Reptiles in photos: New viper species, and Iguana mating season royal rumble

We know the beauty in the beasts we keep, but it is always refreshing to see others capturing that beauty. First up is a stunning photo spread from National Geographic of a new viper species, Matilda's horned viper, posing gloriously for the camera.

The "beautiful, heavy-bodied bush viper" sports black and yellow zigzag markings and yellow, hornlike scales above its olive-colored eyes, Tim Davenport, the Wildlife Conservation Society's country director for Tanzania, said in an email. But few would be envious of this green-eyed creature's rare status. Its forest habitat, already smaller than about 40 square miles (a hundred square kilometers), is declining due to human development and other factors, said Davenport, whose group made the joint discovery with the Science Museum of Trento, Italy.

Combat between males of species is quite common, but to capture the combat between two wild male iguanas is impressive. Click here to see the full photo spread from Mongabay.com.