Reptiles

Cold-blooded animals with scales or scutes that breathe air, such as turtles, snakes, lizards and crocodiles.

Subcategories

🐢 Turtles and Tortoises (17)🐍 Snakes (17)🦎 Lizards (17)🐊 Crocodilians (2)

53 entries

African Spurred TortoiseCentrochelys sulcata (also called Geochelone sulcata)The largest mainland African tortoise, a burrowing plant-eater of the dry lands south of the Sahara, also called the sulcata tortoise.Aldabra TortoiseAldabrachelys giganteaOne of the world's largest tortoises, from the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, which can weigh 550 pounds and may live 150 years.Alligator Snapping TurtleMacrochelys temminckiiThe largest freshwater turtle in the United States, which lures fish into its open jaws with a worm-like bit on its tongue.Amazon Tree BoaCorallus hortulanaA slender, many-colored tree boa of South America that hangs from branches in an S shape to ambush prey.American AlligatorAlligator mississippiensisA big, armored reptile of the southeastern U.S. swamps and rivers that can go through 3,000 teeth in its life.Ball PythonPython regiusA small, calm African python that curls into a tight ball with its head tucked inside when frightened.Black Tree MonitorVaranus beccariiA sleek, shiny black monitor lizard from Indonesia's Aru Islands that climbs with sharp claws and a grasping tail.Blue Spiny LizardSceloporus cyanogenysA rough-scaled lizard of Texas and Mexico whose males have bright blue sides, throats and bellies.Boa ConstrictorBoa constrictorA large, nonvenomous snake of Central and South America, also called the red-tailed boa, that squeezes its prey.Caiman LizardDracaena guianensisA green, red-headed South American lizard with crocodile-like scales that swims well and crushes snails with its strong jaws.California KingsnakeLampropeltis californiaeA shiny banded snake of the western U.S. that eats other snakes, including rattlesnakes, and is immune to their venom.Cape CobraNaja niveaA fast, highly venomous cobra of southern Africa whose color ranges from golden yellow to almost black.Common Blue-Tongued SkinkTiliqua scincoidesA chunky Australian lizard that sticks out a bright blue tongue to scare predators.Common ChuckwallaSauromalus aterA chunky desert lizard of the American Southwest that wedges itself into rock cracks by puffing up its body.Corn SnakePantherophis guttatusA harmless orange-and-red constrictor of the eastern United States, also called the red rat snake, with a belly like Flint corn.Diamondback TerrapinMalaclemys terrapinA colorful turtle of coastal salt marshes from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, the only turtle besides sea turtles that lives in brackish water.Eastern Box TurtleTerrapene carolinaA land turtle of the eastern United States that can close its shell like a box and may live more than 100 years.Eastern Diamondback RattlesnakeCrotalus adamanteusThe largest venomous snake in the United States, a quiet, reclusive rattlesnake of southeastern pine forests.Eastern Indigo SnakeDrymarchon couperiThe largest native nonvenomous snake in the United States, a glossy black snake that shines blue in sunlight and even eats rattlesnakes.Emerald Tree BoaCorallus caninusA bright green Amazon tree snake with white zigzags that coils over branches and senses the heat of its prey.Florida Red-Bellied TurtlePseudemys nelsoniA Florida freshwater turtle with a reddish belly that sometimes lays its eggs in alligator nests for protection.Freshwater CrocodileCrocodylus johnstoniA slender-snouted, shy crocodile of northern Australia's rivers that waits motionless in shallow water for prey.Gila MonsterHeloderma suspectumThe largest lizard native to the United States, a black-and-pink venomous desert lizard whose venom led to diabetes medicines.Gray Rat SnakePantherophis spiloidesA harmless, tree-climbing constrictor of the eastern and southeastern United States that eats rodents, birds and eggs.Green AnoleAnolis carolinensisA small lizard of the southeastern U.S. that can change color from bright green to brown.Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydasA large sea turtle that grazes on seagrass and algae, named for the color of its fat rather than its shell.Green Spiny LizardSceloporus malachiticusA bright green, spiny-scaled lizard of southern Mexico and Central America that gives birth to live young.Green Tree PythonMorelia viridisA bright green rainforest python of New Guinea and northern Australia whose babies hatch yellow or red and later turn green.

