African reptiles are categorized by reptilian order: Order Testudines: turtles Order Squamata: snakes and lizards *

Acanthocercus ''Acanthocercus'' is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Species ''Nota bene'': A binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), als ...

Acanthodactylus erythrurus ''Acanthodactylus erythrurus'', commonly known as the spiny-footed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to northwestern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). ''A Field Guide to t ...

Agama (genus) ''Agama'' (from Sranan Tongo meaning "lizard") is a genus of small-to-moderate-sized, long-tailed, insectivorous Old World lizards. The genus ''Agama'' includes at least 37 species in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where most regions a ...

Agama agama The common agama, red-headed rock agama or rainbow agama (''Agama agama'') is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae found in most of sub-Saharan Africa. To clear up historical confusion based on Linnaeus and other authors, Wagner, et al ...

Agama aculeata ''Agama aculeata'', the ground agama, is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae, found in most of sub-Saharan Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Southern Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Eswatini). Description Snout-t ...

Agama africana ''Agama africana'' is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is a small lizard found in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Nigeria and Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. ...

* Agama armata * Agama caudospinosa * Agama mwanzae * Agama rueppelli * Aspidelaps *

Atheris ceratophora :''Common names: Usambara bush viper,Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . horned bush viper, eyelash bush viper, more.'' ''Atheris ceratophora'' is a venomous viper speci ...

* Atheris chlorechis * Atheris desaixi *

Atheris hispida ''Atheris hispida'' is a viper species endemic to Central Africa. It is known for its extremely keeled dorsal scales that give it a bristly appearance. No subspecies are currently recognized. Common names include rough-scaled bush viper, spiny b ...

Atheris katangensis :''Common names: Shaba bush viper,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. .Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of ...

* Atheris nitschei *

Atheris squamigera ''Atheris squamigera'' (common names: green bush viper,David Mallow, Mallow D, David Ludwig (herpetologist), Ludwig D, Göran Nilson, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger ...

Bitis arietans The puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') is a viper species found in savannahs and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions.U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Venomous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. ...

Bitis atropos The berg adder (''Bitis atropos'') is a venomous viper species endemic to mountainous regions in southern Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized. Taxonomy The specific name, ''atropos'', refers to the Greek mythological goddess Atrop ...

Bitis caudalis The horned adder (''Bitis caudalis'') is a viper species. It is found in the arid region of southwest Africa, in Angola, Botswana, Namibia; South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It is easily distinguished by the presence of a single, large horn-like scal ...

Bitis cornuta The many-horned adder (''Bitis cornuta'') is a viper species. It is found in certain rocky desert areas, mostly along the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, in western South Africa and southwestern Namibia. It has characteristic tufts of "horns" ...

Bitis gabonica The Gaboon viper (''Bitis gabonica''), also called the Gaboon adder, is a viper species found in the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geogra ...

* Bitis heraldica * Bitis inornata *

Bitis nasicornis ''Bitis nasicornis'' is a viper species found in the forests of West and Central Africa. This large viper is known for its striking coloration and prominent nasal "horns". No subspecies are currently recognized. Its common names include butterfl ...

Bitis parviocula :''Common name: Bale Mountains adder, Ethiopian mountain adder,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. .Spawls S, Branch B. 19 ...

Bitis peringueyi ''Bitis peringueyi'', also known as the Peringuey's adder, Spawls S, Branch B (1995). ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. . Peringuey's desert adder or desert sidewinding adder, Mallow D, Ludwig ...

Bitis rubida The red adder (''Bitis rubida'') is a viper species found only in Western Cape Province, South Africa. No subspecies are currently recognised. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. Taxonomy ''Bitis rubida'' was described as a new species in 1 ...

Bitis schneideri :''Common names: Namaqua dwarf adder, Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . Spawls S, Branch B (1995). ''The Dangerous S ...

* Bitis worthingtoni * Bitis xeropaga *

Boomslang The boomslang (, , or ; ''Dispholidus typus'') is a large, highly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. Taxonomy and etymology Its common name means "tree snake" in Afrikaans and Dutch – ''boom'' meaning "tree", and ''slang'' meaning "sna ...

