{"id":40518,"date":"2024-08-02T15:08:03","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T13:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/91ed0a55-f2b4-4995-a2c8-b27a31cfae55"},"modified":"2024-08-02T15:27:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T13:27:34","slug":"are-these-the-weirdest-reptiles-in-the-world-discover-the-wackiest-reptiles-from-lizards-that-run-on-water-to-a-devil-with-two-heads","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/are-these-the-weirdest-reptiles-in-the-world-discover-the-wackiest-reptiles-from-lizards-that-run-on-water-to-a-devil-with-two-heads\/","title":{"rendered":"Are these the weirdest reptiles in the world? Discover the wackiest reptiles, from lizards that run on water to a devil with two heads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover the world’s weirdest and wackiest reptiles <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 02 August 2024 at 13:08 PM<\/p>

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Reptiles are a diverse group of animals, and some of them have truly bizarre and fascinating characteristics \u2013 here are a few of the weirdest reptiles on the planet<\/strong>.<\/p>

Amphibian vs reptile: what’s the difference?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Weirdest reptiles in the world<\/h2>
Green basilisk<\/h3>
Green basilisk. Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
A lizard that can run on water? Meet the Green basilisk – also known as the ‘Jesus Christ lizard’ – which can run across water at speeds of 5 feet per second. That’s pretty nippy. They live in Central American rainforests and think nothing of dropping from a tree into the water and sprinting away if threatened.<\/p>
Discover the bird that can walk on water<\/a><\/strong><\/p>
Lizard vs newt: what’s the difference?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
Why do lizards run on two legs?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>Flying dragon <\/h3>
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Flying dragon. Credit: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Thought flying dragons only existed in Harry Potter<\/em>? Think again! Meet the Draco volan<\/em>. These quirky lizards, which live in Southeast Asian forests, have elongated ribs that support wing-like flaps of skin, allowing them to glide between trees.<\/p>
Flying snake<\/h3>Flying snake. Credit: Getty Videos<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Speaking of flying reptiles, have you heard of the flying snake? They do exist but, like the lizard, it’s more of a glider than flyer.<\/p>
There are five species of flying snake (surely one of the world’s weirdest snakes<\/a>) in Asia, which can glide for about 100 metres. They are the only known limbless\u00a0 vertebrates<\/a>\u00a0that can glide though the air.<\/p>
Armadillo girdled lizard <\/h3>
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Armadillo girdled lizard. Credit: Getty Videos<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Think rolling into a ball is unique to species such as armadillos, pangolins<\/a>\u00a0and hedgehogs<\/a>? Think again, for the spiny (appropriately named) armadillo girdled lizard can also roll itself into a ball to protect itself from predators. It lives in the South African deserts and has a life expectancy of 20-25 years.<\/p>
Thorny devil <\/h3>
Thorny devil. Credit: Getty Videos<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Who doesn’t need a second head? Covered in spikes, the desert-living thorny devil has a false head on the back of its neck to confuse predators. But that’s not its only weird adaptation \u2013 its ridged scales act as water collectors! By making the slightest contact with a source of water, such as dew, soil moisture and rain, the reptile can draw it towards its mouth along the channels between the scales. The water moves against gravity by capillary action. <\/p>
Leaf-tailed gecko <\/h3>
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Leaf-tailed gecko. Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The need to camouflage<\/a> has produced a wide array of weird creatures, and the leaf-tailed gecko of the Madagascan rainforests is no exception. Its exceptional camouflaging abilities makes it look just like leaves.<\/p>
Komodo dragon<\/h3>
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Komodo dragon. Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
One of the world’s most venomous animals<\/a>, the komodo dragon<\/a> has a pair of venom glands in its lower jaws, containing poison as potent as that of the deadliest terrestrial snakes. But that’s not the only thing that’s weird about them. Known for their razor-sharp teeth, it has now been discovered that these teeth are coated with iron<\/a>.<\/strong> This protective layer keeps the serrated edges of their teeth sharp, meaning the 80kg lizards can tear quickly and efficiently through the flesh of their prey.<\/p>
Matamata turtle <\/h3>Matamata turtle. Credit: Getty Videos<\/figcaption><\/figure>
As turtles go, the Matamata turtle, of the slow-moving rivers and swamps of South America, is pretty weird-looking \u2013 its appearance mimics debris on the bottom of a river. <\/p>
Turtle vs tortoise: what’s the difference?<\/a><\/li>
The 7 different types of sea turtle<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
North American horned lizard<\/h3>
$\"Horned$
North American horned lizard. Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
And finally, we meet the world’s weirdest lizard<\/a> and one of the weirdest animals in the on Earth<\/a>, the North American horned lizard. This quirky creature has special powers that allows it to wield superiority over potential predators. It boasts excellent\u00a0 camouflage<\/a>; has armoured, spiky skin; and can inflate its body to double its size.<\/p>
But their real super-power is their ability to shoot\u00a0 blood<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 loaded with foul\u00a0 toxins<\/a>\u00a0gleaned from a diet of venomous ants<\/a> \u2013 from their eyes, to a distance of up to nine times their body length.<\/p>
So precise is their aim that these little lizards can see off wolves and coyotes many times their size, blasting the predators square in the face.<\/p>
Discover some more weird species<\/strong><\/p>
Weirdest birds: meet strange and weird wonders of the avian world<\/a><\/li>
Transparent animals: Discover weird invisible creatures you can see right though<\/a><\/li>
The weirdest frogs, from ultrasonic screamers to the bizarrely hairy. There’s even a frog that can fly…<\/a><\/li>
Weirdest sea creatures – meet the strangest sea creatures of the deep<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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Weirdest reptiles in the world<\/h2>