Reptiles of Africa

I will be the first to admit that I am not that much into reptiles. I have limited footage of them from Kenya, since most of my time is spent around the big cats. On hikes I have seen a cobra and a black mamba. Lucky for me, both times they were moving away from where I was walking. Featured in this video is a monitor (Varanidae) which are some of the largest lizards. They will eat croc eggs and raid nests on the ground belonging to birds. They are found throughout Africa most often near river beds. The video also highlights the agama lizard (Agama agama.) There are over 30 known species of Agama lizards in Africa. They like to eat insects as well as will dine on berries, grass, and the eggs of smaller lizards. The Leopard Tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) is known as a shy tortoise. They can move very well on their stocky legs and are often seen climbing over rocky terrain. In 2000 the USDA banned the importation of several species of tortoise including the leopard tortoise in order to better protect it in the wild. All of the reptiles in this video have somewhat healthy wild populations but like all wildlife, they need protected land and a healthy eco system in order to keep on surviving. As stated in this video, please DO NOT support the taking of "pets" from the wild. If you have to own a reptile please make sure it is captive bred, and if it gets to be something you can't take proper care of please DO NOT release it into the wild. Many wildlife authorities in places like Florida spend too much of their time cleaning up former pets like monitors, boas, and iguanas from the delicate eco system. There was even an alligator taken out of the Chicago river last year. Crazy stuff! Some Reptile Rescues: http://www.corhs.org/ http://forgottenfriend.org/ Organizations that protect habitats seen in this video: African Conservation Foundation http://www.africanconservation.org/ African Wildlife Foundation http://www.awf.org Mara Triangle http://www.maratriangle.org/ Wildlife Direct http://wildlifedirect.org/ Thanks for reading!