Species Repository
Browse care guides for exotic and reptile species. All information is for educational purposes and does not replace professional veterinary advice.
Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula
An arboreal tarantula endemic to the Caribbean island of Martinique, where it spins silk retreats in trees, s…
Arizona Bark Scorpion
A small, slender, yellowish-tan buthid from the south-western USA (Arizona, southern California, Nevada, Utah…
Arizona Blonde Tarantula
A desert tarantula from the south-western USA, mainly Arizona, where it lives in deep burrows dug under stone…
Asian Forest Scorpion
A large black forest scorpion from humid forests of South and South-East Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, …
Axolotl
Native only to Lake Xochimilco and formerly Lake Chalco near Mexico City, where it is now critically endanger…
Bearded Dragon
Native to the semi-arid woodland, scrub and rocky desert of inland eastern and central Australia. A heavy-bod…
Blue Forest Scorpion
A big forest scorpion from tropical rainforest and wetland forest in Borneo, the Philippines and Indonesia, w…
Blue-tongued Skink
Native to northern, eastern and south-eastern Australia, with one subspecies on the Tanimbar Islands of Indon…
Bold Jumping Spider
Widespread across the USA, southern Canada and northern Mexico in grassland, open woodland, gardens and build…
Brazilian Black Tarantula
Native to southern Brazil near the Uruguayan border, where it lives in open grassland and forest edges and us…
Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Native to South America east of the Andes, from the Amazon basin to northern Argentina, in humid forest and s…
Brazilian Red and White Tarantula
A large, heavy-bodied terrestrial tarantula from Brazil that digs its own burrow or takes over an existing on…
Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater
One of the largest tarantulas in the world, endemic to the Atlantic forest region of north-eastern Brazil, wh…
Brazilian Whiteknee Tarantula
Native to the lowland rainforest of the Amazon basin in northern Brazil, where it lives in burrows. A large, …
Burmese Python
Native to southern and south-east Asia, from eastern India and Nepal to southern China, Java and Sulawesi, in…
California Kingsnake
Native to the western United States and north-western Mexico, in habitats from desert and grassland to chapar…
Carolina Wolf Spider
The largest wolf spider in North America, found from the eastern USA to the desert Southwest on open, flat gr…
Carpet Python
Native to most of Australia (except the arid centre and west) and to New Guinea and nearby islands, in habita…
Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula
A large, heavy-bodied terrestrial tarantula from the grasslands of Paraguay and Argentina in the Gran Chaco r…
Children's Python
Native to northern Australia, from the Kimberley across the Top End to northern Queensland, in rocky country,…
Chilean Rose Tarantula
Native to the dry scrub and high desert of northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, where it lives in burrows f…
Cobalt Blue Tarantula
An Old World burrowing tarantula from tropical forest in Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand, where it spends a…
Common Boa
Ranges from Mexico through Central America to north-western South America, in habitats from rainforest to dry…
Common Garter Snake
The most widespread snake in North America, found from Canada to Florida in meadows, woodland, marshes and al…
Corn Snake
Native to the south-eastern and central United States, where it lives in overgrown fields, woodland edges, pi…
Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula
A burrowing terrestrial tarantula from semi-arid scrubland in western Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras, whe…
Crested Gecko
Endemic to the South Province of New Caledonia (southern Grande Terre and the Isle of Pines), where it lives …
Cupboard Spider (False Widow)
Native to Europe and temperate Asia and now found worldwide, it is established in houses across England, Wale…
Curly Hair Tarantula
Formally recorded from northern Costa Rica, with hobby stock also traced to Nicaragua and Honduras, it lives …
Dairy Cow Isopod
A woodlouse probably native to North Africa that is now found worldwide, including Britain, where it has been…
Deathstalker
A slender, straw-yellow buthid from the deserts and dry scrub of North Africa and the Middle East, sheltering…
Desert Hairy Scorpion
North America's largest scorpion, from the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of the south-western USA and north-west…
Dumeril's Boa
Endemic to western and south-western Madagascar, where it lives on the ground in dry forest and spiny thicket…
Dwarf Wood Scorpion
A tiny, flattened scorpion that lives in rotting wood and under bark and stones across tropical Asia, Austral…
Emperor Scorpion
A large, glossy black scorpion from the rainforest and humid savannah of West Africa, where it burrows under …
Flat Rock Scorpion
A very flat scorpion from dry bushveld rock outcrops in northern South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambi…
Florida Bark Scorpion
A slender bark scorpion native to Mexico and Central America and introduced to Florida, the Caribbean, parts …
Ghost Mantis
Widespread in dry bush and open woodland across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. A small mantis of 4.5-5 cm…
Giant African Land Snail
Native to East Africa and now an invasive pest across much of the tropics, it lives in damp vegetation and le…
Giant African Millipede
From lowland forest and coastal woodland of East Africa (Mozambique to Kenya). One of the world's largest mil…
Giant Asian Mantis
From South-East Asia, where it lives on shrubs and trees in hot, humid climates. A large, sturdy praying mant…
