Wildlife and Wildflowers of Texas - Reptiles and Amphibians
Green Toad
The North American green toad, Anaxyrus debilis, also known by its old name Bufo debilis, is a species of toad found in the southwestern United States in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas, as well as in northern Mexico in the states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Durango, and Zacatecas. It is commonly called green toad ...more ↓
Houston Toad
The Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis, formerly Bufo houstonensis) is an endangered species of amphibian that is endemic to Texas in the United States. This toad was discovered in the late 1940s and named in 1953. Official estimates are that just 3,000–4,000 adult Houston toads are left in the world.
Texas Toad
The Texas toad (Anaxyrus speciosus) is a species of medium-sized (to 9 cm (3.5 in)) toad that occurs in the southern United States and northern Mexico. It breeds in temporary water pools after heavy rains.
Woodhouse's Toad
Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii) is a medium-sized (4 inches or 10 centimetres) true toad native to the United States and Mexico. There are three recognized subspecies. A. woodhousii tends to hybridize with Anaxyrus americanus where their ranges overlap.
Gulf Coast Toad
Incilius nebulifer, also known as the coastal plains toad or Gulf coast toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found on the coast of Gulf of Mexico from Veracruz in Mexico to Mississippi in the United States. It was removed from the synonymy of Incilius valliceps in 2000. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, both natural and ...more ↓
Northern Cricket Frog
The northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) is a species of small hylid frog native to the United States and northeastern Mexico. Despite being members of the tree frog family, they are not arboreal. It has three recognized subspecies.
Spotted Chorus Frog
The spotted chorus frog or Clark's tree frog (Pseudacris clarkii) is a small, nocturnal tree frog native to the grasslands and prairies of the central United States and Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is found from central Kansas, Oklahoma, and northeastern New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico and Rio Grande valley in Texas and Tamaulipas.
Spring Peeper
The spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is a small chorus frog widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada. They are so called because of their chirping call that marks the beginning of spring. There are two subspecies:
Upland Chorus Frog
The upland chorus frog (Pseudacris feriarum) is a species of chorus frog found in the United States. It was recently separated from the Western chorus frog, (Pseudacris triseriata), being identified as an individual species rather than a subspecies.
Cajun Chorus Frog
Pseudacris fouquettei is a species of chorus frog found in the south-eastern United States. It was recently separated from similar species, Pseudacris feriarum.
Strecker's Chorus Frog
Strecker's chorus frog is a species of nocturnal tree frog native to the south central United States, from southern Kansas, through Oklahoma and east to Arkansas, the northwestern tip of Louisiana and south throughouth much of Texas.
Green Tree Frog
The American green tree frog (Dryophytes cinereus) is a common species of New World tree frog belonging to the family Hylidae. A common backyard species, it is popular as a pet, and is the state amphibian of Georgia and Louisiana.
Gray Tree Frog
The gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) is a species of small arboreal frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
Crawfish Frog
The crawfish frog (Lithobates areolatus) is a medium-sized species of frog native to the prairies and grasslands of the central United States. It gets its name because it inhabits the burrows of crayfish for most of the year.
Rio Grande Leopard Frog
The Rio Grande leopard frog (Lithobates berlandieri or Rana berlandieri) is a species of aquatic frog native to the southern United States in Texas and New Mexico, and south through Mexico and Central America. It is also sometimes referred to as the Mexican leopard frog. The epithet berlandieri is in honor of the Belgian naturalist Jean Louis Berlandier, who ...more ↓
Plains Leopard Frog
The Plains leopard frog (Lithobates blairi) It is sometimes referred to as Blair's leopard frog, named after the noted zoologist and University of Texas professor, Dr. W. Frank Blair.
American Bullfrog
The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus or Rana catesbeiana), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an amphibious frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”. This frog has an olive green back and sides blotched with brownish markings and a whitish belly spotted with yellow or grey. The upper lip is often bright ...more ↓
Green Frog
The green frog (Lithobates clamitans or Rana clamitans) is a species of frog native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. The two subspecies are the bronze frog and the northern green frog.
Pickerel Frog
The pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris, formerly Rana palustris) is a small North American frog, characterized by the appearance of seemingly "hand-drawn" squares on its dorsal surface.
Southern Leopard Frog
The southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus or Rana sphenocephala) is a species of true frog. It is native to the eastern United States from Kansas to New York to Florida. It is also an introduced species in some areas.
