Marine reptiles are reptiles which have become secondarily adapted for an aquatic or semiaquatic life in a marine environment.
The Galápagos Islands xeric scrub, also known as the Galápagos Islands scrubland mosaic, is a terrestrial deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion that covers the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos Islands are volcanic in origin, and remote from continents and other islands. The ecoregion is well known for its unique endemic species, including giant tortoises, birds, and marine iguanas, which evolved in isolation to adapt to islands' environments.
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner described hundreds of new species of fish and dozens of new amphibians and reptiles. At least seven species of reptile have been named after him.
The Galápagos Islands are located off the west coast of South America straddling the equator. The Galápagos are located at the confluence of several currents including the cold Humboldt Current traveling north from South America and the Panama Current traveling south from Central America make the islands cooler and provide the perfect environment for the unique mix of wildlife that inhabits the islands.
Franz Josef Maria Werner was an Austrian zoologist and explorer. Specializing as a herpetologist and entomologist, Werner described numerous species and other taxa of frogs, snakes, insects, and other organisms.
Alsophis is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. Species in the genus Alsophis are among those snakes commonly called "racers". Alsophis species are endemic to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. One species in the genus Alsophis, A. antiguae, is one of the world's rarest known snakes. Snakes of the genus Alsophis are small and rear-fanged, and they are considered harmless to humans. This genus contains nine described species which are recognized as being valid. Several species once included in this genus have been placed in the genera Borikenophis and Pseudalsophis.
Pseudalsophis is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to South America. Out of the ten species, nine are endemic to the Galapagos Islands.
Joseph Richard Slevin was an American herpetologist and the second curator of herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, with which he was affiliated for over 50 years. He collected reptile and amphibian specimens from around the world, notably in the Galápagos Islands in a 17-month expedition, and was largely responsible for re-growing the academy's herpetological collection following its destruction in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He wrote or co-wrote nearly 60 scientific papers, and is commemorated in the scientific names of over a dozen species or subspecies of animals and plants.
The Galápagos racer is a colubrid snake in the genus Pseudalsophis that is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is a mildly venomous constrictor but it is not considered aggressive or harmful to humans. The two subspecies are the eastern and western racers, the latter being larger, longer, and darker than the former. The western subspecies specializes in hunting fish, while both subspecies eat small reptiles, eggs, rodents, and bird hatchlings. The Galapagos racer is near threatened due to recently introduced species that feed on snake eggs, including pigs, rats, mice, and cats. It is one of only three species of snakes on the Galápagos Islands, and it was first described in 1860. In November 2016, a video clip from the BBC series Planet Earth II showing a group of Galápagos racers hunting marine iguana hatchlings became a viral trend.
Gilbert's leaf-toed gecko, also known commonly as the Wenman Island gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Galapagos Islands.
Chelonoidis niger duncanensis, commonly known as the Pinzón Island giant tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise endemic to Pinzón Island in the Galápagos.
Pseudalsophis thomasi, or Thomas' racer, a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to several islands in the Galápagos group.
Scolopendra galapagoensis, also known as the Galápagos centipede and Darwin's goliath centipede, is species of very large centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the only representative of the genus Scolopendra on the Galapagos Islands, among twelve other species of centipede present on the Islands. It is also found on mainland South America in Ecuador and Peru, and on Cocos Island in Costa Rica.
Pseudalsophis darwini, otherwise known as Darwin's racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis dorsalis, otherwise known as the Central Galapagos racer or the Santa Cruz racer is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis hephaestus, otherwise known as the Santiago racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis hoodensis, otherwise known as the Espanola racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Pseudalsophis slevini , the Banded Galapagos snake or Pinzon racer, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is named for Joseph Slevin, a curator at the California Academy of Sciences.
Micrurus steindachneri, the piedmont coral snake or Steindachner's coral snake, is a species of snake of the family Elapidae.
