Home / Albums / Natural History / Reptiles 63

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The figure represents a tortoise. When one sees a resemblance between this creature's head and neck and the linga, one can understand why both in. India and in Greece the animal should be regarded as sacred to the goddess personifying the female creator, and why in Hindoo myths it is said to support the world.
103 visits
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The Adder is spoken of five times in the Bible, and the word is used as the translation of no less than four distinct Hebrew words. In Gen. 49:17 the Adder is spoken of as hiding in the way and biting the horse's
heels so that the rider is overthrown. The Hebrew term in this passage (elsewhere rendered ' cockatrice ') is probably the same word as the modern Arabic name for the Horned Sand Snake or Cerastes haselquistii. It is the habit of this extremely venomous viper to lurk in the ruts of wheels or the depression of a footprint by the roadside, and to bite the legs of unwary passers-by, or of horses or cattle. Horses, aware of its nature, are said to be in terror of the Cerastes, and cannot be induced to proceed, once they have detected the concealed reptile, for its bite is most deadly. It derives its name of ' horned ' from the presence of two protuberances, one over each eye. It is of a grayish tint, about a foot long, and very active. The asp of Cleopatra, ' the pretty worm of Nilus,' has been identified with this animal, which is to be seen figured on ancient Egyptian monuments.
[Adder Horned Asp ]
228 visits
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Image 5341
181 visits
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Turtle
203 visits
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While it is not strange that the seal can be easily tamed, we should not look for such a thing in so savage an animal as the alligator, the most feared and hated of the animals found in the waters of our Southern States. Yet even this ferocious reptile can be tamed, as the following story will show.
The alligator in question was taken when very young, before its wild nature had shown itself, and was fed and attended to by its master, of whom it became very fond. It grew so tame that it would follow him about the house like a dog, even scrambling up and down stairs after him.
But the funny thing about this comical pet was that its chief friend was the cat, and that pussy returned its friendship. When the cat lay drowsing before the fire, the alligator would crawl up, lay its head on her back, and go to sleep in this position. It seemed happy whenever the cat was near, but grew very restless if its furry friend was away.
Raw flesh was fed to it and sometimes milk, which it liked very much. At night, in cold weather, it slept in a box, with wool for it to nestle in. But one night there came a sharp frost and the little guest was forgotten. The next morning the native of warm climates was found frozen to death.
259 visits
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Wood turtle
566 visits
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Wall gecko
467 visits
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Viper
464 visits
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Tiger snake
500 visits
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Teju
434 visits
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Striped oar-tailed snake
436 visits
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Spectacled snake
666 visits
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Snapping turtle
436 visits
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Smooth Snake
463 visits
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Slow Worm
484 visits
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Skink
412 visits
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Shrewd Crocodile
414 visits
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Scheltopoesik
423 visits
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Sand viper
425 visits
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Rattlesnake
435 visits
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Puff adder
451 visits
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Pleat Gecko
436 visits
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Pearl lizard
434 visits
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Panther snake
440 visits
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Pama
441 visits
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Yellow-green biting adder
428 visits
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Moloch
443 visits
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Mokassin snake
479 visits
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Matamata
430 visits
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Legoean
410 visits
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Leatherback turtle
451 visits
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Large-headed Turtle
412 visits
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Lancet snake
455 visits
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Kingsnake
444 visits
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Jila animal
397 visits
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Horned Viper
430 visits
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Helmet basiliscus
411 visits
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Hardy
376 visits
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Greek Tortoise
400 visits
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Grass Snake
403 visits
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Gharial
379 visits
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Genuine Hawksbill Turtle
429 visits
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European Freshwater Turtle
402 visits
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Esculapius snake
396 visits
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Diamond rattlesnake
380 visits
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Dark Whip snake
417 visits
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Coral Red Flake
516 visits
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Coral red Coilsnake
418 visits
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Copper snake
404 visits
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Common Lizard
410 visits
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Chirote
363 visits
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Checkerboard and Viper-colored Swim Snake
432 visits
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Chameleon
423 visits
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Bridgehead Lizard
407 visits
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Bosch master
406 visits
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Bicolor Sea Snake
425 visits
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Belted tail
426 visits
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Assala snake swallowing a bird whole
526 visits
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Anaconda
392 visits
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Alligator
421 visits
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Nilewar
445 visits
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Image 294
856 visits
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Image 292
798 visits