Nothern California Reptiles and Amphibians
A list that includes all the native and invasive species of reptiles and amphibians found in Northern California.
Northern Rubber Boa
The Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) is a snake in the family Boidae that is native to the Western United States.
California Striped Racer
The California Whipsnake, Masticophis lateralis, and also known as the Striped Racer, is a colubrid snake. It is found in habitats of the coast, desert, and foothills of California.
Alameda Whipsnake
The California Whipsnake, Masticophis lateralis, and also known as the Striped Racer, is a colubrid snake. It is found in habitats of the coast, desert, and foothills of California.
Forest Sharp-tailed Snake
Forest sharp tailed snake (Contia longicaudae) is a species of colubrid snake found in the West Coast of the United States.
Sharp-tailed Snake
The sharp-tailed snake or sharptail snake (Contia tenuis) is a small, locally common colubrid snake that lives in the western United States.
Regal Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus regalis, commonly known as the regal ringneck snake, is a subspecies of ringneck snake endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
California King Snake
The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) is a nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the western United States and northern Mexico. It is a relatively small subspecies of the common kingsnake and is naturally found in a wide variety of habitats. One of the most popular snakes in captivity, the California kingsnake can vary widely in appearance due to ...more ↓
Pacific Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to North America. Six subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies, Pituophis catenifer catenifer, described here. This snake is often mistaken for a diamondback rattlesnake but can be easily distinguished from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white banding on its ...more ↓
Great Basin Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer deserticola, commonly known as the Great Basin gopher snake, is a subspecies of nonvenomous colubrid endemic to the western part of the United States and adjacent southwestern Canada.
Long-nosed Snake
The long-nosed snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake, which is endemic to North America. It is the only species in the genus Rhinocheilus, but has four recognized subspecies, though more modern research has cast some doubt on that classification.
Southwestern Blackhead Snake
The southwestern blackhead snake (Tantilla hobartsmithi) is a species of small colubrid snake native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Giant Garter Snake
The giant garter snake, Thamnophis gigas, is the largest species of garter snake. It is largely aquatic.
Two-striped Garter Snake
The Two-striped Garter Snake, Thamnophis hammondii, is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.
Northwestern Garter Snake
The northwestern garter snake, Thamnophis ordinoides, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to North America.
San Francisco Garter Snake
The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a slender multi-colored subspecies of the common garter snake. Designated as an endangered subspecies since the year 1967, it is endemic to San Mateo County and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County in California. Some researchers estimate that there are only 1,000 to 2,000 adult snakes ...more ↓
Mojave desert sidewinder
Crotalus cerastes is a venomous pit viper species belonging to the genus Crotalus (rattlesnakes) and found in the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Western Rattlesnake
Crotalus oreganus is a venomous pit viper species found in North America in the western United States, parts of British Columbia, and northwestern Mexico. Seven subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Florida Watersnake
The Florida banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris), a subspecies of the banded water snake (southern water snake - Nerodia fasciata), is a nonvenomous natricine colubrid native to the southeastern United States.
Northern Watersnake
The northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) is a species of large, nonvenomous, common snake in the Colubridae family that is native to North America.
Panamint Alligator Lizard
The Panamint Alligator Lizard, scientific name Elgaria panamintina, is a species of lizard in the Anguidae family.
Northern Legless Lizard
The California Legless Lizard (Anniella pulchra) is a limbless, burrowing lizard often mistaken for a snake.
Desert Collared Lizard
The Great Basin collared lizard, (Crotaphytus bicinctores) is a species of lizard also known as the Desert Collared Lizard or the Mohave Black Collared Lizard. It is very similar to the Common Collared Lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, in shape and size, but it lacks the bright extravagant colors. Males can be brown to orange and some red or pink on the belly. ...more ↓
Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard
Gambelia sila, also known as the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, is a blunt nosed lizard found in California.
Long-nosed Leopard Lizard
The long-nosed leopard lizard, Gambelia wislizenii, is a relatively large lizard ranging from 3¼ to 5¾ inches (8.2-14.6 cm) snout-vent length (SVL). It has a large head, long nose, and a long round tail that can be longer than its body. It is closely related to the "blunt-nosed leopard lizard" which closely resembles the long-nosed leopard lizard in body proportions, but ...more ↓
Desert Iguana
The desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) is one of the most common lizards of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They also occur on several Gulf of California islands.