Giant Prickly Stick Insect
From the rainforests of eastern Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Females are heavy, spiny, leaf-lik…
Golden Blue-leg Baboon
An Old World baboon spider from a small area of South Africa's Eastern Cape around Makhanda (Grahamstown), wh…
Golden Desert Scorpion
A stocky burrowing scorpion from the deserts and dry woodland of North Africa and the Middle East, where it d…
Goliath Birdeater
The world's heaviest spider, from rainforest in northern South America (Venezuela, the Guianas and northern B…
Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula
An arboreal Old World tarantula known in the wild only from a small, heavily degraded forest area in Andhra P…
Green Bottle Blue Tarantula
Native to the arid Paraguaná Peninsula of northern Venezuela, where it lives in heavily webbed burrows under …
Green Tree Python
Native to New Guinea, nearby Indonesian islands and Australia's Cape York Peninsula, where it lives in rainfo…
Guatemalan Tiger Rump
A small terrestrial tarantula from southern Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras).…
Heavy Jumping Spider
Found across South-East Asia and southern China in forests, gardens and urban areas. A large, heavy-bodied ju…
Hermann's Tortoise
Native to southern Europe, from eastern Spain, southern France and Italy (western subspecies) through the Bal…
Honduran Milk Snake
Native to the Caribbean lowlands of Honduras and Nicaragua and north-eastern Costa Rica, in tropical forest a…
Indian Ornamental Tarantula
An arboreal Old World tarantula from southeastern India, where it lives in holes in tall trees and spins asym…
Indian Stick Insect
From southern India (culture stock originates in Tamil Nadu), it is the classic laboratory stick insect and a…
Javan Dwarf Scorpion
A small forest scorpion described from Java, Indonesia, where it shelters under stones and fallen wood in hum…
Kenyan Sand Boa
Found in north and east Africa, from Egypt and Niger to Kenya and northern Tanzania, in semi-desert and dry s…
Leopard Gecko
Native to dry grassland, scrub and rocky semi-desert in Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, western Nepa…
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Native to Madagascar, where it lives in rotting logs on the forest floor. A large, wingless, glossy brown coc…
Mexican Black Kingsnake
Native to Sonora and Sinaloa in north-western Mexico and a small part of south-eastern Arizona, in rocky and …
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula
A terrestrial tarantula from dry scrubland on the Pacific side of Guerrero, Mexico, where it lives in burrows…
Mexican Red Rump Tarantula
A burrowing terrestrial tarantula from southern Mexico, including the Yucatan Peninsula, and Central America …
Mexican Red-knee Tarantula
Native to the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur in Colima, Jalisco and M…
Orange Baboon Tarantula
An Old World baboon spider from central, eastern and southern Africa, including Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Moza…
Pantropical Huntsman Spider
Found throughout the tropics and in heated buildings elsewhere, often in houses, barns and banana shipments, …
Pinktoe Tarantula
A tree-dwelling tarantula from the humid rainforests of northern South America and Trinidad and Tobago, inclu…
Pueblan Milk Snake
Native to southern Puebla, eastern Morelos and northern Oaxaca in Mexico, in dry, rocky scrub. A slim milk sn…
Regal Jumping Spider
Native to the south-eastern United States (especially Florida), the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles, where i…
Reticulated Python
Ranges across south and south-east Asia, from the Nicobar Islands and India through Indonesia to the Philippi…
Rosy Boa
Found in the deserts and rocky scrub of the south-western United States and north-western Mexico, often among…
Royal Python
Native to West and Central Africa, from Senegal to Sudan and Uganda, where it lives in grassland, savanna and…
Shiny Burrowing Scorpion
A heavy-bodied burrowing scorpion from dry savanna in southern and eastern Africa, including South Africa, Bo…
Socotra Island Blue Baboon
An Old World tarantula found only on Socotra, an island belonging to Yemen, where it lives in a hot, fairly d…
Spotted Python
Native to eastern Queensland, northern New South Wales and southern Papua New Guinea, favouring rocky hillsid…
Sun Beetle
A flower chafer from west and central Africa, where adults feed on ripe and rotting fruit. Adults are 20-30 m…
Tanzanian Giant Tailless Whip Scorpion
From Kenya, Tanzania and central Africa, where it hides in caves, rock crevices and under fallen logs. Not a …
Tanzanian Red-clawed Scorpion
A dark brown to black scorpion with reddish claws from East Africa, mainly Tanzania, where it lives under roc…
Texas Rat Snake
Found mainly in Texas, extending into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, in swamps, woodland, grassland, farml…
Thai Forest Scorpion
A large, jet-black forest scorpion from humid, peaty forest in Laos and Vietnam. Adults reach about 12 cm, an…
Transvaal Thick-tailed Scorpion
One of the largest buthids, from semi-arid scrub and desert in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambiqu…
Veiled Chameleon
Native to the mountains, plateaus and valleys of Yemen and south-western Saudi Arabia, where it lives in tree…
Venezuelan Suntiger
An arboreal New World tarantula from Venezuela, Guyana and northern Brazil that builds webbed retreats in cre…
Western Hognose Snake
Found from southern Canada through the central United States into northern Mexico, on sandy or gravelly prair…
Yellow Fat-tailed Scorpion
A yellow buthid with a very thick tail from the deserts and arid mountains of North Africa, hiding under ston…