Reptile Life List

Reptiles are a great introduction to identifications of wild organisms, because in most cases, there are a finite number of possibilities, and help with identifications is very easy. Lizards, turtles and snakes bring color and mystery to the places you visit. And, often surprising, they bring vivid color and fascinating behavior. I was first caught with the bug to learn more about reptiles after I saw the vivid colors of mating lizards in Death Valley.

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Squamata (Lizards)

My lizard life list comprises 49 species. The lizards (order Squamata) are a diverse group of reptiles characterized by their scaly skin, elongated bodies, and moveable eyelids. Lizards exhibit a wide range of adaptations, from specialized limbs for climbing to unique forms of locomotion such as sidewinding. With an extensive variety of species inhabiting diverse environments worldwide, lizards play crucial roles in ecosystems as insectivores, herbivores, or predators in the reptilian hierarchy. Over 7,000 lizard species have been described by science.

Cape Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura hemilopha

Ctenosaur (Black Iguana)Ctenosaura similis

Desert IguanaDipsosaurus dorsalis

Green IguanaIguana iguana

Common ChuckwallaSauromalus ater

Great Basin Collared LizardCrotaphytus bicinctores

Long-nosed Leopard LizardGambelia wislizenii

Common BasiliskBasiliscus basiliscus

Plumed BasiliskBasiliscus plumifrons

Brown Basilisk (Striped Basilisk)Basiliscus vittatus

Cuban Twig AnoleAnolis angusticeps

Green AnoleAnolis carolinensis

Hispaniolan AnoleAnolis chlorocyanus

Bulky AnoleAnolis onca

Golfo Dulce AnoleAnolis polylepis

Brown AnoleAnolis sagrei

Solitary AnoleAnolis solitarius

Amazon Forest DragonEnyalioides laticeps

Curly-tail LizardLeiocephalus carinatus

Zebra-tailed LizardCallisaurus draconoides

Desert Horned LizardPhrynosoma platyrhinos

Sagebrush LizardSceloporus graciosus

Yarrow's Spiny LizardSceloporus jarrovii

Desert Spiny LizardSceloporus magister

Western Fence LizardSceloporus occidentalis

Granite Spiny LizardSceloporus orcutti

Eastern Fence LizardSceloporus undulatus

Common Side-Blotched LizardUta stansburiana

Roughtail Rock AgamaLaudakia stellio

Tropical House GeckoHemidactylus mabouia

Kotschy's GeckoMediodactylus kotschyi

Gold-dust Day GeckoPhelsuma laticauda

Moorish GeckoTarentola mauritanica

Mottled Snake-eyed SkinkCryptoblepharus poecilopleurus

Azure-tailed SkinkEmoia impar

Five-lined SkinkPlestiodon fasciatus

Cope's AmeivaAmeiva bifrontata

Gaige's Rainbow LizardCnemidophorus gaigei

Rainbow WhiptailCnemidophorus lemniscatus

Northern Caiman LizardDracaena guianensis

Central American Whiptail LizardHolcosus festivus

Striped Forest WhiptailKentropyx calcarata

Auber's Ameiva (Cuban Ameiva)Pholidoscelis auberi

European Green LizardLacerta viridis

Maltese Wall LizardPodarcis filfolensis

Iberian Wall LizardPodarcis hispanicus

Common Wall LizardPodarcis muralis

Italian Wall LizardPodarcis siculus

Seen in Taormina, Sicily, Italy.

Sicilian Wall LizardPodarcis waglerianus

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Serpentes (Snakes)

My snake life list is comprised of the following 18 species. The order Serpentes, comprising snakes, is a diverse group of limbless reptiles known for their elongated bodies and unique adaptations. Snakes have scales covering their skin, providing protection and facilitating movement. With a wide range of species adapted to various habitats, snakes are characterized by their flexibility, specialized feeding mechanisms, and sensory adaptations such as heat-sensitive pits for detecting prey. There are over 3,000 described species of snake in the world.

Rubber BoaCharina bottae

Chonta SnakeChironius grandisquamus

Common MussuranaClelia clelia

Eastern RacerColuber constrictor

Olive Forest RacerDendrophidion dendrophis

Mud SnakeFarancia abacura

Blunt-headed Tree SnakeImantodes cenchoa

Speckled KingsnakeLampropeltis holbrooki

Banded Cat-eyed SnakeLeptodeira annulata

Gopher SnakePituophis catenifer

Black Halloween Snake (Cope's False Coral Snake) Pliocercus euryzonus

Aquatic GarterThamnophis atratus

Western Terrestrial GarterThamnophis elegans

Northwestern GarterThamnophis ordinoides

Aquatic Coral SnakeMicrurus surinamensis

Western Diamondback RattlesnakeCrotalus atrox

Sidewinder RattlesnakeCrotalus cerastes

Speckled RattlesnakeCrotalus mitchellii

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Testudines (Turtles)

My turtle life list is comprised of the following 9 species. The order Testudines encompasses turtles, an ancient group of reptiles characterized by their distinctive bony or cartilaginous shell. Turtles are known for their unique body structure, with the shell serving as both armor and a protective home. This order includes both aquatic and terrestrial species, showcasing a diverse range of adaptations to different environments, while their evolutionary lineage extends back over 200 million years. Scientists have described over 350 turtle species in the world.

Common Snapping TurtleChelydra serpentina

Alligator Snapping TurtleMacrochelys temminckii

Amazon River TurtleDermatemys mawii

Painted TurtleChrysemys picta

Pond SliderTrachemys scripta

Loggerhead Sea TurtleCaretta caretta

Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydas

Smooth Softshell TurtleApalone mutica

Yellow-spotted River TurtlePodocnemis unifilis

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Crocodylia (Crocodilians)

My crocodilians life list comprises just three species. The order Crocodylia encompasses a group of semi-aquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians, with a lineage dating back to the Late Cretaceous period. Characterized by their scale-covered bodies, powerful limbs, and conical teeth, crocodilians are well-adapted predators that inhabit a range of aquatic environments, from freshwater swamps and rivers to saltwater estuaries. Exhibiting parental care and cloacal respiration, these ancient creatures play essential roles in their ecosystems and have successfully persisted for millions of years.

American AlligatorAlligator mississippiensis

Spectacled CaimanCaiman crocodilus