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As a little Christmas celebration here at Reptile World Facts we have a trio of Christmas articles for you guys! Today’s article for Christmas Eve will be 10 brilliantly red reptiles, tomorrow for Christmas Day we’ll have 10 very Christmas-y reptiles, and on boxing day we’ll finish off the Christmas colour combo with 10 green reptiles! So let’s get started and look at some reptiles that are gorgeously red – a very Christmas-y colour indeed! We’ve even included some info on each of the reptiles so you can learn a bit more about each of these awesome reptiles!
Top 10 List – Red Reptiles
1. Red Footed Tortoise
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Scientific Name: Chelonoidis carbonaria
Geographic Range: Northern South America
LifeSpan: 50 Years
Conservation Status: No Special Status
Red-Footed Tortoises are medium sized tortoises that on average grow to about 12 – 16 inches. Due to their beautiful appearance they are popular pets, and their popularity has led to over collection, which threatens the stability of the overall population. They can be found around the Amazon Basin, in habitats ranging from savannahs to forest edges. They are omnivorous animals, with the main staple of their diet being various fruits. However, they are also known to snack on grasses, flowers, fungi, invertebrates, and dead animals they happen upon.
They have dark-colored shells that have a lighter patch in the middle of each scale. Their dark limbs have brightly colored scales that can be different shades of red (sometimes even yellow), that are the inspiration for their name – the red footed tortoise.
2. Red Spitting Cobra
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Scientific Name: Naja pallida
Geographic Range: Africa
LifeSpan: 20 Years
Conservation Status: Not Listed
The next of our red reptiles is the red spitting cobra, which is a species that can be found in various parts of Africa. They are another medium-sized species, and on average are around 2 – 4 feet in length. They are a beautiful cobra, and the average appearance of one is a bright salmon-red colour for the scales, with a contrasting thick black throat band. However based on where in Africa they are located, they can also be pinkish, pale red, orange, orange red, and any variations in-between.
As with many snakes, the Red Spitting Cobra is carnivorous, feeding primarily on toads and frogs, but also will prey on birds, rodents, and even chickens. As the name suggests, this cobra is venomous, and is able to spit its venom at their prey or when they feel threatened. Bite symptoms include: pain around the wound, numbness of the lips, fingers and tongue. While the venom rarely causes human fatalities, many of the survivors have or will become disfigured by the venom.
3. Bamboo Rat Snake
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Scientific Name: Oreocryptophis porphyraceus
Geographic Range: Southeastern Asia
LifeSpan: 15+ Years
Conservation Status: Not Listed
Our third red reptiles are the extremely beautiful bamboo rat snake. These snakes are characterized by a small, sharp and squarish head. Their scales can be any variation of bright red or orange colors, along with thinner black stripes that run down their back either horizontally or vertically. They can be found in mid to upper-level elevations, in the various forests of Southeastern Asia. The types of forests include both dry seasonal forests and evergreen tropical forests.
They are carnivorous snakes whose main diet consists of rodents, other small mammals, and possibly frogs.
4. Brazilian Rainbow Boa
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Scientific Name: Epicrates c. cenchria
Geographic Range: Central and South America
LifeSpan: 20+ Years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
See Our Article On Them: Here
Brazilian Rainbow Boas are boas that are endemic to Central and South America, and are known for the iridescence sheen that their scales give off. Due to this gorgeous iridescence they have become popular in the pet trade. The standard colouration for these boas is usually a variation of oranges, browns, and reds, with black markings. However, morphs have been created, and the rainbow boa pictured above is a beautiful example of that – creating an extremely bright, deep red coloured snake.
Brazilian Rainbow boas are terrestrial snakes that hang out in the trees, and can grow to around 5 or 6 feet, with females often being slightly larger than males. In the wild their main diet consists of small mammals, rodents, birds, bats, and even small lizards.
5. Geyri Uromastyx
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Scientific Name: Uromastyx geyri
Geographic Range: Algeria, Mali, and Niger
LifeSpan: 15-30 Years
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Geyri Uromastyx’ are one of the many uromastyx species of lizards belonging to the Agamid family. They are endemic to North Africa, specifically only being found in Algeria, Mali, and Niger. They can be found in the mountainous regions of the central Sahara, and prefer habitats that have rocky areas they can wedge themselves into.