Common Chuckwalla
The Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It inhabits the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its range extends from Eastern California, Utah, and Nevada south to Baja California and Sonora.
Pygmy Short-horned Lizard
The Pigmy short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglassii) is a small lizard that occurs in North America. Like other horned lizards, it is often called the "horned toad" or "horny toad," but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian....
Northern Desert Horned Lizard
The northern desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos) is a subspecies of the desert horned lizard, along with the southern desert horned lizard (P. p. calidiarum). It is often referred to as a "horny toad" due to its wide body and blunt snout, but it is not a toad.
San Joaquin Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus is a subspecies of the western fence lizard. The common name of S.o. biseriatus is the San Joaquin fence lizard. There are several subspecies of the western fence lizard, all of which are found in the far western part of North America.
Northwestern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis is a subspecies of the western fence lizard. The common name for this taxon is the northwestern fence lizard. This lizard occurs in the state of Washington in the USA.
Great Basin Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis longipes is a subspecies of the western fence lizard, commonly called the Great Basin fence lizard. Several subspecies of the western fence lizard, a species of phrynosomatid lizard, are found in the far western part of North America.
Sierra Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis taylori is a subspecies of the western fence lizard, commonly called the Sierra fence lizard. Several subspecies of the western fence lizard, a species of phrynosomatid lizard, are found in the far western part of North America.The subspecific epithet, taylori, is in honor of American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor.
Coast Range Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii is a subspecies of the Western fence lizard. This taxon, S.o. bocourtii, is found in the state of California, from Sonoma County south to Santa Barbara County. This subspecies is in the family Phrynosomatidae, North American spiny lizards An alternative name for this subspecies is Coast Range fence lizard. The subspecific name, ...more ↓
Desert Night Lizard
The Desert Night Lizard Xantusia vigilis is a night lizard native to southern California east of the Sierras and San Gabriel Mountains into Baja California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and extreme western Arizona.
Mediterranean House Gecko
Mediterranean House Gecko, scientific name Hemidactylus turcicus (not to be confused with the Asian species Hemidactylus frenatus known as Common House Gecko) is a small gecko common to the Mediterranean which has spread to many parts of the world. It is also commonly referred to as the Turkish Gecko as represented in its Latin name. They are insectivorous, rarely ...more ↓
Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii and Gopherus morafkai) are species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico and the Sinaloan thornscrub of northwestern Mexico.Gopherus agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The ...more ↓
Green Turtle
The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle, or Pacific green turtle, is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific ...more ↓
Leatherback Sea Turtle
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the lute turtle, is the largest of all living turtles (as well as the largest extant sea turtle) and is the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its ...more ↓
Pacific Ridley
The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a medium-sized species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Red-eared Slider
The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), also known as red-eared terrapin, is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is a subspecies of the pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States and is also popular as a pet in the rest of the world, as, among other factors, it is easy to maintain. It has, therefore, become the most ...more ↓
Western Toad
The western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) more commonly known as Bufo boreas (both names accurate) is a large toad species, between 5.6 and 13 cm long, of western North America. It has a white or cream dorsal stripe, and is dusky gray or greenish dorsally with skin glands concentrated within the dark blotches. Its parotoid glands are oval, widely separated, and larger than the ...more ↓
Arroyo Toad
The arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus) (syn. Bufo californicus), is a stocky, blunt-nosed, warty-skinned species of toad, between 5 and 7.5 cm long. It has horizontal pupils, and is greenish, grey or salmon on the dorsum with a light-colored stripe across the head and eyelids. It has light sacral and mid-dorsal patches, large, oval and widely-separated parotoid glands, ...more ↓
Yosemite Toad
The Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus, formerly Bufo canorus) is a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae (Anaxyrus is a genus of toads distributed across North America). Endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, the species ranges from the montane forests of El Dorado County near Lake Tahoe south to subalpine Fresno County near Tehipite Valley in Kings ...more ↓
Black Toad
The black toad (Bufo exsul), also known as the Inyo toad or Deep Springs black toad, is a true toad that lives only in scattered oases in the Deep Springs Valley of Inyo County, California. In fact, its scientific name, Bufo exsul means "exiled toad," which refers to its species' isolation in a tiny spot in the high desert wilderness of the Californian Great ...more ↓
