Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Five Lined Skinks

 

Next to Anoles the next most common lizard I run into is Five Lined Skinks. It is pretty common in the Eastern United States. They are relatively small growing between 5 and 8.5 inches in length.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: E is for Egg Eating Snake

 Some people have a fear of snakes or don't like them. A small percentage of snakes are venomous  enough to ruin a person's day(or possibly kill a person) and some snakes are quite large and deserve respect. A lot of the ear comes from snakes having teeth. Not all snakes have teeth or fangs. There are 16 species of Egg Eating Snakes native to  Africa that don't have teeth. Their diet consist of eggs.

These snakes have no teeth or fangs. They are not venomous. Some people keep them as pets however finding proper size eggs to feed the snake can be a challenge.

Thanks or visiting and I will be back with F tomorrow!

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: D is for Dragon, Bearded Dragons

 When people think of dragons they think of mythical, fire-breathing, fierce reptiles. In the real world dragon don't breathe fire, aren't that mythical and some can be fierce, some think they are fierce and some just can't pull it off.

Photo by  André Karwath (CC BY-SA 2.5)

I wanted to write about the Bearded Dragon which is a popular lizard for a pet. Central Bearded Dragons are native to Australia. Bearded Dragos eat mostly insects. They also eats leaves, flowers, fruits and vegetables. It has been my experience that they are easy to handle.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: C is for Cottonmouth

(Cottonmouth photo Mike Spain)

The Cottonmouth is a venomous, pit viper native to the southeastern United States.  Fun fact the Cottonmouth is the only semiaquatic viper in the world.

(Cottonmouth in the water, photo by Mike Spain)

The snake earned it's name due to a defense behavior where it will open it's mouth. It is a warning it might bite. It would prefer the threat would just leave it alone.

The Cottonmouth is known by many names and is also good at hiding.

Can you see the snake in this picture? (picture by Mike Spain)

If you come across this snake in the wild, it is best to observe from a distance. Do not handle! The snake doesn't want to eat you, you are too big and not on it's menu. If the snake bites you it will ruin your day. At the minimum it will hurt and could be fatal. If bitten seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Stay tuned as the A to Z Challenge will resume on Monday. What reptile will I choose for D? 

 

Roy Williams calls it a Career

 Roy Williams the legendary Coach of the North Carolina Tar Heals and Kansas Jayhawks announced his retirement from coaching.

Why is he legendary? He is a Hall of Famer enshrined in the College Basketball Hall of Fame and The Basketball Hall of Fame. Williams is the only Coach to win over 400 games at two Division One schools and the only Coach to lead two schools to at least four Final Fours. Roy coached three National Championship teams at North Carolina. Obviously along the way he was awarded many awards.

His career record 903-264. 46 of his players went into the NBA. He leaves behind an incredible legacy in college basketball. He will be missed by his peers, fans and players. However at the age of 70 his life continues in retirement.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: B is for Box Turtle

 

Photo of Florida Box Turtle by Jonathan Zander

Continuing my way through my A to Z reptiles edition. Today representing B for Box Turtles. Box turtles were once quite common but their numbers have been on the decline.

Here is a short documentary on the Eastern Box Turtle...

The box turtle is a turtle that is terrestrial and is the one any of us have stumbled upon in wooded areas. Hopefully future generations can enjoy Box Turtles as well.

Stay tuned Saturday for my C post.  

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: A is for Anole

 

Picture of a Green Anole (photo by Michael Spain)

Below 6 Facts about Green and Brown Anoles

Green Anoles can change colors from green to brown. The Brown Anole is an invasive species from Cuba and now outnumbers the Green Anole in Florida.

Thanks for joining me on the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge my theme this year is Reptiles.