# whats your favorite group/family of reptiles or amphibians?



## ArachnidKid1997 (May 29, 2014)

Just curious, what is your favorite family/group of herps and why?

Mine would be the Varanid family (monitor lizards). If I had the money and space I would own every varanid available in the pet trade. My main attraction to them is their intelligence and just cause they look cool


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## The Snark (May 29, 2014)

Sorry your thread is getting snarked. Anyway, Ophiophagus Hannah of the group Ophiophagus, genus Ophiophagus, it's being a member giving the entire Elapidae family some class.
Least favorite reptiles would be my inlaws.

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## pnshmntMMA (May 29, 2014)

Turtles without a doubt. Growing up near so much water and swampland, I was quite the turtler. I sure miss them. We dont have many here. 


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## ArachnidKid1997 (May 30, 2014)

Lol yea I guess there's a big difference between groups and families :/

I also love kings, very smart snakes to say in the least


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## Najakeeper (May 30, 2014)

Tough one .

Family: Elapidae
Genus: Naja
Spesific species: Acanthophis wellsi

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## Shrike (May 30, 2014)

Family:  I'd have to go with Colubridae.  So much diversity.

Genus:  Heterodon or Drymarchon

Species:  Drymarchon couperi.  The coolest snake out there, period.

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## Tivia (May 30, 2014)

My favorite would have to be Phelsuma.  The colors that most of them have are so striking.  They are also very entertaining critters.  I have 2 Phelsuma grandis and I love them to bits.

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## pitbulllady (May 30, 2014)

Snakes by far, and out of the snakes, my favorite genus would have to be _Nerodia_, the North American Water Snakes.

pitbulllady

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## cold blood (May 30, 2014)

I have always had a "soft" spot for salamanders.   Haven't kept them for years, though, but they're just so cool....close second is turtles, their lifespan amazes and impresses me (as does their appetite).  I keep a pair of snappers, they are quite entertaining.   Snakes are neat too, though.  Anything that gets around without appendages is impressive.   As a kid I used to love catching northern water snakes (N. sipedon), always a favorite too, pitbulllady, they are incredibly abundant in northern WI.  I recall catching some almost 5 ft and they were always in a bad mood.  I still don't have the cuticle on a few fingers from them, they took it 30 years ago, and it never grew back ...I am lucky enough to find northern red bellies (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata) where I live, gorgeous little snakes.

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## pnshmntMMA (Jun 1, 2014)

pitbulllady said:


> Snakes by far, and out of the snakes, my favorite genus would have to be _Nerodia_, the North American Water Snakes.
> 
> pitbulllady


Ive snagged a few Northern Water Snakes (N sipedon) while fishing and wooo those guys can get mean. Beautiful snakes however. 

What about them strikes your fancy? Also, how does one care for them in captivity? This is all interesting. I've always wanted a snake but have no room. 


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## pitbulllady (Jun 1, 2014)

pnshmntMMA said:


> Ive snagged a few Northern Water Snakes (N sipedon) while fishing and wooo those guys can get mean. Beautiful snakes however.
> 
> What about them strikes your fancy? Also, how does one care for them in captivity? This is all interesting. I've always wanted a snake but have no room.
> 
> ...