Couch's Spadefoot
Couch's spadefoot toad or Couch's spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii) is a species of North American spadefoot toad (family Scaphiopodidae). The specific epithet couchii is in honor of American naturalist Darius Nash Couch, who collected the first specimen while on a personal expedition to northern Mexico to collect plant, mineral, and animal specimens for the ...more ↓
Hurter's Spadefoot
Hurter's spadefoot toad or Hurter's spadefoot (Scaphiopus hurteri) is a species of American spadefoot toad (family Scaphiopodidae) found in the south central United States (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma); its range might extend to the adjacent northern Mexico. It was once classified as a subspecies of the eastern spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus holbrookii), but ...more ↓
Great Basin Spadefoot
The Great Basin spadefoot (Spea intermontana) is a species of toad in the family Scaphiopodidae. It is 3.8 to 6.3 cm long and is usually colored gray, olive or brown. Great Basin spadefoot toads have adapted to life in dry habitats. They use the hard, keratinized spade on each foot to dig a burrow, where they spend long periods during cold and dry weather. They are opportunistic ...more ↓
Mexican Spadefoot
The New Mexico spadefoot toad (Spea multiplicata) is a species of American spadefoot toad found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Like other species of spadefoot toad, they get their name from a distinctive spade-like projections on their hind legs which enable them to dig in sandy soils. Spea multiplicata can be identified by its wedge-shaped spade. Some ...more ↓
Rio Grande Chirping Frog
Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides, also known as the Rio Grande chirping frog, Mexican chirping frog, or lowland chirping frog, is a small eleutherodactylid frog. It is found from the southern United States in Texas, and in the northeastern Mexico in the states of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, and Veracruz. Its range in Texas has expanded ...more ↓
Cliff Chirping Frog
Eleutherodactylus marnockii, the cliff chirping frog, is a small eleutherodactylid frog found in central and western Texas, the United States, and in Coahuila, northern Mexico. It is also known as the cliff frog and Marnock's frog.
Western Tiger Salamander
The barred tiger salamander or western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) is a species of mole salamander found from southwestern Canada in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, south through the western United States to Texas and northern Mexico.
Small-mouthed Salamander
The small-mouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum) is a species of mole salamander found in the central United States, from the Great Lakes region in Michigan to Nebraska, south to Texas, and east to Tennessee, with a population in Canada, in Pelee, Ontario. It is sometimes referred to as the Texas salamander, porphyry salamander, or the narrow-mouthed ...more ↓
Tiger Salamander
The tiger salamander or eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) is a North American species of mole salamander.
Western Slimy Salamander
The western slimy salamander (Plethodon albagula) is a species of salamander found in two distinct populations in the United States, one from Missouri to Oklahoma, and Arkansas, and another in south-central Texas. It is sometimes referred to as the whitethroat slimy salamander, because it was once considered to be a subspecies of the northern slimy salamander, ...more ↓
Salado Salamander
The Salado Springs salamander (Eurycea chisholmensis) is a candidate species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the vicinity of Salado, Texas.
Cascade Caverns Salamander
The Cascade Caverns salamander, or Cascade Caverns neotenic salamander (Eurycea latitans) is a species of aquatic salamander endemic to Cascade Caverns in Kendall County, Texas. Like other species of cave salamanders, they are almost entirely subterranean, living in spring waters deep in limestone rock strata, so gauging the exact extent of their geographic range or even ...more ↓
San Marcos Salamander
The San Marcos salamander (Eurycea nana) is a small species of aquatic, lungless salamander native to the United States, endemic to Spring Lake and a small region of the headwaters of the San Marcos River near Aquarena Springs, in Hays County, Texas. It is one to two inches long, with a slender body and external gills, and is a reddish-brown in color.
Georgetown Salamander
The Georgetown salamander or San Gabriel Springs salamander (Eurycea naufragia) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to springs in Williamson County, Texas, near Lake Georgetown. It inhabits freshwater springs and, possibly, caves. It is threatened by habitat loss. Many of the springs where this species formerly lived have been ...more ↓
Texas Salamander
Eurycea neotenes (the Texas salamander, Bexar County salamander, Edwards Plateau salamander, or Texas neotenic salamander) is a species of entirely aquatic, lungless salamander native to the United States. It is endemic to central Texas, near Helotes, in Bexar County.
Fern Bank Salamander
The Blanco River Springs Salamander (Eurycea pterophila) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to springs in the Blanco River watershed in central Texas, United States.
coastal plain dwarf salamander
The dwarf salamander (Eurycea quadridigitata) is a species of salamander native to the southern United States, from North Carolina to Oklahoma, south to Texas along the Gulf of Mexico states to northern Florida. Some sources refer to it as the four-fingered manculus, dwarf four-toed salamander, or the Florida dwarf salamander.
