This is a checklist of American reptiles found in Northern America, based primarily on publications by the

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) is an international herpetological society. It is a non-profit organization supporting education, conservation, and research related to reptiles and amphibians. Regular publications in ...

(SSAR). It includes all species of Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and the United States including recently introduced species such as

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

s, the

Nile monitor The Nile monitor (''Varanus niloticus'') is a large member of the monitor family (Varanidae) found throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa and along the Nile, with invasive populations in North America. The population in West African forests and sa ...

, and the

Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are listed only in a few cases. The information about range and status of almost all of these species can be found also in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

site. * alien species

Summary of 2006 IUCN Red List categories.

Conservation status –

: and

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

Order: Crocodilia

Family: Alligatoridae

Family:
Crocodylidae Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant mem ...

Order: Testudines (turtles)

Suborder: Pleurodira

Family: Podocnemididae (side-necked turtles)

Suborder: Cryptodira

Family: Testudinidae (tortoises)

Family:
Emydidae Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...

Family: Cheloniidae

* Olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea'') * Loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') (North Pacific: , Northwest Atlantic: ) * Kemp's ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys kempii'') *

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

(''Chelonia mydas'')
(Hawaiian subpopulation: , Breeding colony populations in FL: ) *

Hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is largel ...

(''Eretmochelys imbricata'')

Family:
Dermochelyidae Dermochelyidae is a family of turtles which has seven extinct genera and one extant genus, including the largest living sea turtles. Classification of known genera The following list of dermochelyid species was published by Hirayama and Tong in ...

* Leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea'')
(East Pacific Ocean subpopulation – i.e. Hawaiian Is.: , West Pacific Ocean subpopulation: , Northwest Atlantic Ocean subpopulation: )

Family:
Chelydridae The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontemy ...

Family: Kinosternidae

Family: Trionychidae (softshells)

* Florida softshell (''Apalone ferox'') * Smooth softshell (''Apalone mutica'') * Spiny softshell (''Apalone spinifera'') * Wattle-necked softshell (''Palea steindachneri'') * ( Hawaii only) * Chinese softshell (''Pelodiscus sinensis'') * ( Hawaii only)

Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)

Suborder: Iguania

Family:
Agamidae Agamidae is a family (biology), family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview phylogenetics, Phylogenetic ...
(agamas)

Family: Chamaeleonidae (chameleons)

Family: Crotaphytidae (collared and leopard lizards)

Family: Iguanidae (iguanas)

Family: Phrynosomatidae

Family: Dactyloidae (anoles)

Family: Polychrotidae

* Many-colored bush anole (''Polychrus marmoratus'') * (probably introduced)

Family: Corytophanidae (casquehead lizards)

Brown basilisk The brown basilisk (''Basiliscus vittatus''), also commonly referred to as the striped basilisk or in some areas as the common basilisk, is a species of basilisk lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Mexico, Central Ameri ...

(''Basiliscus vittatus'') *

Family: Leiocephalidae (curly-tailed lizards)

* Northern curly-tailed lizard (''Leiocephalus carinatus'') * * Red-sided curly-tailed lizard (''Leiocephalus schreibersii'') *

Suborder:
Gekkota Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

Family: Gekkonidae (geckos)

Suborder: Autarchoglossa

Family:
Lacertidae The Lacertidae are the family (biology), family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at least 300 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group o ...
(wall or true lizards)

Family: Scincidae (skinks)

Family: Anguidae

Family: Anniellidae (American legless lizards)

Family: Helodermatidae (Gila monsters)

* Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum'')

Family: Teiidae (tegus or whiptails)

* Giant ameiva (''Ameiva ameiva'') * * Dusky giant ameiva (''Ameiva praesignis'') * * Species split from the canyon spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis burti'') : ** Giant spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis'' (''burti'') ''stictogramma'') ** Red-backed whiptail (''Aspidoscelis xanthonota'') *

Chihuahuan spotted whiptail The Chihuahuan spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis exsanguis'')''Aspidos ...

(''Aspidoscelis exsanguis'') * Common spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis gularis'') * Orange-throated whiptail (''Aspidoscelis hyperythra'') * Species split from ''Aspidoscelis inornata'': **

Little striped whiptail The little striped whiptail (''Aspidoscelis inornatus'') is a species of lizard found in the southwestern United States (in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) and in northern Mexico (in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, ...

(''Aspidoscelis inornata'') (

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

) and: *** Little white whiptail (''Aspidoscelis'' (''inornata'') ''gypsi'') (split from ''A. inornata'') ***

Pai striped whiptail The Pai striped whiptail (''Aspidoscelis pai'') is a lizard species of the genus ''Aspidoscelis'', very similar to the Arizona striped whiptail, and endemic to Arizona in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), c ...

(''Aspidoscelis'' (''inornata'') ''pai'') (split from ''A. inornata'') *** Arizona striped whiptail (''Aspidoscelis'' (''inornata'') ''arizonae'') (split from ''A. inornata'') **

Plateau striped whiptail The plateau striped whiptail (''Aspidoscelis velox'') is a species of teiid lizard found in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico in the United States. It has been introduced to the State of Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific ...