A lot of that "mean" is just for show...and lasts only like 5 minutes, if that long, IF it shows up at all.  The longest it has taken me to fully tame any _Nerodia_ is two days, tops.  I guess it has to do with how you pick them up, initially.  A sure way to get bitten by just about any snake is to grab ahold of it.  That's how a predator would snag a snake.  Lift up from the bottom, from underneath the snake, and rather than physically grip and restrain, let the snake glide through your hands as you interchange hand-over-hand, "treadmill" style, so the snake does not feel like it's being attacked by a predator.  Takes 99% of Water Snakes less than five minutes to figure out that you aren't going to hurt them, and from that point on, you've got a very mellow, sweet-natured lap snake.  Most Bandeds and Red-Bellies never even attempt to bite, and the worse you will get is a good musking the first time you pick one up.  They are very docile, lazy snakes-think of a Ball Python that has rough scales and does not constrict, and does not need any auxiliary heat source.  You care for a Water Snake the same as you would any other native Colubrid, with the exception of diet.  They are not, by nature, rodent feeders, although they can be fooled, and eventually conditioned, to eat f/t rodents.  Red-Bellies and Northerns are the easiest to switch over from their normal diet of fish and amphibians to rodents and the former can take fairly large rats as adults.  I actually like the fish eating part, though, with the exception of the fact that fish is quickly processed, which means more feedings and a LOT of poop!  You can actually feed these appropriate species of fish from the supermarket meat dept. or from a fish market; fish like tilapia, salmon, flounder, perch and whiting are ideal food for these snakes, and here in the Southeast, fresh fish is readily available.  These snakes will happily snatch a fish cutlet right off of tongs.  You can get snake food at the same time and same place as you do your own grocery shopping-no ordering frozen mice, or traveling to purchase rodents, or breeding them yourself!  There are actually a few interesting morphs available in several _Nerodia_ species, especially _N. fasciata pictiventris._  A "Super-Hypo" is hard to beat, color-wise.

pitbulllady

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## The Snark (Jun 1, 2014)

What PBL is saying in a nutshell is, snakes usually hate to be confined. Restricted movement=impending death. But if you don't grab them and just support they come to think of you as an odd warm and sometimes entertaining part of the scenery.

In the 5 years the couple has had Guin, domestic kaouthai, the only time she ever showed aggression was in her cruising the kitchen counter a container slipped and trapped her mid body. They were both startled to see her full hooded, staring down the offending basket.

It also should be mentioned, when handling snakes you need to keep in mind you are messing up their hearing ability. In some snakes this is very acute and they suffer anxiety just like a human being blindfolded in a strange room. The most acute sense of hearing is in arboreal snakes where their 'ears', the jaw, detects through the branches. Terrestrial snakes hear through the ground. The soil being a much more effective transmitter of vibrations. The Barkely Death Adder is an example of this hearing ability extremely refined as it relies strongly on it to detect prey. The snakes normal augmented vision, infra red, is almost blind in the heat of the day but that has no effect on those adders.
So avoid causing your animal panic by being aware of it's senses.

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## Najakeeper (Jun 2, 2014)

The Snark said:


> What PBL is saying in a nutshell is, snakes usually hate to be confined. Restricted movement=impending death. But if you don't grab them and just support they come to think of you as an odd warm and sometimes entertaining part of the scenery.
> 
> In the 5 years the couple has had Guin, domestic kaouthai, the only time she ever showed aggression was in her cruising the kitchen counter a container slipped and trapped her mid body. They were both startled to see her full hooded, staring down the offending basket.
> 
> ...


I totally agree on the above observations. How you hold a snake makes a huge difference. I have a pair of Congo water cobras, which were sold to me as very "defensive" snakes. If you pick them up very slowly and not restrict their movement, they act very very calm. You can easily manipulate them without the need of a hook. If you grab on the their tail though to tail them and restrict their movement, they flail like crazy to the point of injuring themselves.

Also personality of the snake and how they hunt comes into play as well. You just don't get into the strike range with ambush predators like Death Adders because they will bite you, period. But once you get them out with a hook, they are much more calmer.


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## jecraque (Jun 2, 2014)

Well, I came here to give a shoutout to Team Salamander but it seems the scalies are getting all the attention.

Plethodontids are my first and best herp love. I don't keep them as pets, but have kept short-term for research before. I'm also at the point where, having seen many of the really lovely and exciting rare species, I would probably want to branch out from keeping my local Desmogs or P. teyahalee, but, you know, conservation and all.

I would quite like to get into snakes eventually, but not until I live someplace where the rooms are longer than the snakes in question. Lots of land + tiny house makes herping a strictly outdoor venture for the time being.

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## The Snark (Jun 2, 2014)

jecraque said:


> Well, I came here to give a shoutout to Team Salamander but it seems the scalies are getting all the attention.
> 
> I would quite like to get into snakes eventually,...