Texas Blind Salamander
The Texas blind salamander (Eurycea rathbuni) is a rare cave-dwelling troglobite amphibian native to San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, specifically the San Marcos Pool of the Edwards Aquifer. The salamander has blood-red external gills for absorbing oxygen from the water. The salamander's mature length is 13 cm (5 in). Its diet varies by what flows into its cave, including blind ...more ↓
Blanco Blind Salamander
The Blanco blind salamander (Eurycea robusta) is a species of aquatic, lungless salamander native to the United States. It is endemic to a small region of the Blanco River near San Marcos in Hays County, Texas. Its habitat, deep in limestone karst, makes collecting specimens for research particularly problematic. It is known from only a single specimen, collected in the ...more ↓
Barton Springs Salamander
The Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum) is an endangered lungless salamander that only lives in the habitat of Barton Springs in Austin, Texas, USA. Barton Springs salamanders are average-sized (adults grow to approximately 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) in total length) and have mottled coloration varying from darkish purple to light yellow.
Jollyville Plateau Salamander
The Jollyville Plateau salamander (Eurycea tonkawae) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is also known as the Tonkawa Springs salamander. It is endemic to Travis and Williamson counties, Texas, United States. This species is perrenibranchiate, retaining its gills throughout life.
Valdina Farms Salamander
The Valdina Farms salamander (Eurycea troglodytes) is a species of aquatic salamander described from Valdina Farms Sinkhole in Medina County, Texas, USA. It is sometimes referred to as the Valdina blind salamander or sinkhole salamander. Like some other species of Eurycea found in Texas, it was once classified as a subspecies of the Texas salamander, ...more ↓
Austin Blind Salamander
The Austin blind salamander (Eurycea waterlooensis) is an endangered species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to Barton Springs in Austin, Texas, United States. Its name is derived from Waterloo, the original name of Austin.
Eastern Newt
The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common newt of eastern North America. It frequents small lakes, ponds, and streams or near-by wet forests. The eastern newt produces tetrodotoxin which makes the species unpalatable to predatory fish and crayfish. It has a lifespan of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and may grow to five inches in length. These animals are common ...more ↓
Lesser Siren
The lesser siren (Siren intermedia) is a species of aquatic salamander native to the eastern United States and northern Mexico. They are referred to by numerous common names, including two-legged eel, dwarf siren, and mud eel. The specific epithet intermedia denotes their intermediate size, between the greater siren, Siren lacertina, and ...more ↓
American Alligator
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile endemic to the southeastern United States. It is one of two living species in the genus Alligator within the family Alligatoridae; it is larger than the other extant alligator species, the Chinese alligator. ...more ↓
Green Anole
The Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) (US: /əˈnoʊ.li/ ( listen)) is an arboreal lizard found primarily in the southeastern United States and some Caribbean islands. Other common names include the American green anole, American anole, and red-throated anole. It is also sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its ability to change ...more ↓
Brown Anole
The brown anole (Anolis sagrei), also known as the Bahaman anole or De la Sagra's Anole, is a lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, by being sold as a pet lizard, and is now found in Florida and as far north in the United States as southern Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, and Southern California. It ...more ↓
Texas Alligator Lizard
The Texas alligator lizard (Gerrhonotus infernalis) is a species of lizard in the subfamily Gerrhonotinae found in the central region of the American state of Texas, and south into Mexico.
Slender Glass Lizard
The slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) is a legless lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the United States. Two subspecies are recognised.
Ornate Tree Lizard
Urosaurus ornatus, commonly known as the ornate tree lizard, is a species of lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The species, which formerly was commonly called simply the "tree lizard", has been used to study physiological changes during the fight-or-flight response as related to stress and aggressive competition. Also, its life ...more ↓
Texas Spiny Lizard
The Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to the south central United States, in the states of Texas and Oklahoma, and northeastern Mexico in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosí. They are quite common throughout their range, where they can be found in trees or on fences.
Crevice Spiny Lizard
The crevice spiny lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii ) is a species of small, phrynosomatid lizard.
Rose-bellied Lizard
Sceloporus variabilis, commonly known as the rosebelly lizard, is a species of lizard, which is endemic to Central America and North America.
Greater Earless Lizard
The greater earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus) is a species of earless lizard endemic to the southwestern United States.
