List of reptiles
Encyclopedia
This is a list of extant reptiles by family
, spanning three subclasses.
Order Testudines - Turtle
Order Squamata
Order Crocodylia - crocodilia
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, spanning three subclasses.
Order Testudines - TurtleTurtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
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- Suborder Cryptodira
- Family ChelydridaeChelydridaeChelydridae is a family of turtles which has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are Chelydra the snapping turtles, and its larger relative Macrochelys, of which the Alligator Snapping Turtle is the only species. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere...
- Common Snapping Turtles and Alligator Snapping TurtleAlligator Snapping TurtleThe alligator snapping turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. It is not closely related to, but is often associated with the common snapping turtle. They are the sole living member of the genus Macrochelys--while common snappers are in the genus Chelydra... - Family EmydidaeEmydidaeEmydidae, commonly called the pond turtles or marsh turtles, is a family of turtles. Previously, several species of Asian box turtle were classified in the family. However, revised taxonomy has separated them to a different family. Now, Emydidae, with the exception of two species of pond turtle,...
- Pond Turtles and Box TurtleBox turtleThe box turtle , or box tortoise is a genus of turtle native to North America . The 12 taxa which are distinguished in the genus are distributed over four species. It is largely characterized by having a domed shell, which is hinged at the bottom, allowing the animal to close its shell tightly to...
s - Family Testudinidae - TortoiseTortoiseTortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
s - Family GeoemydidaeGeoemydidaeGeoemydidae is the largest and most diverse family in the order Testudines with about 70 species. It includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles.-Characteristics:...
- Asian River Turtles and Allies - Family Carettochelyidae - Pignose Turtles
- Family TrionychidaeTrionychidaeTrionychidae is a taxonomic family which comprises a number of turtle genera commonly known as softshells. They are also sometimes called pancake turtles. Softshells consist of some of the world's largest fresh water turtles, though many can adapt to living in highly brackish areas. Members of this...
- Softshell Turtles - Family Dermatemydidae - River Turtles
- Family KinosternidaeKinosternidaeKinosternidae is a family of mostly small turtles that includes the mud turtles and musk turtles. The family Kinosternidae contains 25 species within 4 genera, but taxonomic reclassification is an ongoing process so many sources vary on the exact numbers of species and subspecies...
- Mud TurtleMud turtleThe Eastern Mud Turtle, or Kinosternon subrubrum is a small semi-aquatic, generally freshwater turtle. Turtles are members of the phylum Chordata and the class Reptilia. The eastern mud turtle lives in the southeastern parts of the United States...
s - Family CheloniidaeCheloniidaeCheloniidae is a family of turtles belonging to the sea turtle superfamily Chelonioidea.-Extant genera:*Genus Caretta**Loggerhead sea turtle *Genus Chelonia**Green sea turtle *Genus Eretmochelys...
- Sea TurtleSea turtleSea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
s - Family DermochelyidaeDermochelyidaeDermochelyidae is a family of turtles which has eight extinct and one extant genera.-Classification of known genera:*Subfamily Desmatochelyinae** Corochelys ** Desmatochelys *Subfamily Allopleuroninae ** Allopleuron ** Eosphargis...
- Leatherback Turtles
- Family Chelydridae
- Suborder PleurodiraPleurodiraThe Pleurodira are one of the two living suborders of turtles, the other being the Cryptodira. In many cases in the nomenclature of animals, ranks such as suborder are considered of little importance apart from nomenclatural or taxonomic reasons. However, this is not the case with the suborders of...
- Family ChelidaeChelidaeThe Chelidae are one of the three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira and are commonly called the Austro-South American Side Neck turtles. The Family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia and throughout most of South America. It is a large family of turtles with...
- Austro-American Sideneck Turtles - Family PelomedusidaePelomedusidaePelomedusidae is a family of freshwater turtles, native to eastern and southern Africa. They range in size from to in shell length, and are generally roundish in shape...
- Afro-American Sideneck Turtles - Family PodocnemididaePodocnemididaePodocnemididae is a family of turtles native to Madagascar and northern South America. They are side-necked turtles , which means they do not retract their heads backwards, but hide it sideways....