Guatemalan Beaded LizardHeloderma charlesbogertiAn endangered venomous lizard that lives only in one dry valley in eastern Guatemala and helped lead to a diabetes medicine.Henkel's Leaf-Tailed GeckoUroplatus henkeliA Madagascar gecko whose flat, leaf-shaped tail and bark-colored skin make it nearly invisible on tree trunks.Hermann's TortoiseTestudo hermanniA small, domed European tortoise with a black-and-yellow patterned shell that sleeps through the cold months.Inland TaipanOxyuranus microlepidotusOften called the world's most venomous snake, a shy brown snake of remote Australian floodplains that changes color with the seasons.Kenyan Sand BoaEryx colubrinusA short, stout East African boa that buries itself in sand with only its eyes peeking out, waiting to ambush prey.Komodo DragonVaranus komodoensisThe largest living lizard, a venomous predator found only on a few Indonesian islands that can smell food miles away.Mata MataChelus fimbriataA camouflaged Amazon turtle with a flat head and snorkel nose that vacuums up fish by suddenly opening its mouth.Mojave Desert TortoiseGopherus agassiziiCalifornia's state reptile, a burrowing tortoise of the southwestern deserts that is now critically endangered.Motagua Spiny-Tailed IguanaCtenosaura palearisAn endangered iguana found only in Guatemala's dry Motagua Valley, which blocks its hiding hole with its spiny tail.Ornate UromastyxUromastyx ornataA colorful, plant-eating Middle Eastern lizard with a spiky tail that it uses to block its burrow.Pacific Gopher SnakePituophis catenifer cateniferA long, harmless West Coast snake that looks a lot like a rattlesnake but has no rattle, and hunts rodents in their burrows.Pancake TortoiseMalacochersus tornieriA critically endangered East African tortoise with a thin, flat, flexible shell that hides in rock cracks instead of in its shell.Radiated TortoiseAstrochelys radiataA critically endangered Madagascar tortoise named for the yellow star-like lines on its high, domed shell.Red-Footed TortoiseChelonoidis carbonariaA South American tortoise with black skin and red patches like glowing coals that spreads seeds by eating fruit.Rhinoceros IguanaCyclura cornutaAn endangered plant-eating lizard found only on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, named for the horn-like scales on its snout.Rosy BoaLichanura trivirgataOne of the smallest boas, a calm, striped desert snake of Southern California, Arizona and Mexico.Rough Green SnakeOpheodrys aestivusA slender, harmless green snake of the southeastern United States that lives in shrubs and trees and eats insects and spiders.SidewinderCrotalus cerastesA small desert rattlesnake of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico that moves sideways across loose sand, making it the fastest rattlesnake.Solomon Islands SkinkCorucia zebrataThe world's largest skink, a tree-dwelling, mostly vegetarian lizard of the Solomon Islands with a tail that can grab branches.Spider TortoisePyxis arachnoidesA tiny, critically endangered Madagascar tortoise named for the web-like yellow lines on its dark shell.Spotted TurtleClemmys guttataA small, endangered black turtle of eastern North America sprinkled with yellow spots that help it hide among duckweed.Sudan Plated LizardGerrhosaurus major (also called Broadleysaurus major)A sturdy African lizard covered in rows of square, plate-like scales, with a tail twice as long as its body.Western Pond TurtleActinemys marmorataCalifornia's only native freshwater turtle, a small olive-brown turtle that zoos help return to local ponds.Western Santa Cruz Galápagos TortoiseChelonoidis porteriA huge, dome-shelled Galápagos tortoise from Santa Cruz Island that migrates along "tortoise highways."White-Throated MonitorVaranus albigularisA large, fast African monitor lizard with a pale throat and a forked tongue like a snake's.