I think it's because so many of us having experienced scaless reptiles during our social explorations as teenagers. Our brains tend to lock up and we develop blind spots at the very thought. 
As for getting into snakes, I'm sure there are a few anaconda that would be happy to 'accommodate' you. 

Najakeeper. Something that I don't understand. The discovery of a snakes hearing ability gave us the evolutionary missing link between aquatic and terrestrial animals. A milestone with imports and as yet unexplored avenues of research going in all directions. Yet I hardly ever even hear about this. Is it me? Am I living in a vacuum or what? What I found astounding was how simple the scientific proof was to get. The hypothesis being if snakes had transducers, sonic vibration sensors in their jaws, then there must be something more than connective tissue and ligaments connecting the jaw to the upper skull. A transmitter that is elastic and isn't affected when the snake unhinges and reconnects it's jaw. So they examined the tissue and there it was. Highly flexible neural connection cells that aided the sound gathering and transmission mechanism. Your humble death adder is one of the snakes closest to this missing link. Buried in the sand, it's lower jaw is a powerful vibration sensor. This form of hearing so acute it can detect the footsteps of a walking insect. The soil a medium only one small step removed from it's aquatic ancestors sensors using a liquid medium to detect prey.


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## Najakeeper (Jun 2, 2014)

The Snark said:


> I think it's because so many of us having experienced scaless reptiles during our social explorations as teenagers. Our brains tend to lock up and we develop blind spots at the very thought.
> As for getting into snakes, I'm sure there are a few anaconda that would be happy to 'accommodate' you.
> 
> Najakeeper. Something that I don't understand. The discovery of a snakes hearing ability gave us the evolutionary missing link between aquatic and terrestrial animals. A milestone with imports and as yet unexplored avenues of research going in all directions. Yet I hardly ever even hear about this. Is it me? Am I living in a vacuum or what? What I found astounding was how simple the scientific proof was to get. The hypothesis being if snakes had transducers, sonic vibration sensors in their jaws, then there must be something more than connective tissue and ligaments connecting the jaw to the upper skull. A transmitter that is elastic and isn't affected when the snake unhinges and reconnects it's jaw. So they examined the tissue and there it was. Highly flexible neural connection cells that aided the sound gathering and transmission mechanism. Your humble death adder is one of the snakes closest to this missing link. Buried in the sand, it's lower jaw is a powerful vibration sensor. This form of hearing so acute it can detect the footsteps of a walking insect. The soil a medium only one small step removed from it's aquatic ancestors sensors using a liquid medium to detect prey.


I think the main problem is there is very tiny amount for research money that goes towards herpetology and evolutionary biology is not very well off either due to OBVIOUS reasons.

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## The Snark (Jun 2, 2014)

Najakeeper said:


> I think the main problem is there is very tiny amount for research money that goes towards herpetology and evolutionary biology is not very well off either due to OBVIOUS reasons.


What we have here is the need for a major sales pitch. We have a workable hypothesis. Take that to the variou$ religiou$ organizations and tell them, 'Now's your chance. Pour some of those billions into legit scientific research to help try to disprove the evolution in this hypothesis.'

And on that note, I'm going to change my vote on what this thread is about to any reptile that helps to blow the wheels off the bull**** trolley of intelligent design.


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## pnshmntMMA (Jun 2, 2014)

That turned quickly. How come you keep going religious/political snark? I thought we were discussing the animals. It kinda kills threads. People pop in, see it and don't post alot of times. I think it is funny to hear the religious people bark, but just as funny hearing the people with 100% faith in science. We know science has never be wrong...  

I am of the philosophy that there is so much in our world that we don't and never will understand.  It's all worth trying to understand but as a "scientist" I realize there is alot of fluff being "proven" so other scientists can get their name in or on something. I would be careful putting so much emphasis on the truthfulness of things we are told are "fact".

