A common and beautiful sight on night time walks in the Amazon, the Crowned False Boa. These are relatively small, usually around two feet in length, and aren’t biters. They eat lizards and other snakes, and the occasional frog, rodent, and bird. Usually when they’re seen, it’s moving through leaf litter on the ground as […]

My favorite crocodilian, the Smooth-Fronted Caiman. These little guys live in smaller streams and hills in the rainforest, and have a lot of attitude for such a little guy. This one had no trouble at all letting my camera lens know who’s boss when it got a little too close. Got the shot first, though […]

One of the many forms of the Rhinella margaritifera complex sharing a spot above ground with a cluster of tiger beetles. Life on the ground in the Amazon can be a dangerous place, so it’s not uncommon to find animals spending time on leaves. In this case, the toad may be both trying to stay […]

One of several Amazon Tree Boas we found in the Peruvian Amazon a few years ago.

Mojave Rattlesnake of a fairly typical color and pattern for the Phoenix area. These snakes are common in the flat, sandy creosote areas surrounding the city. They were once common in what is now downtown, being found in the flats around Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak (though not on the mountains themselves). They’ve long been […]

This is one of the cooler Anole species I’ve seen. Tanda’s Anole (Anolis tandai), found in Peru in 2023.

Common Whipsnake, Chironius exoletus. Peru, 2020

Spotted Anole, spotted in Peru a couple of years ago. Females of this species (and many Anoles) lay only a single egg at a time, which is helpful if you’re a small lizard. Oliveira, J. A., & Moraes, L. J. C. L. (2021). Mating behavior of Anolis punctatus in the Brazilian Amazonia. Phyllomedusa: Journal of […]

An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake found in bunchgrass on a perfect, overcast day in the Arizona sky islands.

A Three-striped Poison Frog (Ameerega trivittata) we spotted in the Peruvian Amazon a couple of years ago.