List of reptiles of Guatemala
Turtles: Cheloniidae • Dermochelyidae • Chelydridae • Dermatemydidae • Emydidae • Kinosternidae • Crocodilians: Crocodylidae • Alligatoridae • Lizards: Anguidae • Gekkonidae • Helodermatidae • Corytophanidae • Iguanidae • Phrynosomatidae • Polychrotidae • Scincidae • Teiidae • Gymnophthalmidae • Xantusiidae • Xenosauridae • Snakes: Leptotyphlopidae • Typhlopidae • Boidae • Loxocemidae • Tropidophiidae • Colubridae • Elapidae • Viperidae • Notes References Order: Testudines.
It is a nocturnal, aquatic turtle that lives in larger rivers and lakes in Central America, from southern Mexico to northern Honduras.
It is a fairly large turtle, attaining a maximum size of 65 cm (25 inches) in carapace length, and can weigh in the range of 20 kg (44 lbs).
All members of the family are carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, aquatic insects, mollusks, annelids, amphibians, small fish, and sometimes carrion.
Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water.
Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then rushing out to attack.
They feed mostly on vertebrates like fish, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes on invertebrates like molluscs and crustaceans, depending on species.
All geckos, excluding the family Eublepharidae, have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane, the brille, which they lick to clean.
Many species are well known for their specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces, and even cross indoor ceilings with ease.
Helodermatids (or beaded lizards) are large, stocky, slow-moving reptiles that prefer semi-arid habitats.
Helodermatids are carnivorous, preying on rodents and other small mammals, and eating the eggs of birds and reptiles.
This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of Basiliscus, but is present in both sexes of Corytophanes and Laemanctus.
The crests are used in defensive displays where the lateral aspect of the body is brought about to face a potential predator in an effort to look bigger.
Despite the small size of the group, it includes both egg-laying species and some that give birth to live young.
Juveniles feed mainly on insects and other invertebrates, while adults, especially the larger species, switch to a plant-based diet.
Skinks look roughly like true lizards, but most species have no pronounced neck and their legs are relatively small; in fact several genera (e.g., Typhlosaurus) have no limbs at all.
Some other genera, such as Neoseps, have reduced limbs, lacking forelegs, and with fewer than five toes (digits) on each foot.
Various species also eat earthworms, millipedes, snails, slugs, isopods, other lizards, and small rodents.
Teiids are terrestrial and diurnal, and are primarily carnivorous or insectivorous, although some will include a small amount of plant matter in their diet.
Night lizards were originally thought to be nocturnal because of their secretive lifestyle, but they are in fact strictly diurnal.
Night lizards have evolved to live in very narrow environmental niches—"microhabitat specialization"—such as rock crevices or damp logs, and may spend their entire life under the same cover.
The family has only three genera with the following geographical distribution: Xantusia in southwestern United States and Baja California, Cricosaura in Cuba, and Lepidophyma in Central America.
Most species prefer moist or semi-aquatic habitats, although they are widespread within their native regions, with some even inhabiting semi-arid scrub environments.
Prey is killed by a process known as constriction; after an animal has been grasped to restrain it, a number of coils are hastily wrapped around it.
Then, by applying and maintaining sufficient pressure to prevent it from inhaling, the prey eventually succumbs due to asphyxiation.
Family: Tropidophiidae The Tropidophiinae, common name dwarf boas, are a subfamily of snakes found from Mexico and the West Indies south to southeastern Brazil.
While most colubrids are nonvenomous (or have venom that is not known to be harmful to humans) and are mostly harmless, a few groups, such as genus Boiga, can produce medically significant bites.
Elapid snakes exist in a wide range of sizes, from 18 cm species of Drysdalia to the 5.6 m king cobra, and are characterized by hollow, fixed fangs through which they inject venom from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaws.
In outward appearance terrestrial elapids look similar to the Colubridae: almost all have long and slender bodies with smooth scales, a head that is covered with large shields and not always distinct from the neck, and eyes with round pupils.
They are distinguished by the presence of a heat-sensing pit organ located between the eye and the nostril on either side of the head.