- Madagascan Big-headed Turtles and American Sideneck River Turtles
- Family Chelidae
Order SquamataSquamataSquamata, or the scaled reptiles, is the largest recent order of reptiles, including lizards and snakes. Members of the order are distinguished by their skins, which bear horny scales or shields. They also possess movable quadrate bones, making it possible to move the upper jaw relative to the...
- Scaled Reptiles
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- Family Agamidae - Agamas
- Family Chamaeleonidae - ChameleonChameleonChameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
s - Family IguanidaeIguanidaeIguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...
- Subfamily Corytophaninae - Casquehead Lizard
- Subfamily Crotaphytinae - CollaredCrotaphytidaeThe family Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are desert-dwelling reptiles native to the southwest USA and northern Mexico. They are very fast-moving animals, with long limbs and tails, and are carnivorous, feeding mainly on insects....
and Leopard LizardLeopard LizardThe Long-nosed leopard Lizard, Gambelia wislizenii, is a relatively large lizard ranging from 3 1/4-5 3/4 inches . It has a large head, long nose, and a long round tail that can be longer than its body...
s - Subfamily Hoplocercinae - Wood lizards
- Subfamily Iguaninae - IguanaIguanaIguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
s - Subfamily Leiocephalinae
- Subfamily Leiosaurinae
- Subfamily Liolaeminae
- Subfamily Oplurinae - Madagascar iguanids
- Subfamily Phrynosomatinae - Horned LizardHorned lizardHorned lizards are a genus of lizards which are the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad", "horny toad", or "horned frog", but it is neither a toad nor a frog. The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which...
s - Subfamily Polychrotinae - AnolePolychrotidaePolychrotidae is a family of lizards commonly known as anoles . NCBI places the anole in subfamily Polychrotinae of the family Iguanidae. Four genera are common: Anolis, Norops, Phenacosaurus, and Polychrus....
s - Subfamily Tropidurinae - Neotropical Ground Lizards
- Family Gekkonidae - GeckoGeckoGeckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
es - Family PygopodidaePygopodidaePygopodidae is a family of squamates that have reduced or absent limbs and are related to the geckos. There are at least 35 species in two subfamilies and eight genera. They have unusually long, slender, bodies, giving them a strong resemblance to snakes...
- Legless lizardLegless lizardLegless lizard may refer to any of several groups of lizards which have independently lost limbs or reduced them to the point of being of no use in locomotion. It is the common name for the family Pygopodidae, but often refers to other groups, such as limbless anguids, depending upon the region of...
s - Family DibamidaeDibamidaeDibamidae is a family of legless lizards found in tropical forests. Relatively little is known about the dibamid lizards, which are native to Mexico, SE Asia, Indonesia, the Philippine Islands and western New Guinea....
- Blind Lizards - Family CordylidaeCordylidaeCordylidae is a family of small to medium sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as "Girdled", Spinytail lizards or Girdle-tail lizards. Girdled lizards are diurnal and insectivorous...
- Spinytail Lizards - Family GerrhosauridaeGerrhosauridaeThe Gerrhosauridae is a family of lizards native to Africa and Madagascar. Also known as plated lizards, they live in a range of habitats, from rocky crevices to sand dunes. Their form is variable, with some species having four fully developed limbs, and others with vestigial hind limbs only...
- Plated Lizards - Family GymnophthalmidaeGymnophthalmidaeGymnophthalmidae is a family of lizards, sometimes known as spectacled lizards or microteiids. They are called 'spectacled' because of their transparent lower eyelids, so they can still see with closed eyes...
- Spectacled Lizards - Family TeiidaeTeiidaeTeiidae is a family of lizards native to the Americas, generally known as whiptails. The group includes the parthenogenic genera Cnemidophorus and Aspidoscelis, and the non-parthenogenic Tupinambis. It has over 230 member species in ten genera...