My area of science is not as difficult as others. I deal in the past, I can hold someone's 2,000 year old property in my hands and be able to tell with a degree of accuracy about the item and the person who used it. People stating we used to be monkeys and such, that is a lot harder to sell and all the proof, is stuff we humans have "collected" and "proved". Remember, we are not perfect. I don't subscribe to any of the popular theories. The struggle to find out where we come from is important, but to call one bull and one 100% fact is both arrogant and laughable. Truth is, science is flawed like every other discipline and to put so much stock in it is dangerous. An open mind, up for interpretations and surprises is key for a scientist. Otherwise with a concrete end game in mind, it becomes an unbending quest to "prove" and in the past things have been twisted and fudged. It is sad but true. We did some reading about that years back. Interesting reads indeed. 


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## jecraque (Jun 2, 2014)

The Snark said:


> I think it's because so many of us having experienced scaless reptiles during our social explorations as teenagers. Our brains tend to lock up and we develop blind spots at the very thought.
> As for getting into snakes, I'm sure there are a few anaconda that would be happy to 'accommodate' you.


I guess I had that one coming... :sarcasm:

pnshmntMMA, my apologies if I come off as pedantic, but the liberal use of "prove" as it relates to science is a pet peeve of mine, and one of the major barriers to understanding how science works for students and the general public. It's very difficult for people to unlearn what they've seen in the media and from teachers--that scientists are out to prove theories correct (and that proven theories grow up to become laws, which is absurd and another big pet peeve for another day). Since you put it in quotes, I have a feeling I'm not telling you anything new, but I don't think it helps to put it in those terms even though that's the language people are used to using casually when discussing science. Yes, people fudge results, but it isn't because of some flaw in the process, it's because those people are doing the process *wrong*, even if we put aside the ethics breach. 

On a related note, that difference between scientists & intelligent design proponentsists (to use one of their own terms) is exactly why they won't take Snark's sales pitch bait. Why should they want to disprove anything? They're already sure. 

...Oh, I know what I was going to ask. Anybody know what threadsnakes, whiptail lizards, or even mosasaurs have/had in terms of hearing structures? The outgroups would be the ones to look at. I know mosasaur fossils are fairly abundant but not having much of a paleo background I don't know if there are ways to really pin down where the connective tissues or nerves would have been if a particularly pristine jaw were available.


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## pnshmntMMA (Jun 2, 2014)

jecraque said:


> I guess I had that one coming... :sarcasm:
> 
> pnshmntMMA, my apologies if I come off as pedantic, but the liberal use of "prove" as it relates to science is a pet peeve of mine, and one of the major barriers to understanding how science works for students and the general public. It's very difficult for people to unlearn what they've seen in the media and from teachers--that scientists are out to prove theories correct (and that proven theories grow up to become laws, which is absurd and another big pet peeve for another day). Since you put it in quotes, I have a feeling I'm not telling you anything new, but I don't think it helps to put it in those terms even though that's the language people are used to using casually when discussing science. Yes, people fudge results, but it isn't because of some flaw in the process, it's because those people are doing the process *wrong*, even if we put aside the ethics breach.
> 
> ...


Completely agree that is why I put prove in quotes alot. I just will not put 100% of my faith into books written by people Ive never met. Hint: not talking about the bible. This argument goes both ways. I'll reference some of the "brilliant" minds of the last few centuries who were SURE that our flat Earth was the center of the universe. I mean, the scientists "proved it". Oops. 


Outta here. 




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## The Snark (Jun 3, 2014)

jecraque said:


> I guess I had that one coming... :sarcasm:
> 
> pnshmntMMA, my apologies if I come off as pedantic, but the liberal use of "prove" as it relates to science is a pet peeve of mine, and one of the major barriers to understanding how science works for students and the general public. It's very difficult for people to unlearn what they've seen in the media and from teachers--that scientists are out to prove theories correct (and that proven theories grow up to become laws, which is absurd and another big pet peeve for another day). Since you put it in quotes, I have a feeling I'm not telling you anything new, but I don't think it helps to put it in those terms even though that's the language people are used to using casually when discussing science. Yes, people fudge results, but it isn't because of some flaw in the process, it's because those people are doing the process *wrong*, even if we put aside the ethics breach.
> 
> ...


