Get To Know These 20 Creepy Crawlies I Have Met At Manila Ocean Park

Basilisk  is also known as the South American Jesus lizard, Jesus lizard, Jesus Christ lizard, or lagarto de Jesus Cristo. Why does its name associated with Jesus Christ? One big reason is that it has the ability to run on the surface of water.

Common basilisk is found in tropical rain forests throughout Central America and even in northwestern South America, usually in low elevations. They can also be found at high elevations in Costa Rica. Also found in southwestern Nicaragua, northwestern Colombia, central Panama, northwestern Venezuela, and has been introduced to Florida as a feral species.

In Greek mythology, basilisk is known to blast fire through its mouth and is considered to be a legendary reptile and king of serpents that has the power to cause death with a single glance.

Basilisk belongs to a genus called Basiliscus.

Jewel curly tail lizard is derived from its habit of curling the tip of its tail upwards. This species of lizard is native to Haiti. It is bright in color and grows up to 8.5-10 inches long as adults.  It can live approximately 10 years upon captivity. It is omnivorous but mainly feed on small crickets, roaches, mealworms and silkworms.

It belongs to genus called Leiocephalidae. 

Leopard gecko is a crepuscular (limited to the burrows during the day but become active at dawn and dusk when temperature is favorable), ground-dwelling lizard naturally found in Asian highlands throughout Afghanistan to parts of northern India. It possesses movable eyelids and can't climb up smooth surfaces. During winter time, it undergoes into semi-hibernation called brumation and lives on its fat reserves.

It belongs to a genus called Eublepharis.

Green iguana or also known as American iguana, is a large arboreal and herbivorous lizard that is a native to Central, South America, and the Caribbean. It is simply called as iguana. It ranges over a large geographical area, from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico and Caribbean islands.  Also known as gallina de palo in Puerto Rico as colloquial name when United States introduced it and considered an invasive species.  It has adapted significantly with regard to locomotion and osmoregulation as a result of its diet. Commonly found in captivity as a pet due to its calm disposition and bright colors. 

It belongs to a genus called Iguana.

Golden poison dart frog is also known as golden poison frog, golden frog, or golden dart frog. It is a poison dart frog endemic to the Pacific coast of Colombia. Its optimal habitat is a rain forest with high rain rates. It is a social animal that lives in groups of up to six individuals. This frog is often considered innocuous due to its small size and bright colors, but this wild frog is lethally toxic. Its skin is densely coated in alkaloid toxin that prevents its victim's nerves from transmitting pulses, leaving the muscles in in inactive state of contraction, which can lead to heart failure of fibrillation. Alkaloid batrachotoxins can be stored by frogs for years after the frog is deprived of a food-based source, and such toxins do not readily deteriorate, even when transferred to another surface. The golden poison frog is not venomous, but poisonous

This frog belongs to a genus called Phyllobates.

The orange and black poison dart frog is a color morph of a yellow-banded dart frog. It is found mostly in Costa Rica. In local natives, they call this as golfo dulce poison dart frog.

The green black poison dart frog is also known as the green-and-black poison arrow frog and with numerous other names. It is found mostly in Central America and northwestern parts of South America and has also been introduced to Hawaii. It is considered to be of least concern from a conservation standpoint by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It  is one of the most variable of all poison frogs in appearance. Some have black or brown splotches, others are dappled, or have "splashes" of black. Its very small amount of poison is enough to make a human heart stop beating. 

The yellow banded poison dart frog is also known as yellow-headed poison dart frog. It is also called as Bumblebee frog after an autobot in Transformers movie. Found mostly in Venezuela and some parts of Guyana, Brazil, and easternmost part of Colombia. This frog is normally found in very humid conditions in tropical rain forests close to fresh water. Be careful when you hike on the mountains or trails of these mentioned places coz some of them are found on flat rocks, trees, plants and leaf litter of the forest floor. During dry season, they hide under rocks or fallen tree trunks.

The blue poison dart frog or blue poison arrow frog or known by its native name, as okopipi is a  poison dart frog found in the forests surrounded by the Sipaliwini savanna, which is located in southern Suriname and adjacent far northern Brazil. 

It belongs to a genus called Dendrobates.

Albino granite Burmese python is a mutation of common Burmese python. Its first discovery was in early 1980s. Not until when python breeder Bob Clark obtained one of these animals and produced the first ever captive bred albino Burmese python in 1986. Though popularly called albino, this snake technically exhibit amelanism, or what we called as lack of pigment. Then in late 1995, another mutation of the Burmese python was found in the wild. These snakes were colored typically, but their pattern was different. Covering the animals in small, irregular dark blotches on the dorsal and lateral sides, the new mutation was coined "granite".

Albino granite Burmese pythons display both mutations. Like albinos, they have red eyes and like granite pythons, they have patternless bellies; they are essentially red, yellow and white versions of the granite mutation. Over time, the markings fade somewhat, and they essentially become white and yellow snakes.

(This python is the intimidating amongst all inside Creepy Crawlies. It deserves to be called as The King of Creepy Crawlies)