- WhiptailCnemidophorusCnemidophorus is a genus of lizards which belong to the family of Teiidae, which are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. Note that the nomenclature for this genus has recently been re-examined by T. W. Reeder et al. in 2002...
s and Tegus - Family LacertidaeLacertidaeLacertidae is the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The group includes the genus Lacerta, which contains some of the most commonly seen lizard species in Europe...
- Lacertids - Family Scincidae - SkinkSkinkSkinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
s - Family Xantusiidae - Night LizardNight lizardNight lizards are a group of very small, viviparous lizards, averaging from less than 4 cm to over 12 cm long. The family has only three genera, with approximately 23 living species...
s - Family AnguidaeAnguidaeThe Anguidae is a large and diverse family of lizards native to the northern hemisphere. The group includes the slowworms, glass lizards, and alligator lizards, among others. Anguidae is divided into three subfamilies and contains 94 species in eight genera. Their closest living relatives are the...
- Glass LizardGlass lizardThe glass lizards or glass snakes, genus Ophisaurus, are a group of reptiles that resemble snakes, but are actually lizards. Although most species have no legs, their head shape and the fact that they have movable eyelids and external ear openings identify them as lizards. A few species have very...
s - Family Anniellidae - American legless lizardAmerican legless lizardThe family Anniellidae, known as American legless lizards contains two species in a single genus Anniella: A. pulchra, the California Legless Lizard, and the rare, A. geronimensis, Baja California Legless Lizard....
s - Family XenosauridaeXenosauridaeThe Xenosauridae is a family of lizards native to Central America and China. Also known as knob-scaled lizards, they have rounded, bumpy scales and osteoderms. Most species prefer moist or semi-aquatic habitats, although they are widespread within their native regions, with some even inhabiting...
- Knob-scaled Lizards - Family Helodermatidae - Gila MonsterGila monsterThe Gila monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora...
s - Family LanthanotidaeLanthanotidaeThe Earless monitor lizard is a semi-aquatic, brown lizard native to northern Borneo. It is the only species in the family Lanthanotidae, a group related to the true monitor lizards, as well as to the beaded lizards....
- Earless Monitor lizards - Family VaranidaeVaranidaeVaranidae is a group of lizards of the superfamily Varanoidea. The family is a group of carnivorous lizards which includes the largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, and the crocodile monitor. Varanidae contains the living genus Varanus and a number of extinct taxa...
- Monitor lizardMonitor lizardMonitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
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- Suborder AmphisbaeniaAmphisbaeniaThe Amphisbaenia are a usually legless suborder of squamates closely related to lizards and snakes. As many species possess a pink body coloration and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms. They are very poorly understood, due to their burrowing lifestyle...
- Family AmphisbaenidaeAmphisbaenidaeThe Amphisbaenidae are a family of amphisbaenians, commonly known as worm lizards. They are found in North and South America, some Caribbean islands, and in sub-Saharan Africa...
- Worm Lizards - Family TrogonophidaeTrogonophidaeTrogonophidae, , is a small family of amphisbaenians, containing five species in four genera. Trogonophids are found in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and western Iran. They are limbless, carnivorous, lizard-like reptiles highly modified for burrowing...
- Shorthead Worm Lizards - Family BipedidaeBipedidaeBipedidae, are a family of amphisbaenians. They are found only in Mexico. Ajolotes are carnivorous, burrowing reptiles, but unlike other species of amphisbaenian, they possess two stubby forelimbs placed far forward on the body...
- Two-legged Worm Lizards
- Family Amphisbaenidae
- Suborder Serpentes - Linnaeus, 1758—Snakes**Infraorder AlethinophidiaAlethinophidiaThe Alethinophidia are an infraorder of snakes that includes all snakes other than blind snakes and thread snakes. Currently, 15 families are recognized, including 9 subfamilies and 316 genera.* Family: Acrochordidae Bonaparte, 1831 -- wart snakes...
- Nopcsa, 1923-
- Family AcrochordidaeAcrochordidaeThe Acrochordidae are a monotypic family created for the genus Acrochordus. This is a group of primitive aquatic snakes found in Australia and Indonesia. Currently, 3 species are recognized.-Description:...
