This episode premiered Sunday, January 11, 2009.

Rom’s snake park and crocodile bank in India, where he works to conserve and breed reptiles in the wild, were the first of their kind when he created them. Now he travels the world in search of modern day dragons. In the caves of Slovenia, he encounters the peculiar creature known as the olm, a cave-dwelling blind salamander once believed to be a baby dragon.  In the rainforests of India’s Western Ghats, Whitaker handles flying lizards, belonging to the species called Draco. When threatened or courting, the males extend the bright yellow flaps on their necks. Whitaker captures one and gently stretches out its amazing wings. Finally, Rom’s quest leads him to Indonesia’s Komodo Island, where he sees a wild Komodo dragon for the first time.

The Dragon Chronicles follows Rom as he journeys around the world, reimagining the lines between fact and fantasy, in search of the fabled beasts’ contemporary counterparts.

The Dragon Chronicles premieres Sunday, January 11 on PBS (check local listings).

To order a copy of The Dragon Chronicles, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Photo © WNET.ORG/Icon Films

You know those beautiful little tropical frogs with electric blue or orange markings? A single touch of their skin could kill you.

Have you ever seen an elegant cone snail shell lying on the beach? Well, beware! It hides a poison harpoon that is deadly.

And watch out! Those snakes and lizards could be armed with venom and toxic saliva.

Amazingly, they may also hold cures to many human diseases. Scientists have discovered that natural poisons, toxins, and venoms contain chemicals that can be used to create an array of drugs for treating everything from chronic pain to cancer. For instance, the cone shell’s venom, packed with nerve-debilitating conotoxins, provides the basis for a new painkiller. Contortrostatin, a component found in copperhead venom, is being used to attack breast cancer cells and to prevent cancer from spreading.

Call it the poison paradox — or The Venom Cure.

To order a copy of The Venom Cure, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for The Venom Cure was originally posted April 2005.

Cyclura
http://www.cyclura.com/
Browse news, photo galleries, and movies on lizards.

Better reptile pets for kids
http://www.greenigsociety.org/kc10.htm
Tips from the Green Iguana Society.

So, you think you want a reptile?
http://www.anapsid.org/parent.html
Good advice on reptiles as pets from Melissa Kaplan.

Global Gecko Association
http://www.gekkota.com/
Tons of information about this group of lizards.

All About Lizards
http://reptilehunter3520.tripod.com/thereptilehunterslair/id7.html
A basic introduction to these scaly creatures.

HenryLizardLover.com
http://henrylizardlover.com
Web site maintained by the lizard aficionado featured on “The Reptiles.”
If you would like to contact Henry Lizardlover, you can reach him at Freemason7@aol.com.

Books

Bartlett, Richard. LIZARD CARE FROM A TO Z. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 1997.

Jes, Harold. LIZARDS: COMPLETE PET OWNER’S MANUAL. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2000.

Mazorlig, Tom. LIZARDS RARE & COMMON. San Francisco: TFH Publications, 2001.

Mattison, Chris. LIZARDS OF THE WORLD. New York: Sterling Publications, 1998.

Netherton, John. LIZARDS: A NATURAL HISTORY OF SOME UNCOMMON CREATURES — EXTRAORDINARY CHAMELEONS, IGUANAS, GECKOS, AND MORE. New York: Voyageur Press, 2003.

They look so cool on TV, and now you may want to bring one home. But be careful — caring for a lizard can be a difficult chore. Indeed, some experts say lizards really shouldn’t be the first choice when it comes to getting a pet, especially for children.

Some common problems: They aren’t as rugged as they look. For instance, some humane groups estimate that nearly all green iguanas bought as pets die within the first year. And many smaller lizards have delicate legs or other bones, and can be harmed easily by rough handling.

The owner can get bored. Some lizards sleep all day or prefer to stay hidden. Others evolved to hunt by staying frozen on a branch, waiting for prey to come by. Such frozen or invisible pets can be particularly disappointing to kids.

You need special equipment and food. Some lizards need special lights to replicate the sun. Others need warm rocks or shelters. All require particular foods, from crickets to mealworms, on a regular basis. And, of course, you’ll need a cage with a secure top, to keep them from escaping.

Lizards can grow bigger than pet owners might expect. They can carry disease. Reptiles can carry Salmonella bacteria, which can sicken or even kill pet owners. If you must have a lizard, make sure you wash your hands before and after handling (you also don’t want to transfer your germs to the lizard!).

They can get big. That cute little lizard that fits in a cup now can grow into a 2-foot-long monster!

Buying some pet trade lizards can harm wild populations. Many common pet store lizards are raised in captivity, but some are caught from the wild. And in some cases, buying or selling a wild-caught lizard can be illegal. Still, if you must have a lizard, experts say that there are some species that make much better pets than others. Good starter lizards include the leopard gecko, bearded dragon, and some skinks. But be sure to do your homework beforehand, or you — and the lizard — could be disappointed.

NATURE’s The Reptiles: Lizards explores the world of the great escape artists of the wild, and looks at their remarkable bag of tricks.

The Reptiles series concludes with the most extraordinarily diverse of all reptiles. Lizards can be found on mountain tops, in the oceans, and in deserts and forests. Viewers meet some of nature’s most spectacular and beautiful varieties, ranging from giants more than ten feet long to tiny creatures no larger than a child’s finger. Lizards bite, lose their tails, have tongues longer than their entire body, and some can even walk on water.

The show travels across the globe to feature some of the most fascinating varieties of lizards, including Indonesia, for a look at the deadly Komodo dragon. The program also looks at people who form strong attachments to the animals, such as Henry Lizardlover, who changed his name to express his feelings for the reptiles. Henry sells photographs of his many lizards posed in a variety of humorous settings.

To order a copy of The Reptiles: Lizards, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for The Reptiles: Lizards was originally posted February 2003.