Boulengerina annulata ''Naja annulata'' (formerly ''Boulengerina annulata''), commonly known as the banded water cobra or the ringed water cobra, is a species of water cobra native to western and central Africa. The species is one of the two species of water cobra ...

Cape Cobra The Cape cobra (''Naja nivea''), also called the yellow cobra, is a moderate-sized, highly venomous species of cobra inhabiting a wide variety of biomes across southern Africa including arid savanna, fynbos, bushveld, desert and semi-desert reg ...

Cape Dwarf Chameleon The Cape dwarf chameleon (''Bradypodion pumilum'') is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape, where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town. As with most chameleons, its tongue is twice the length of its body ...

* Chalcides armitagei * Chalcides montanus * Chalcides ocellatus * Chalcides pulchellus * Chalcides regazzii *

Chalcides thierryi ''Chalcides thierryi'', commonly known as Thierry's cylindrical skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is indigenous to West Africa. Etymology The specific name, ''thierryi'', is in honor of German military officer ...

* Chamaeleo hoehnelii * Chamaeleo johnstoni *

Chamaeleo melleri ''Trioceros melleri'', with the common names Meller's chameleon and giant one-horned chameleon, is the largest species of chameleon from the African mainland (i.e. the largest of the chameleons not native to Madagascar). Etymology Meller's chamel ...

Charina ''Charina'' is a genus of nonvenomous boas, commonly known as rubber boas, found in North America. Two species are currently recognized''.'' Distribution and habitat Found in North America from western Canada south through the western United St ...

Common Egg-eater ''Dasypeltis scabra'', known as the common egg eater, egg-eating snake or rhombic egg eater, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to Africa. Geographic range ''Dasypeltis scabra'' is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It can ...

Eastern green mamba The eastern green mamba (''Dendroaspis angusticeps'') is a highly venomous snake species of the mamba genus ''Dendroaspis'' native to the coastal regions of southern East Africa. Described by Scottish surgeon and zoologist Andrew Smith in 1849 ...

* Echis coloratus * Fischer's Chameleon * Hemidactylus brookii * Hemidactylus echinus *

Hemidactylus frenatus The common house gecko (''Hemidactylus frenatus'') is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tayoto, chipkali or moon lizard. Most geckos are noctur ...

Hemidactylus mabouia The tropical house gecko, Afro-American house gecko or cosmopolitan house gecko (''Hemidactylus mabouia'') is a species of house gecko native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is also currently found in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean ...

* Hemidactylus muriceus * Hemidactylus pseudomuriceus *

Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko (''Uroplatus henkeli''), also known commonly as Henkel's flat-tailed gecko or the frilled leaf-tail gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the Family (biology), family Gekkonidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to ...

Jackson's Chameleon Jackson's chameleon (''Trioceros jacksonii''), also known as Jackson's horned chameleon, three-horned chameleon or Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon (family Chamaeleonidae) native to East Africa, but also introduced to Haw ...

* Karoo Dwarf Chameleon * Lined day gecko * Madagascarophis *

Mamba Mambas are fast moving highly venomous snakes of the genus ''Dendroaspis'' (which literally means "tree Asp (reptile), asp") in the family Elapidae. Four Neontology, extant species are recognised currently; three of those four species are essen ...

Mozambique Spitting Cobra The Mozambique spitting cobra (''Naja mossambica'') is a highly venomous species of spitting cobra native to Africa. It is largely found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Taxonomy Germ ...

Naja ashei ''Naja ashei'', commonly known as Ashe's spitting cobra or the giant spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Africa. It is the world's largest species of spitting cobra. Etymology and taxo ...

* Naja nigricollis * Namaqua Chameleon *

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 ...

Nucras caesicaudata ''Nucras caesicaudata'', the bluetailed sandveld lizard or bluetail scrub lizard, is a wall lizard in the family of true lizards (Lacertidae). It is found in southern Mozambique, southwestern Zimbabwe and the extreme northeast of South Africa. T ...

Paranaja multifasciata The many-banded snake (''Naja multifasciata''), also known as the burrowing cobra is a species of venomous elapid snake. The species is found in the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in Africa. Description Despite ...