- Bonaparte, 1831—Wart snakes - Family AniliidaeAniliidaeThe Aniliidae are a monotypic family created for the monotypic genus Anilius that contains the species A. scytale, found in South America. This snake possesses a vestigial pelvic girdle that is visible as a pair of cloacal spurs. It is ovoviviparous. The diet consists mainly of amphibians and...
- Stejneger, 1907—False coral snakes - Family Anomochilidae - Cundall, Wallach & Rossman, 1993—Dwarf pipe snakes
- Family AtractaspididaeAtractaspididaeThe Atractaspididae are a family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.-Description:This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless , rear-fanged , fixed-fanged , and viper-like species...
- Günther, 1858—African burrowing asps, stiletto snakes - Family Boidae - Gray, 1825—boas
- Subfamily BoinaeBoinaeThe Boinae are a subfamily of boas found in Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Five genera comprising 28 species are currently recognized.-Geographic range:...
- Gray, 1825 - Subfamily ErycinaeErycinaeThe Erycinae are part of a family of non-venomous snakes called boas found in Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, Arabia, central and southwestern Asia, India, Sri Lanka, and western North America. Three genera comprising 15 species are currently recognized....
- Bonaparte, 1831—Old World sand boas
- Subfamily Boinae
- Family Bolyeriidae - Hoffstetter, 1946—Mauritius snakes
- Family Colubridae - Oppel, 1811—Colubrids, typical snakes
- Subfamily Xenodermatinae
- Subfamily HomalopsinaeHomalopsinaeHomalopsinae is a subfamily of Colubridae which contains some 10 genera and about 4 dozen species. They are typically stout-bodied water snakes, and all are mildly venomous. The genus Brachyorrhos may belong elsewhere...
- Subfamily Boodontinae
- Subfamily PseudoxyrhophiinaePseudoxyrhophiinaePseudoxyrhophiinae is a subfamily of colubrid snakes.It contains about 20 genera:* Alluaudina* Bibilava * Brygophis* Compsophis* Ditypophis* Dromicodryas* Exallodontophis...
- Subfamily ColubrinaeColubrinaeColubrinae is a subfamily of the Colubridae family of snakes. It includes numerous genera, and taxonomic sources often disagree on the exact number...
- Subfamily Psammophiinae
- Subfamily NatricinaeNatricinaeNatricinae is a subfamily of the colubrid family of snakes which contains 28 genera. Members of this subfamily include many very common snake species, such as the European Grass Snakes, and the North American Water Snakes.- Genera :...
- Subfamily Pseudoxenodontinae
- Subfamily Dipsadinae
- Subfamily XenodontinaeXenodontinaeXenodontinae is a subfamily of the Colubridae family of snakes. It encompasses a number of genera, which include species such as mud snakes and New World hognose snakes.- Genera :Other genera are often placed here but may actually belong elsewhere:...
- Family Cylindrophiidae - Fitzinger, 1843—Asian pipe snakes
- Family ElapidaeElapidaeElapidae is a family of venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, terrestrially in Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America and aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Oceans...
- F. Boie, 1827—Cobras, coral snakes, mambas, sea snakes - Family LoxocemidaeLoxocemidaeThe Loxocemidae are a monotypic family of snakes created for the monotypic genus Loxocemus that contains the species L. bicolor found in Central America. Loxocemidae is the smallest snake family, having just one species and one genera. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description:Being the...
- Cope, 1861—Mexican pythons - Family Pythonidae - Fitzinger, 1826—Pythons
- Family Tropidophiidae - Brongersma, 1951—Dwarf boas
- Family Uropeltidae - Müller, 1832—Pipe snakes, shield-tailed snakes
- Family ViperidaeViperidaeThe Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except in Antarctica, Australia, Ireland, Madagascar, Hawaii, various other isolated islands, and above the Arctic Circle. All have relatively long, hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom. Four...
