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Reptiles

An Iguana Species Last Documented by Charles Darwin Has Been Reintroduced to a Galápagos Island

The Galápagos land iguana on Santiago Island was decimated by invasive animals like cats, dogs and pigs

This isn't the first time snakes have been found inside of coral snakes' stomachs, but it is the first recorded instance of a new genus being identified from the remnants of a fellow serpent’s last meal.

Cool Finds

A New Snake Species Was Found in Another Snake’s Stomach

The so-called “mysterious dinner snake” represents not only a new species, but an entirely new genus

Lonesome George

New Research

Lonesome George the Giant Tortoise’s DNA Reveals Cancer-Fighting and Longevity Genes

The iconic reptile and last Pinta Island tortoise passed in 2012, but a new look at his DNA is helping researchers understand genetics

Many of the stranded turtles were endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles, like this one seen nesting.

Since Thanksgiving Cold Snap, More Than 200 ‘Cold-Stunned’ Sea Turtles Have Washed Ashore on Cape Cod

As climate change warms North Atlantic waters, turtles are migrating farther north—but when cold weather hits, some can’t make it out of Cape Cod Bay

The 28 footprints capture an early reptile-like creature's unusual diagonal gait

Cool Finds

The Grand Canyon’s Oldest Footprints Are 310 Million Years Old

Researcher Stephen Rowland says the creature that left the tracks was “doing a funny little side-walking step, line-dance kind of thing”

New Research

Meet Africa’s Newest Crocodile Species

The African slender-snouted crocodile has been split into two species and both of them are critically endangered

Sloths' slow-paced lifestyle is a survival strategy, not a sign of laziness

Sloths Don’t Just Live in Slow-Mo, They Can Put Their Metabolism On Pause

Unlike most mammals, sloths don’t use vast amounts of energy when it’s hot, instead opting to slow down and conserve power, more like birds or reptiles

New Research

How Much Plastic Does It Take To Kill a Sea Turtle?

A new study suggests one piece of plastic has a 22 percent chance of killing a turtle that eats it, and 14 pieces will kill half

A photograph of the fossil turtle Eorhynchochelys sinensis, which lived about 228 million years ago and sported a beak but no shell.

Newly Discovered Turtle Ancestors Chomped With Beaks But Bore No Shells

A 228-million-year-old fossil fills gaps in the tale of turtle evolution—and raises a few questions

Trending Today

Australian Reptiles And a Toad Named After Gollum on Latest Endangered Species Update

The IUCN Red List shows Oz’s reptiles are in trouble as well as flying foxes, a Jamaican rodent and a New Guinea butterfly

The smart, menacing, powerful T. rex of 1993's Jurassic Park has lodged itself in the minds of millions.

How We Elected T. rex to Be Our Tyrant Lizard King

The true story behind our obsession with the last and largest of the tyrannosaurs

Genetic revelations are shifting the story of the Cuban crocodile and raising questions about the right way to conserve it.

The Quest to Preserve the Last of Castro’s Crocodiles

Breeders are trying to save a ‘pure’ Cuban crocodile—but out in the wild, divisions between species are increasingly murky

Why Rattlesnakes Are Just as Dangerous Dead or Alive

After receiving bite from decapitated Western diamondback, Texas man required 26 doses of antivenom

Turtle That Breathes Through Its Genitals Lands on Endangered Reptiles List

Australia’s Mary River turtle was a popular pet in the 1960s and 70s, but raids of the animal’s nests have driven it towards extinction

Turtles on Versova Beach

Cool Finds

Baby Sea Turtles Spotted on Mumbai Beach for the First Time in 20 Years

Though conservationists are celebrating the apparent success, the creatures may not be as rare as once believed

Young pythons warm themselves

New Research

Study Reveals Pythons Take Care of Their Offspring, For a Little While

The southern African python wraps around its eggs to keep them warm and does the same for its snakelets during the first weeks of life

New Research

Climate Change Is Turning Green Sea Turtles Female. That’s a Problem

Over 99 percent of turtle hatchlings in northern Australia are female due to increasing sand and sea temperatures

"I'm swimmering! For science!"

New Research

How Baby Sea Turtles on Treadmills Can Help Researchers Understand Wild Turtle Survival

No doubt it’s adorable, but the study offers clues into the impact of disorienting light pollution on the reptiles’ health

The black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) that sprayed venom into Wandege’s eye.

When Science Means Getting Cobra Venom Spat Into Your Eye

How a reptile mix-up and a fortuitous dose of breastmilk helped researchers tap into biodiversity in Africa’s eastern Congo

What's a dinosaur, anyways? The answer is in the evolutionary tree.

Ask Smithsonian

What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?

The question may sound like a “duh,” but it gets to the heart of how we categorize and define nature

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