To prove or not to prove... I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the erectus crowd getting a grip on scientific methodology, the proving being in the failing to disprove and qualified peer reviews. The double negative in a sentence still escapes those folks. The problem is, the great masses of TV brained types demands a storybook format with the required build up, climax, plot twist and acceptable final resolution. Proper science almost never has those last parts which gives them ample room to disclaim and disparage. Science as a rule can never claim an absolute as found by the hundreds in a certain book. Oh well.

Anyway, I'm changing my vote again. There is something uniquely pleasant in having a couple hundred pounds of python in the rafters of your open beam ceiling. The occasional creak and groan of the timbers as it shifts it's weight. And the knowledge you have access to enough chickens  to keep it up there another 3 months at least.


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## Najakeeper (Jun 3, 2014)

The Snark said:


> To prove or not to prove... I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the erectus crowd getting a grip on scientific methodology, the proving being in the failing to disprove and qualified peer reviews. The double negative in a sentence still escapes those folks. The problem is, the great masses of TV brained types demands a storybook format with the required build up, climax, plot twist and acceptable final resolution. Proper science almost never has those last parts which gives them ample room to disclaim and disparage. Science as a rule can never claim an absolute as found by the hundreds in a certain book. Oh well.
> 
> Anyway, I'm changing my vote again. There is something uniquely pleasant in having a couple hundred pounds of python in the rafters of your open beam ceiling. The occasional creak and groan of the timbers as it shifts it's weight. And the knowledge you have access to enough chickens  to keep it up there another 3 months at least.


This was a very subdued response, I am shocked. Snark were you on tranquilizers ?

Science is everything guys, without it we would still be monkeys. Scientists can be wrong as they are human, it is part of the game and it is good to be wrong as it promotes discussion. Yet scientific consensus on this time and age means that you better listen to it. Be it on global warming or evolution theory.

As for religion or the religious, bringing that to the discussion is just meaningless. We science people do that to boost our ego sometimes but really it is irrelevant.

As to the topic, I am not changing my vote at all, look at this thing!:

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## The Snark (Jun 3, 2014)

Najakeeper said:


> This was a very subdued response, I am shocked. Snark were you on tranquilizers ?
> 
> Science is everything guys, without it we would still be monkeys. Scientists can be wrong as they are human, it is part of the game and it is good to be wrong as it promotes discussion. Yet scientific consensus on this time and age means that you better listen to it. Be it on global warming or evolution theory.


Agreed but it is the same as blind men describing an elephant. People need to be exposed to the rigors that a theory has to go through. The PHuDs gathering into groups and each one appearing to disagree on any and everything from radiant energy to dishwashing. The papers taking months to write that get dropped in a trash can after a glance. The furious professors storming into a class and the students in a body suppressing the collective desire to dive under the desks. And of course the delightful repartees as to which shop at Disneyland and how much did you pay for your diploma and so on. I observed one of these sessions first hand which went on for well over a month, all about a questionable count on a DNA raceway series of micrographs. 

So no. The layman's questioning scientific results is understandable in a way. You can point out the literally countless $$$ and hours CERN plowed through getting a handle on the Higg's but full understanding is simply beyond the average hiskool grajuate layman's comprehension and intelligence level. I mean, point out the LHC and try to explain the world largest and most powerful machine was built primarily  to prove something isn't happening. That's brain blow up stuff.

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Najakeeper said:


>



Hmm. No, I don't think I need a hug.​


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## Tongue Flicker (Jun 3, 2014)

I like the sphenodons (tuatara).. Hope they become widespread reptile pets so every household has a living dinosaur lol

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## jecraque (Jun 3, 2014)

Tongue Flicker said:


> I like the sphenodons (tuatara).. Hope they become widespread reptile pets so every household has a living dinosaur lol


Ooh, nice answer. Actually kind of surprised we've gotten this far without someone posting bird pics.