- Oppel, 1811—Vipers, pitvipers- Subfamily AzemiopinaeAzemiopinaeAzemiopinae is a monotypic subfamily created for the monotypic genus, Azemiops, that contains the venomous viper species Azemiops feae, described here. No subspecies are recognized. The first specimen was collected by Italian explorer Leonardo Fea, and was described as a new genus and new species...
- Liem, Marx & Rabb, 1971—Fae's viper - Subfamily CausinaeCausinaeThe Causinae are a monotypic subfamily of venomous vipers found only in subsaharan Africa. It was created for the genus Causus; a group considered to be among the most primitive members of the family Viperidae based on head scalation, oviparity, venom apparatus and the fact that they have round...
- Cope, 1859—Night adders - Subfamily CrotalinaeCrotalinaeThe Crotalinae, commonly known as "pit vipers" or crotaline snakes, are a subfamily of venomous vipers found in Asia and the Americas. They are distinguished by the presence of a heat-sensing pit organ located between the eye and the nostril on either side of the head...
- Oppel, 1811—Pitvipers, rattlesnakes - Subfamily ViperinaeViperinaeThe Viperinae, or viperines, are a subfamily of venomous vipers found in Europe, Asia and Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their sister group, the Crotalinae. Currently, 12 genera and 66 species are recognized...
- Oppel, 1811—True vipers
- Subfamily Azemiopinae
- Family XenopeltidaeXenopeltidaeThe Xenopeltidae are a monotypic family of snakes created to the genus Xenopeltis, which is found in Southeast Asia. Its members are known for their highly iridescent scales. Currently, two species are recognized and no subspecies.-Description:...
- Bonaparte, 1845—Sunbeam snakes
- Family Acrochordidae
- Infraorder ScolecophidiaScolecophidiaThe Scolecophidia are an infraorder of snakes. They range in size from 10-100 cm in length, but may only be as small as 2 mm. All are fossorial. Currently, 3 families and 12 genera are recognized.-Families:-See also:...
- Cope, 1864—Blind snakes- Family AnomalepididaeAnomalepididaeThe Anomalepididae are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Central and South America. They are similar to Typhlopidae, except that some species possess a single tooth in the lower jaw. Currently, 4 genera and 15 species are recognized.-Description:...
- Taylor, 1939—Primitive blind snakes - Family LeptotyphlopidaeLeptotyphlopidaeThe Leptotyphlopidae are a family of snakes found in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. All are fossorial and adapted to burrowing, feeding on ants and termites...
- Stejneger, 1892—Slender blind snakes, thread snakes - Family TyphlopidaeTyphlopidaeThe Typhlopidae are a family of blind snakes. They are found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and all mainland Australia and various islands. The rostral scale overhangs the mouth to form a shovel like burrowing structure. They live underground in burrows, and since...
- Merrem, 1820—Blind snakes, typical blind snakes
- Family Anomalepididae
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Order Crocodylia - crocodiliaCrocodiliaCrocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period . They are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria...
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- Suborder EusuchiaEusuchiaEusuchia is a clade of crocodylomorphs that first appears in the Early Cretaceous with Hylaeochampsa. All living crocodilian species are eusuchians, as are many extinct forms.-Description:...
- Family Crocodylidae - crocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s - Family AlligatoridaeAlligatoridaeAlligatoridae is a family of crocodylians that includes alligators and caimans.- True alligators :Alligators proper occur in the fluvial deposits of the age of the Upper Chalk in Europe, where they did not die out until the Pliocene age. The true alligators are now restricted to two species, A...
- alligatorAlligatorAn alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
s - Family GavialidaeGavialidaeGavialidae is a family of reptiles within the order Crocodilia. Gavialidae consists of only one surviving species, the gharial , which is native to India. Many extinct species are also known...
- gavials
- Family Crocodylidae - crocodile
See also
- ReptileReptileReptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
- List of California amphibians and reptiles
- List of regional reptiles lists
- List of snakes
- HerpingHerpingHerping is the act of searching for reptiles or amphibians. The term, often used by professional and amateur herpetologists, comes from "herptile", composed of Greek herpeton and Latin reptile, both meaning "to creep"...