Scientific name: iguana iguana
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The iguana is a kind of medium-sized vegetarian lizard from South America. They are a popular pet.
Scientific name: genus: Poecilia
Mollies are a large group of small fish that are popular as pets.
Scientific name: mus musculus
A pet is an animal that is kept entirely for fun or as a friend. Pets are usually small animals, like cats, parrots or dogs. Animals are often kept for other reasons, like for their meat, their wool or to help herd other animals around. For example, cows are generally kept on farms for their milk, not as pets.
The rabbit is a small animal found in many parts of the world. In Australia, rabbits are the single worst introduced pest. Rabbits make good pets, if they are properly looked after.
Scientific name: genus: rattus
Rats are like large mice. They often live near people, scavenging food scraps in rubbish tips or stored food in houses. Rats are pests and most people try and get rid of rats if they can.
Rats can also kept as pets. Pet rats tend to be white or multicoloured, and wild rats tend to be plain brown or grey.
Snakes are a type of reptile that has no legs. They come in many colours and patterns, and some kinds of snake can grow to be several metres long.
Snakes jaws do not lock open like ours do, but can open a huge way. They can swallow small animals that are much bigger than their heads. Snakes only need to eat every few days. Some snakes are very poisonous and can kill a person in one bite. Other snakes kill their prey by wrapping themselves around it and suffocating it. You should always be careful around snakes.
Some kinds of non-venomous snake are sold as pets, but often a special license is needed and pet snakes should still be treated with care as they might eat other household pets and have been known to kill very small children.
Scientific name: order: testudines
Turtles can be found in the sea, in lakes and in rivers. Turtles that live on land are called tortoises. Tortoises usually eat plants, and turtles eat either plants or fish and other water creatures.
Some kinds of turtle can grow up to two metres long, although most are smaller. Turtles have a hard shell covering their body, and they can hide their head and legs inside it. They can live for over 100 years. The ancestors of turtles and tortoises have been around since before the dinosaurs. Some kinds of small turtles can be kept as pets.