us/sites/ekrezdor/Animal%20Kingdom/baby%20reptiles.bmp

[willow]

http://topnews.net.nz/images/blue-tongued-lizards.jpg

[Martina]

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/6241440-md.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2011-01/58959685.jpg

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://msp254.photobucket.com/albums/hh89/islandsphoto/baby-alligator-ride.jpg

[Ginger]

If it's not an inconvenience, I was wondering if people would be okay with letting us know what the reptile is, that they're showing?

Such cool photos. I love them!

[Martina]

http://sharkpackpoetry.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/picture-11.png?w=560&h=261&crop=1

the website it came (http://sharkpackpoetry.com/2011/11/30/fresh-looks-james-wrights-autumn-begins-in-martins-ferry-ohio/) from didn't say what kinda snake. sorry.

[The_Lady_Snow]

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/336/8/4/cymru_the_frilled_dragon_by_beautifuldragon322-d4hxxnd.jpg

[Martina]

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_588/1299490468PM4aZG.jpg

[Martina]

http://blog.pumapix.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/San-Francisco-Garter-Snake-Portrait.jpg

[willow]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/45128726_cbb65bddac.jpg

[ahk]

http://www.featurepics.com/FI/Thumb300/20100708/Great-Horny-Toad-1608395.jpg

[LeftWriteFemme]

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/media/ngm-reptiles-msm/ngm-reptiles-msm_480x360.jpg

[LeftWriteFemme]

http://img12.nnm.ru/0/8/b/1/e/cbe1b206b7ca9c1a72abbd99f37.jpg

[ahk]

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/07/07/article-1310025945825-0CE298AC00000578-788064_636x364.jpg

[Martina]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/14376_304855959615607_901472310_n.jpg

[ahk]

http://turtlesohoolihan.wiki.lovett.org/file/view/baby_turtle.jpg/248542263/baby_turtle.jpg

[puddin']

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb13/Clue_in/lizard_short-horned.jpg

[Ginger]

http://sharkpackpoetry.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/picture-11.png?w=560&h=261&crop=1

the website it came (http://sharkpackpoetry.com/2011/11/30/fresh-looks-james-wrights-autumn-begins-in-martins-ferry-ohio/) from didn't say what kinda snake. sorry.

It's an emerald boa. Aptly named, right?

[ahk]

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/005/cache/frilled-lizard_530_600x450.jpg

[willow]

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT9mlxj2iU_Kz7vBBpk5kyh1aI3_mmfS zmBcv7xpXY-0YQtW_LvgQ

[ahk]

http://th03.deviantart.net/fs50/200H/f/2009/319/b/1/Christmas_Lizard_by_amhprincess.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/150079_312855385501673_1867165033_n.jpg

[weatherboi]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/321345_548915831792872_2038284804_n.jpg

[Martina]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/UZT70JHWmq7JznihIykdwg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD03NTA7cT03OTt3PTEwMD A-/http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2013/01/23/5-JPG_003930.jpg

[LeftWriteFemme]

http://www.reptilechannel.com/images/contest/art-contest/reptile-art-webb.jpg

[Martina]

the mary river turtle

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/552696_148792745275563_1570781115_n.jpg

[Hollylane]

the mary river turtle

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/552696_148792745275563_1570781115_n.jpg

That is adorable!

[Ginger]

the mary river turtle

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/552696_148792745275563_1570781115_n.jpg

LOL like a living Chia Pet!!

[Martina]

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/480734_153038298184341_1560002571_n.jpg

[ahk]

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2263/2451458436_2aceba93e0_z.jpg?zz=1

[maryam]

If you're on Facespace, look for Lois the Tortoise and friend her! One of my knitting buddies is her Primary Minion. She's got awesome Tortoise Tude! She's a Redfoot, goes to work with the Minion a lot (she teaches, majored in science but recently worked with kindergarteners) and when her husband got a job with the military in Germany, Lois went with them!

Or if you're on Ravelry and are very brave, we have a LOIS thread in LSG. Please remember that LSG is an, erm, unique group on Ravelry. We're like a family reunion in Vegas, complete with drunkent Aunties, miscreant children and horribly inappropriate mothers. But we're mostly harmless and love our Chelonian and Fur-bearing overlords.