Chinese Crocodile Lizard

Chinese crocodile lizard is a semiaquatic anguimorph lizard found only in cool forests in southeast China and northeast Vietnam. These lizard spends much of its time in shallow water or in overhanging branches and vegetation, where it hunts its prey of insects, snails, tadpoles, and worms.

This colorful reptile is not a crocodile but a lizard. It gets its name from its powerful tail, which is scaly like that of a crocodile. The Chinese crocodile lizard’s defining feature is its vibrant skin. It has a gray-brown body with a yellow-tan underside and red or orange scales running along its sides. Males are usually larger and more colorful, with the colors growing more vivid during breeding season.

Otherwise known as the shinisaurus, the  lizard is a popular household pet. It hails from a small mountain range in southern China and northern Vietnam.