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## Tongue Flicker (Jun 4, 2014)

jecraque said:


> Ooh, nice answer. Actually kind of surprised we've gotten this far without someone posting bird pics.


Caecilians are also great to give a fair answer for the amphibian group. They're not as popular though. Interesting to see legless but non-aquatic amphs


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## The Snark (Jun 4, 2014)

jecraque said:


> Ooh, nice answer. Actually kind of surprised we've gotten this far without someone posting bird pics.


Snerk snerk. Don't tempt me.


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## pnshmntMMA (Jun 5, 2014)

Najakeeper said:


> This was a very subdued response, I am shocked. Snark were you on tranquilizers ?
> 
> Science is everything guys, without it we would still be monkeys. Scientists can be wrong as they are human, it is part of the game and it is good to be wrong as it promotes discussion. Yet scientific consensus on this time and age means that you better listen to it. Be it on global warming or evolution theory.
> 
> ...



That is a beautiful snake. I wish the ole lady was more fond of reptiles other than turtles. Id love a snake. 


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## Spepper (Jun 5, 2014)

Tongue Flicker said:


> I like the sphenodons (tuatara).. Hope they become widespread reptile pets so every household has a living dinosaur lol


Any reptile fits the bill of a living dinosaur.   Those are cool-looking lizards though.


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## pnshmntMMA (Jun 5, 2014)

Spepper said:


> Any reptile fits the bill of a living dinosaur.   Those are cool-looking lizards though.


I just googled those. They are SO AWESOME. Too bad they are harder to find than a three legged ballerina. 


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## Erebus (Jun 5, 2014)

Family: Viperidae
Genus: Bitis
Species: Bitis gabonica

While I think all reptiles are cool, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for vipers.

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## Ilovepredators (Jun 15, 2014)

Monitor Lizards are my favorite too .  They are just too expensive to keep.


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## Mariner1 (Jun 15, 2014)

I have not kept a lot of reptiles, I only have 4 at the moment. I am going to say that my favorite if I had to choose one would be a Kingsnake. They are very docile, easy to keep, no fear, constrictors, don't get too big and eat happily.


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## Hanska (Jun 18, 2014)

_Dendrobatidae_(Poison dart frogs)!!
After a few years break got three Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus". They have the same pokemonish "gotta get 'em all type of thing tarantulas have. Thanks to a few breeders and their contacts even in this backwood country there's over a dozen species available.


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## sschind (Jun 21, 2014)

Its a toss up for me between smaller terrestrial geckos, madagascar leaftail geckos and tree frogs.  I'd probably lean towards the smaller terrestrial geckos but if you said I could only keep 1 animal or 1 group of the same species I would have a hard time deciding between a caiman lizard, or a green tree monitor.


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## JZC (Jun 21, 2014)

Teiids, Varanids, and Dendrobatids.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Jun 21, 2014)

Family: Pythonidae
Genus:  Python
Species:  a tough call between P reticulatus, Eunectes murinus or Varanus beccarii


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## MatisIsLoveMantisIsLyf (Sep 5, 2017)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: _Pogona_


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## Ratmosphere (Sep 5, 2017)

Geckos.


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## Venom1080 (Sep 5, 2017)

Turtles. Weirdos of the herp world.

And large arboreal frogs. Id Love to keep one someday.


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## The Snark (Sep 5, 2017)

Crotalids, in the wild and pissed off.


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## Marika (Sep 6, 2017)

Tortoises. I grew up with them, and we still have them in the family.

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## spotropaicsav (Sep 7, 2017)

Marika said:


> Tortoises. I grew up with them, and we still have them in the family.


My dream pet, maybe one day

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## Redmont (Sep 12, 2017)

Monitors for me, I'm building a large 12 to 13 complex of cages for some monitors. They will all have a mistaking hooked up to each cage, my duneril will get a filtered and heated pond, I am also acquiring a pair of white throats and a pair of Biak green tree monitors. I may post the build when I'm done


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