* Phelsuma pusilla pusilla * Psudohaje goldii * Python anchietae *

Python regius The ball python (''Python regius''), also called the royal python, is a python species native to West and Central Africa, where it lives in grasslands, shrublands and open forests. This nonvenomous constrictor is the smallest of the African p ...

Python sebae The Central African rock python (''Python sebae'') is a species of large constrictor snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of 11 living species in the genus ''Python''. Africa's largest snake and ...

Python sebae natalensis The Southern African rock python (''Python natalensis'') is a large python species native to Southern Africa inhabiting savanna and woodland. It was first described by Andrew Smith in 1833. Growing a length of more than , this is one of the l ...

Red Spitting Cobra The red spitting cobra (''Naja pallida'') is a species of spitting cobra native to Africa. Description This medium-sized cobra attains lengths between , but may grow to a maximum length of around in very rare cases. It is often thought of as ...

* Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus * Rhampholeon spectrum * Rhampholeon brevicaudatus *

Rinkhals The rinkhals (; ''Hemachatus haemachatus''), also known as the ringhals or ring-necked spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found in parts of southern Africa. It is not a true cobra in that it do ...

* Rosette-Nosed Chameleon *

Savannah monitor The savannah monitor (''Varanus exanthematicus'') is a medium-sized species of monitor lizard native to Africa. The species is known as Bosc's monitor in Europe, since French scientist Louis Bosc first described the species. It belongs to the su ...

* Sharp-nosed Chameleon * Small-spotted Lizard *

Spitting cobra A spitting cobra is any of several species of cobras that can defensively spray a toxic secretion - functioning as both a venom (that can be injected via a wound) and a toxungen (that can be sprayed on the target surface) - from their fangs in ...

* Strange-nosed Chameleon *

Trachylepis striata The African striped skink (''Trachylepis striata''), commonly called the striped skink, is a species of lizard in the skink family ( Scincidae). The species is widespread in East Africa and Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost ...

Uromastyx geyri ''Uromastyx geyri'' is a species of lizard belonging to the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to North Africa. Common names Common names for ''U. geyri'' include Geyr's dabb lizard, Geyr's spiny-tailed lizard,"''Uromastyx geyri'' ". The Re ...

Uroplatus ''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively in prim ...

Uroplatus guentheri ''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively in primary ...

* Uroplatus lineatus * Uroplatus phantasticus *

Uroplatus fimbriatus The common flat-tail gecko (''Uroplatus fimbriatus'') is a gecko endemic to Madagascar. It is found in eastern Madagascar and on the islands Nosy Bohara and Nosy Mangabe. These geckos live in tropical rain forests. They reach a total length o ...

Uroplatus silkorae ''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemism, endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively ...

Varanus albigularis The rock monitor (''Varanus albigularis'') is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Central, East, and southern Africa. It is the second-longest lizard found on the continent, and the heaviest-bodied; lo ...

* Varanus albigularis angolensis * Varanus albigularis microstictus * Varanus albigularis ionidesi *

Varanus griseus The desert monitor (''Varanus griseus'') is a species of monitor lizard of the order Squamata found living throughout North Africa and Central and South Asia. The desert monitor is carnivorous, feeding on a wide range of vertebrates and inverteb ...

Vipera monticola ''Vipera monticola'', also known as the Atlas mountain viper,Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . is a viper species endemic to Morocco. Like all other vipers, it is v ...

Western green mamba The western green mamba (''Dendroaspis viridis'') is a long, thin, and highly venomous snake species of the mamba genus, ''Dendroaspis''. This species was first described in 1844 by American herpetologist Edward Hallowell. The western green mamb ...

* Yellow-throated day gecko Order Crocodilia: crocodiles *

Nile Crocodile The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the central, eastern ...

Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), 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 inclu ...

Dwarf Crocodile The dwarf crocodile (''Osteolaemus tetraspis''), also known as the African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile (a name more often used for the Asian mugger crocodile) or bony crocodile, is an African crocodile that is also the smallest extan ...

Slender-snouted Crocodile ''Mecistops'' is a genus of crocodiles, the slender-snouted crocodiles, native to sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy and etymology Traditionally placed in ''Crocodylus'', recent studies in DNA and morphology have shown that it is in fact basal to '' ...

References

{{Reflist Africa