Mock Chameleons in Texas
August 25, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
I have a little lizard friend that comes by my window and walks along the fence running the length of our home in Dallas.
Mock Chameleon
He’s a cute little guy – maybe 10 cm from nose to the end of his tail and is a khaki color.
When he sees me looking through the window, he starts showing off by forcing this rounded fan-like piece of skin out from his throat area. It turns a beautiful bright, ruby red color surrounded by sunshine yellow.
Now, I think he’s showing off to me. He’ll bob his head then thrust his beautiful fan out, walk a few inches and repeat, all the while peaking to see if I’m looking.
I think he thinks he’s a tough guy! LOL…
I don’t know if the showing off is because he feels threatened or he fancies me!
Today, just as I was Read more
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Keeping a Horny Toad as a Pet in Dallas
August 16, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Well, as we all know, TCU’s (Texas Christian University’s) mascot is the horny toad. Actually, it’s also called a horned lizard.
They are ridiculously adorable and are great, placid pets, that are even great with children.
The problem with the Texas horned lizard, native to Texas, is that their food supply is waning. Even as a lizard owner, it’s gotten tougher and tougher to find natural sources for their food.
What Do Horned Lizards Eat?
A typical horned lizard should eat between 20-100 harvester ants per day. This is necessary because harvester ants provide this horned lizard with the formic acid it needs to survive.
You’re thinking, “Well, just find some harvester ants outside and be done with it!”
Problem: Harvester ants have been displaced by the fire ant in Texas, especially Dallas. So, you need to be educated and knowledgeable when looking for harvester ant nests.
Also, you certainly don’t want to capture fire ants for 2 reasons:
1. Their bite can be very painful to a human and they can swarm you quickly.
2. Horny toads will Read more
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Hawksbill Turtles are Regulars on the Great Barrier Reef
February 17, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Hawksbill Turtles are regulars on the Great Barrier Reef, as they prefer shallow water or lagoons.
The Hawksbill is a Critically Endangered Animal!
They are easily distinguishable by their sharply curved beak, which resembles like a hawk’s bill.
They glide through the water with effortless ease. Check out this great video of a Hawksbill Turtle on the Great Barrier Reef:
Their preferred food source are sea sponges, which makes them unique in that they are one of the few animals with the ability to Read more
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Saltwater Crocodiles on the Great Barrier Reef?
February 16, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Northern Australia has the largest population of “Salties” in Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef is no exception, although you may be shocked to see one swimming in the ocean…Well, that’s why they’re called saltwater crocodiles. Plus, there’s plenty of food out there for them.
In fact, according to WWF, it has unique habitats and breeding sites for the saltwater crocodile.
I found this short video showing a saltwater crocodile that caught a large turtle on the shores of an island in the Great Barrier Reef:
I’ve been to the Northern Territory of Australia and I can truly vouch for the large number of Read more
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Sea Snake of the Great Barrier Reef
February 12, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
If you’ve never actually seen video of the sea snake, or seen them in person, then describing them leaves something to the imagination.
They are not built like normal snakes in that their tail is flattened and shaped like a rudder to help propel them through the water.
It is said that these sea reptiles are among the most venomous creatures in the world. Sea snake venom is absolutely deadly!
They are, as you can see, alive and well on the Great Barrier Reef:
However, it is also said that their mouths don’t open wide enough to really get a chance to injure humans, unless they bite your toes or fingers.
I’ve actually seen sea snakes in Shark Bay off of Western Australia, and our tour guide jumped into the water to grab it to be sure we got a chance to see it. That tour guide was a trained professional and I recommend that NO ONE try this on their own.
The main reason being they’re Read more
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Loggerhead Sea Turtles are Endangered!
February 2, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Loggerhead Sea Turtles can grow up to 800 lbs and 3 1/2 feet in length.
Although they’re so large for a marine reptile, they glide through the waters of the world as weightless and elegant as ballerinas!
Their shells are a reddish brown and skin is yellowish brown.
