Southern California Reptiles and Amphibians

Southern California is a very diverse place. Because of this many reptile and amphibian species live and depend on the various habitats. This is a list of all native and invasive species found in Southern California.

All 184

Taxonomy
« Back To Vertebrates Subphylum Vertebrata
- Reptiles Class Reptilia
  - 125 Snakes and Lizards Order Squamata
  - 13 Turtles and Tortoises Order Testudines

Long-tailed Brush Lizard ¹
Urosaurus graciosus

Baja California Brush Lizard
Urosaurus lahtelai

Colorado River Tree Lizard ²
Urosaurus ornatus symmetricus

Western Side-blotched Lizard ³
Uta stansburiana elegans

Western Red-tailed Skink ⁴
Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus

Skilton's Skink ⁵
Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus

Coronado Island Skink ⁶
Plestiodon skiltonianus interparietalis

Belding’s Orange-throated Whiptail ⁷
Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi

Coastal Whiptail ⁸
Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri

California whiptail ⁹
Aspidoscelis tigris mundus

Great Basin Whiptail ¹⁰
Aspidoscelis tigris tigris

Sandstone Night Lizard ¹¹
Xantusia gracilis

Granite Night Lizard
Xantusia henshawi

San Clemente Night Lizard ²
Xantusia riversiana reticulata

San Nicolas Night Lizard
Xantusia riversiana riversiana

Sierra Night Lizard
Xantusia sierrae

Desert Night Lizard ¹²
Xantusia vigilis

Baja California Night Lizard ¹³
Xantusia wigginsi

Green Anole ¹⁴
Anolis carolinensis

Brown Anole ¹⁵
Anolis sagrei

Jackson's Chameleon ¹⁶
Trioceros jacksonii

Mediterranean House Gecko ¹⁷
Hemidactylus turcicus

Southern Italian Wall Lizard ¹⁸
Podarcis sicula sicula

Ringed Wall Gecko ¹⁹
Tarentola annularis

Moorish Gecko ²⁰
Tarentola mauritanica

Northern Pacific Pond Turtle ²¹
Actinemys marmorata marmorata

Southern Pacific Pond Turtle ²²
Actinemys marmorata pallida

Sonoran Mud Turtle ²³
Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense

Desert Tortoise ²⁴
Gopherus agassizii

Loggerhead Sea Turtle ²⁵
Caretta caretta

Green Turtle ²⁶
Chelonia mydas

Leatherback Sea Turtle ²⁷
Dermochelys coriacea

Pacific Hawksbill ²⁸
Eretmochelys imbricata bissa

Pacific Ridley ²⁹
Lepidochelys olivacea

Snapping Turtle ³⁰
Chelydra serpentina

Western Painted Turtle ³¹
Chrysemys picta bellii

Red-eared Slider ³²
Trachemys scripta elegans

Texas Spiny Softshell ³³
Apalone spinifera emoryi

Edited by Dominic, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

Photo Credits

1. (c) Greg Schechter, some rights reserved (CC BY)
2. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Amphibians & Reptiles, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
3. (c) Robert McNicholas, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
4. (c) Global Herper, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
5. (c) randomtruth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
6. (c) Michael Schmidt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
7. (c) John Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Sullivan
8. (c) Ryan Brown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Ryan Brown
9. (c) Franco Folini, some rights reserved (CC BY)
10. (c) Kerry Matz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
11. (c) 2012 Adam G. Clause, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
12. no rights reserved
13. (c) 2008 William Flaxington, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
14. (c) Ronnie Pitman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
15. (c) Richard Crook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
16. (c) 2011 William Flaxington, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
17. (c) A. Jaszlics, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
18. (c) Matthijs Quaijtaal, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
19. (c) Matt Reinbold, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
20. (c) dubidule, some rights reserved (CC BY)
21. (c) Chris Cook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Chris Cook
22. (c) Jorge H. Valdez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jorge H. Valdez
23. (c) showmejoe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by showmejoe
24. (c) Mike Baird, some rights reserved (CC BY)
25. (c) Brian Gratwicke, some rights reserved (CC BY)
26. (c) Mathieu Bertrand Struck, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
27. (c) Thailandecoportal.com, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
28. (c) Raiyan Kamal, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
29. (c) Mr. Theklan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
30. (c) Karim Rezk, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
31. (c) J. N. Stuart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
32. (c) Syd Phillips, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
33. (c) Erin and Lance Willett, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)

Southern California Reptiles and Amphibians

Long-tailed Brush Lizard 1 Urosaurus graciosus

Baja California Brush Lizard Urosaurus lahtelai

Colorado River Tree Lizard 2 Urosaurus ornatus symmetricus

Western Side-blotched Lizard 3 Uta stansburiana elegans

Western Red-tailed Skink 4 Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus

Skilton's Skink 5 Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus

Coronado Island Skink 6 Plestiodon skiltonianus interparietalis

Belding’s Orange-throated Whiptail 7 Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi

Coastal Whiptail 8 Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri

California whiptail 9 Aspidoscelis tigris mundus

Great Basin Whiptail 10 Aspidoscelis tigris tigris

Sandstone Night Lizard 11 Xantusia gracilis

Granite Night Lizard Xantusia henshawi

San Clemente Night Lizard 2 Xantusia riversiana reticulata

San Nicolas Night Lizard Xantusia riversiana riversiana

Sierra Night Lizard Xantusia sierrae

Desert Night Lizard 12 Xantusia vigilis

Baja California Night Lizard 13 Xantusia wigginsi

Green Anole 14 Anolis carolinensis

Brown Anole 15 Anolis sagrei

Jackson's Chameleon 16 Trioceros jacksonii

Mediterranean House Gecko 17 Hemidactylus turcicus

Southern Italian Wall Lizard 18 Podarcis sicula sicula

Ringed Wall Gecko 19 Tarentola annularis

Moorish Gecko 20 Tarentola mauritanica

Northern Pacific Pond Turtle 21 Actinemys marmorata marmorata

Southern Pacific Pond Turtle 22 Actinemys marmorata pallida

Sonoran Mud Turtle 23 Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense

Desert Tortoise 24 Gopherus agassizii

Loggerhead Sea Turtle 25 Caretta caretta

Green Turtle 26 Chelonia mydas

Leatherback Sea Turtle 27 Dermochelys coriacea

Pacific Hawksbill 28 Eretmochelys imbricata bissa

Pacific Ridley 29 Lepidochelys olivacea

Snapping Turtle 30 Chelydra serpentina

Western Painted Turtle 31 Chrysemys picta bellii

Red-eared Slider 32 Trachemys scripta elegans

Texas Spiny Softshell 33 Apalone spinifera emoryi