Uromastyx Geyri is one of the most common species that have been imported to the pet trade, the other being the Mali uromastyx. Male Geyri uromastyx tend to exhibit a bright yellow or orange colour (or sometimes bright red as shown above), while females are more often a plain tan colour. Uromastyx are mainly herbivorous lizards, feeding on the various plants found in their habitat.
Uromastyx geyri is a species of lizard belonging to the familyAgamidae. The species is endemic to North Africa.
6. Coral Red Kukri
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Scientific Name: Oligodon kheriensis
Geographic Range: Selective Forest Ranges of Himalayas
LifeSpan: Unknown
Conservation Status: Not Listed
Not much is known about the Coral Kukri snake, despite being first described in 1936 by the North Kheri Division. These snakes are known from only 3 specimens – the first was found in the Kheri Division of Uttar Pradesh, India, the second was found in Mahendranagar in western Nepal, and the third was found in 2002 in the vicinity of the Chitwan National Park.
Coral Kukri’s are a beautiful snake that can range from bright orange to a coral red colour. They are thought to be nocturnal snakes that live mostly underground, and that they prey on earth worms and larvae, however this is not definitely confirmed.
7. Red Amazon Tree Boa
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Scientific Name: Corallus hortulanus
Geographic Range: South America
LifeSpan: 20 Years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
The next red reptiles on our list are the Amazon Tree Boa. These gorgeous snakes grow to an average length of 5 – 6.6 feet, and have a large range of natural colourations. They can be a variation of blacks, browns, grays, reds, oranges, and yellows. Their patterns are also diverse in that some are patternless, and some may be speckled, banded, or have other various shapes down their bodies.
Amazon tree boas are a rather slim boa from South America, which spends a large part of their nights hunting for prey. They are available as pets and can be found in the pet trade, however they have been known to be one of the more aggressive snakes. Like all boas however, they are not venomous so their bite may be painful, but not dangerous.
8. Iguana
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Scientific Name: Iguana iguana
Geographic Range: Southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico and the Caribbean islands. They have been introduced from South America to Puerto Rico, and the United States – South Florida, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
LifeSpan: Around 20 Years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
The next reptile on our list is one that I’m sure many people recognize – the Iguana! Despite commonly being referred to as Green Iguanas, these herbivores actually come in many colours. Greens, blues, oranges, reds, lavenders, yellows, grays, and browns, almost any colour you can think of – some iguana somewhere has it!
In addition to theirs beautiful colours, Green Iguanas also have a row of spines that run down their back, onto their tails that they use to help protect them from predators. They also possess whip like tails that can be used to strike predators and deliver a painful whack. Like many lizards, when grabbed by the tail Iguanas have the ability to drop part of their tail to allow them to escape, and will eventually regrow a new tail. They also have a dewlap under their neck, which helps regulate their body temperature, and is used in courtship and territorial displays.
9. Fire Skink
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Scientific Name: Lepidothyris fernandi
Geographic Range: Western Africa
LifeSpan: 15-20 Years
Conservation Status: Not Listed
The Fire Skink is a fairly large species of skink that is known for their beautiful bright red colouration. They are a relatively shy and reclusive diurns skink that loves to spend their time burrowing and hiding in the ground. The fire skink is fairly large for a species of skink, reaching up to 15 inches including their tail. The fire skink is a popular pet due to it’s beautiful bright colours. Light golden brown scales run down the back of the skink, with red and black bars surrounded by silver-y scales. (The skink in the photo above is a patternless morph).
10. Gargoyle Gecko
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Scientific Name: Rhacodactylus auriculatus
Geographic Range: New Caledonia
LifeSpan: 15-20 Years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Our last of the red reptiles is the Gargoyle Gecko, which got its common name from the bumps on their head that give the appearance of horns or ears. The auriculatus in their scientific name is Latin for “ears” or “eared”. They can be found only on the southern end of the island of New Caledonia in the wild, however they are very popular in the pet trade due to their easier care and beautiful appearance. Many breeders enjoy breeding them to create gorgeous colours and morphs.
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