(''Aspidoscelis velox'') ( triploid) * Neaves' whiptail (''Aspidoscelis neavesi'') * Laredo striped whiptail (''Aspidoscelis laredoensis'') * Marbled whiptail (''Aspidoscelis marmorata'' * Giant whiptail (''Aspidoscelis motaguae'') * * New Mexico whiptail (''Aspidoscelis neomexicana'') * ''Aspidoscelis tesselata'' complex: **

Common checkered whiptail The checkered whiptail (''Aspidoscelis tesselata'') is a species of lizard found in the southwestern United States in Colorado, Texas and New Mexico, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila. Many sources believe that the species ori ...

(''Aspidoscelis tesselata'') (

, former ''A. grahamii'')) and: *** Gray checkered whiptail (''Aspidoscelis dixoni'') (split from ''A. tesselata'') ** Colorado checkered whiptail (''Aspidoscelis neotesselata'') ( triploid, former '' A. tesselata'') *

Plateau spotted whiptail The plateau spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis septemvittatus'') is a species of lizard found in the southern United States in Texas, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is known to hybridize with the Eastern Spotted Whiptail, ...

(''Aspidoscelis scalaris'') *

Six-lined racerunner The six-lined racerunner (''Aspidoscelis sexlineatus'') is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico. Geographic range The six-lined racerunner is found throughout much of the southeastern and south-central portion of the United ...

(''Aspidoscelis sexlineata'') * Sonoran spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis sonorae'') ** Gila spotted whiptail (''Aspidoscelis flagellicauda'') (sometimes in ''A. sonorae'') * Tiger whiptail (''Aspidoscelis tigris'') * Desert grassland whiptail (''Aspidoscelis uniparens'') *

Rainbow whiptail The rainbow whiptail (''Cnemidophorus lemniscatus'') is a species of lizard found in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It has also been introduced in Florida and has established populations there. A rainbow whiptail gro ...

(''Cnemidophorus lemniscatus'') * * Argentine giant tegu (''Salvator merianae'') * * Gold tegu (''Tupinambis teguixin'') *

Family: Xantusiidae (night lizards)

* Species split from the desert night lizard (''Xantusia vigilis'') : ** Desert night lizard (''Xantusia vigilis'') **

Arizona night lizard The Arizona night lizard (''Xantusia arizonae'') is a species of small smooth-skinned gray-brown lizards with dark spots that sometimes form partial lines down the back. The lizard has a slightly flattened head. The scales of the underside and tai ...

(''Xantusia arizonae'') ** Sierra night lizard (''Xantusia sierrae'') ** Wiggins' night lizard (''Xantusia wigginsi'') * Bezy's night lizard (''Xantusia bezyi'') *

Sandstone night lizard The sandstone night lizard (''Xantusia gracilis'') is a species of night lizard. Prior to 2005, it was considered a subspecies of the granite night lizard, ''Xantusia henshawi''. The physical difference is that the sandstone night lizard has lig ...

(''Xantusia gracilis'') * Granite night lizard (''Xantusia henshawi'') * Island night lizard (''Xantusia riversiana'')

Family: Varanidae (monitor lizards)

(''Varanus niloticus'') * * Savannah monitor (''Varanus exanthematicus'') * * Common water monitor (''Varanus salvator'') *

Suborder:
Amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...

Family: Rhineuridae (North American worm lizards)

Suborder: Serpentes

Family: Typhlopidae (blind snakes)

* Brahminy blindsnake (''Indotyphlops braminus'') *

Family: Boidae (boas)

Family:
Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...
(colubrids)

Subfamily: Natricinae Subfamily: Dipsadinae Subfamily:

Xenodontinae Xenodontinae is a subfamily of snakes in the family Colubridae. The subfamily Xenodontinae encompasses a number of rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous), mildly venomous snake genera found in South America and the Caribbean. Members of the subfamily ...

Family: Viperidae

Family: Elapidae

Family: Leptotyphlopidae (slender blind snakes)

Family:
Acrochordidae The Acrochordidae, commonly known as wart snakes, Java wart snakes, file snakes, elephant trunk snakes, or dogface snakes are a monogeneric family created for the genus ''Acrochordus''. This is a group of basal aquatic snakes found in Australia a ...
(file snakes)

* Javanese file snake (''Acrochordus javanicus'') *

Family: Pythonidae (pythons)

(''Python bivittatus'') * ('' P.'' (''molurus'') ''bivittatus'': , introduced to Florida) * Northern African rock python (''Python sebae'') *

Notes

References

External links

8th Edition of Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico
published by th
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
available on the website of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America – Explained
Ellin Beltz, 2006 *{{cite web , url=https://ssarherps.org/cndb/ , title=SSAR North American Species Names Database , publisher=Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
Uetz, P. and Jirí Hošek (eds.)
US Fish & Wildlife Service – Species Search
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ''Reptilia endangered species''
US Fish & Wildlife Service – ''Endangered Species Program''NOAA; National Marine Fisheries Service – ''Endangered Species Act''The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species