They like to eat mollusks, fish, jellyfish, crustaceans including crab, shrimp and the Portuguese Man O’ War…It is one of the only animals in the world that is immune to the man o’ war’s toxin.
What’s Cool About Them?
Female Loggerheads will go back to the same beach where they were born and lay their clutch there. Neat!
Also, most Loggerheads that actually reach adulthood will live for longer than 30 years and some up to almost 200 years! Wow…That’s amazing! There are some Loggerheads out there that were born in 1811.
Conservation Status:
Unfortunately, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle is Read more
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Leatherback Sea Turtle Placed on Endangered List
January 20, 2009 by Kimberly · 4 Comments
Exotic Animal Newsflash:
As of yesterday, January 18th, 2009, the leatherback sea turtle has been moved to the critically endangered list from being only a vulnerable species in Australia.
Photo left: baby leatherback sea turtle
The leatherback sea turtle is the fourth largest reptilians in the world behind 3 crocodilians.
What is most sad about this fact, is that the leatherback is the only species of animal in the genus Dermochelys. Once they’re gone, there’s none left! NONE!
Why Are They In Peril?
Because the Read more
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New Zealand has Amazing Animals
November 20, 2008 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
I have always wanted to visit New Zealand…
Not only for it’s picturesque landscapes, mountains, green valleys, and fantastic ocean views, but why else?…
For it’s amazing fauna!
As you know, I love animals, and where else would I go in New Zealand, but where the cool animals are!
I go where the animals live…That’s what I want to see most when I travel.
New Zealand has so many unique animals that are native to this country and found nowhere else on the planet…similar to how Australia has their unique species found no other place either.
Well, NZ is the seabird capital of the world, first of all and boasts two native flightless birds. One of them is the only flightless parrot, the kakapo, which is critically endangered. The other is the kiwi, which just happens to have nostrils at the end of it’s beak.
The only native land mammals in New Zealand are bats: the long-tailed bat and the short-tailed bat.
What else? Well, the tuatara is a lizard only found in New Zealand…How cool is that?
I’d love to visit Christchurch, Stewart Island (the most Southern part of NZ), the Southern Alps and Abel Tasman National Park of the Southern Island, Auckland, Tauranga, Aoraki/Mount Cook, and as many tiny surrounding islands as I could to see the amazing wildlife!
I would want to do a little bit of snorkeling and diving, of course!
What a world of adventure!
It would be an awesome thing to have the ability to be a full-time travel blogger and bring you fantastic posts about the world’s wildlife from all over the planet!
***
I hope you enjoyed this post on Animals of the World on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…
Live Exotically,
Kimberly Edwards 
P.S. If you have ever wanted to migrate, live, work or invest in New Zealand the smart way, find out how to here:
P.P.S. Be sure to Subscribe to this Blog!
Technorati Tags: New Zealand, tuatara, exotic animals, kiwi, kakapo, parrots, seabirds, Auckland, animals in New Zealand, bats
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Black, Yellow, Red – Watch Where You Tread
November 13, 2008 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
I will never forget the saying my University Professor made us memorize:
“Black, yellow, red – Watch where you tread!”
If you encounter a snake that is black, yellow and red in color, it could be poisonous or not, but the way to figure it out and quickly is to look at it’s patterning.
If the order of the colors goes black, yellow to red, in any direction, then it is certainly a poisonous snake – like a coral snake (photo above). Leave it alone and evacuate the area.
If the colors are different such as yellow, black then Read more
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Snakes in Texas
September 15, 2008 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
When I arrived in Dallas the other day, we went over to my husband’s dad’s home where there was a small, brown snake in the living room on the carpet.
My husband slid a sandal over to it, and it moved. I told my husband not to disturb it in case it scurries off, then you won’t know where it went to.
Knowing that this was not something we wanted to take of directly, I told my husband to call animal control immediately.
Of course, with stubbornness in tow, my husband approaches the snake after a few minutes and picks it up…
What a Read more
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