Lizardopolis

07/24/2024

Wow, another exciting fact that makes these dragons even more Dragon-like!!

Reptile’s teeth found to have covering that helps keep serrated edges razor sharp and resistant to wear

07/04/2024

What presidential candidate helps, and loves, snakes? RFK Jr.

03/17/2024

Always great for a laugh on St Paddy's Day!

03/12/2024

For all the turtle heroes out there!

It's that time of year again. Turtles everywhere are on the move. Remember, it is illegal everywhere in the US to take a turtle or tortoise from the wild and keep it. Leave Wild Things Wild!!

11/25/2023

11/15/2023

Today we honor Steve Irwin! Thank you Steve for inspiring people all around the world to look at creatures differently, to respect them, to try to understand them rather than to just fear them. Steve's impact reached far and wide, and continues to this day. For all the odd, slithering, scaly, and misunderstood critters on this planet, thank you Steve!

11/15/2023

New Reptile (Critter) 4-H group in Jefferson County!! Woohoo! It was such a wonderful experience creating this dream with the community several years ago through the Olympic Reptile 4-H club. After our move to Arizona and Covid hit, it dwindled for a bit. However, you can never kill passion and enthusiasm! So glad kiddos are getting to experience these amazing creatures again. If you are in Jefferson County, WA and have a kid who LOVES all sorts of critters, check out this club that is starting up!

The inaugural meeting of our Creature Club was great! Did you know that pythons lay eggs, but boa’s give love birth? It was so cool to see kiddos gently handling these neat creatures - if you have a reptile lover they can join up, no animal required!

06/21/2023

https://www.science.org/content/article/how-did-snakes-lose-their-limbs-mass-genome-effort-provides-clues

DNA sequencing helps explain how these reptiles got to be so unusual

06/07/2023

Parthenogenesis - one of the most fascinating abilities of some reptiles. Reproduction without a male.

Researchers have found the first case of a crocodile who made herself pregnant.

05/02/2023

We still have so much more to learn about these incredible creatures!

The Nurturing Nature of Rattlesnakes

Is it her simple body plan? Her poker face? Or perhaps a vast mythology of her malevolence and supernatural abilities? Humans have a tough time describing what snakes do, let alone understanding why they do it. Proud skeptics that they are, scientists long doubted that snakes are capable of complex behavior. Reports of pitviper aggregations, especially mothers with young, are not new; but, until only recently, they were dismissed as happenstance, even by their biggest fanatics.

Read the full article on our website: https://www.snakes.ngo/nurturing-rattlesnakes

📷 Madam X, a huge female Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, regards one of her newly shed babies.

04/22/2023

Happy Earth Day! Keep our planet clean and happy for all the animals who inhabit it!

04/21/2023

A fun and informative video about the largest tortoise species by our friend, Jerry Fife

03/17/2023

Happy St Patrick's Day!

02/18/2023

No, they aren't reptiles, but they are one of the most endangered creatures on the planet due to smuggling, poaching, for Chinese "traditional" medicine. Please spread the word about the plight of these adorable spikey little creatures!

This mother and baby white-bellied pangolin are part of Pangolin Conservation, a non-profit organization in Florida. In the wild, this species is found in West and Central Africa, but the biggest threat to their survival comes from an entirely different continent - Asia. All eight species of pangolin are in danger of extinction due to the illegal trafficking of both live pangolins and the body parts of deceased individuals - especially their scales, which are used in Asia as traditional medicine because of the false belief that the scales contain curative properties. Many governmental groups and NGOs are working hard to combat the trafficking crisis, but they need your help. Use the power of your network to share this incredible species with as many people as you can and bring attention to the threats they are facing.

02/15/2023

The snake will be released into the wild in it's natural habitat. Very interesting story.

A Burmese python in Ho Chi Minh City was handed over to a rescue center Wednesday morning following 23 years in captivity.

02/15/2023

Happy Valentine's Day!

01/16/2023

New snake species discovered!

Scientists have identified a tiny new species of dwarf boa living in the Ecuadorian Amazon that even a snake hater could love: These small reptiles are a foot long. Researchers named it Tropidophis cacuangoae in honor of activist Dolores Cacuango.

12/09/2022

12/09/2022

We are back and in Prescott Arizona!! It has been a long time since I have been able to do Lizardopolis educational events. I went to college and then have had several field biology research and fieldwork jobs. But it is time to start teaching again in the southwest! We will be updating our website over the next couple weeks and will begin advertizing in northern Arizona. If you have any friends who live in this area, please share! Your support is so greatly appreciated. A few more animals have joined our family and will be helping us teach along with all the others that you all know so well!

Don't hesitate to reach out now if you want to schedule an event!! No need to wait for the website to be updated. You can email us at [email protected] or call/text to 360-531-2553.

11/24/2022

On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin published his book, "Origin of Species". "Darwin, who was influenced by the work of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck and the English economist Thomas Malthus, acquired most of the evidence for his theory during a five-year surveying expedition aboard the HMS Beagle in the 1830s. Visiting such diverse places as the Galapagos Islands and New Zealand, Darwin acquired an intimate knowledge of the flora, fauna, and geology of many lands. This information, along with his studies in variation and interbreeding after returning to England, proved invaluable in the development of his theory of organic evolution."
The publication of this book paved the way for human understanding of evolution.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/origin-of-species-is-published-2

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, a groundbreaking scientific work by British naturalist Charles Darwin, is published in England on

11/21/2022

11/19/2022

If you have pet birds, this is VERY IMPORTANT!

Just a reminder about Thanksgiving and bird safety. These products are not safe for birds and will release toxic fumes when overheated. Regular aluminum foil is safe, the non-stick kind is not.

Be careful with the self-cleaning cycle on your oven. The cycle can run for up to 8 hours and it heats the oven to 800 degrees. This vaporizes everything that might have spilled in the oven. Those vapors and the fine ash it produces will quickly kill birds. Remove the birds from the house and don't bring them back until at least 24 hours after the self-cleaning cycle has finished. Putting them in another room on the far side of the house isn't much safer as the particles and gas can travel through your ventilation system.

08/31/2022

Domestic pets bite and scratch a lot of people. Interesting comparison, to non-venomous snake bite which actually don't even hurt.
Venomous snake bite claims 5 - 7 lives per year in the USA. Dogs, horses, and cows claim about 30 per year in the USA...
Don't fear what you don't understand.
RESPECT WILDLIFE - it's that simple.