Texas Horned Lizard
The Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is one of about 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards. P. cornutum ranges from Colorado and Kansas to northern Mexico (in the Sonoran desert), and from southeastern Arizona to Texas. Also, isolated, introduced populations are found in the Carolinas, Georgia, and northern Florida. Texas ...more ↓
Spot-tailed Earless Lizard
Holbrookia lacerata, commonly known as the spot-tailed earless lizard, is a species of phrynosomatine lizard.
Western Earless Lizard
Holbrookia maculata, commonly known as the lesser earless lizard, is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to the southwestern and central United States and northern Mexico.
Keeled Earless Lizard
Holbrookia propinqua (keeled earless lizard) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard.
Little Brown Skink
Scincella lateralis is a small species of skink found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States, and into northern Mexico.
Common Five-lined Skink
The (American) five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is a species of lizard endemic to North America. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the seven native species of lizards in Canada.
Southeastern Five-lined Skink
Plestiodon inexpectatus, the southeastern five-lined skink is a common skink in the southeastern United States.
Broad-headed Skink
The broad-headed skink or broadhead skink (Plestiodon laticeps) is species of lizard, endemic to the southeastern United States.
Great Plains Skink
The Great Plains skink (Plestiodon obsoletus) is a species of lizard endemic to North America.
Prairie Skink
The prairie skink (Plestiodon septentrionalis) is a species of skink endemic to the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is one of only five species of lizards that occur in Canada.
Four-lined Skink
The four-lined skink (Plestiodon tetragrammus) is a species of lizard, which is endemic to North America. It is a medium-sized member of the Plestiodon skinks.
Mediterranean House Gecko
The Mediterranean house gecko (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 commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name and also as the "Moon Lizard" because it emerges ...more ↓
Texas Banded Gecko
The Texas banded gecko (Coleonyx brevis) is a species of small gecko native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Common Spotted Whiptail
The Texas spotted whiptail (Cnemidophorus gularis or Aspidocelis gularis) is a species of long-tailed lizard native to the southern United States, in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and northern Mexico in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Veracruz.
Six-lined Racerunner
The six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus) is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico.
Smooth Earthsnake
Virginia valeriae, commonly known as the smooth earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous natricine colubrid snake native to the eastern half of the United States.
Lined Snake
Tropidoclonion is a genus of small colubrid snakes, commonly known as lined snakes, which are endemic to North America. The single species in the genus is Tropidoclonion lineatum. There are currently no recognized subspecies of Tropidoclonion lineatus.
Black-necked Gartersnake
Thamnophis cyrtopsis, the blackneck garter snake, is a species of garter snake of the genus Thamnophis. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico and Guatemala, and can be found in a wide range of different habitats, often near water sources.
Checkered Garter Snake
The checkered garter snake (Thamnophis marcianus) is a species of garter snake endemic to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America.
Western Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis proximus, the western ribbon snake, is a species of garter snake, with several subspecies.
Common Garter Snake
The common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is a species of natricine snake, which is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a black, brown or green background, and their average total length (including tail) is about 55 cm (22 in), with a maximum total length of about 137 cm (54 in). The ...more ↓
Dekay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi, commonly known as the brown snake or De Kay's snake, is a small species of colubrid snake.
Red-bellied Snake
Storeria occipitomaculata, commonly known as the redbelly snake, is a species of snake endemic to North America.
Graham's Crayfish Snake
Regina grahamii, commonly known as Graham's crayfish snake, is a species of nonvenomous semiaquatic colubrid snake, which is endemic to North America.
Plain-bellied Watersnake
Nerodia erythrogaster, commonly known as the plain-bellied water snake or plainbelly water snake, is a familiar species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake endemic to the United States.
Banded Watersnake
The banded water snake or southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata) is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake endemic to the central and southeastern United States.
Concho Watersnake
Nerodia paucimaculata, commonly known as the Concho water snake, is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous colubrid snake native to Texas in the United States.
Diamondback Watersnake
Nerodia rhombifer, commonly known as the diamondback water snake, is a species of nonvenomous natricine colubrid endemic to the central United States and northern Mexico. There are three recognized subspecies of N. rhombifer, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Rough Earthsnake
Haldea striatula (formerly Virginia striatula), commonly called the rough earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous natricine colubrid snake native to the southeastern United States.
North American Racer
Coluber constrictor is a species of nonvenomous, colubrid snake, endemic to North America and Central America. Eleven subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized, which as a group are commonly referred to as the eastern racers.
Flat-headed Snake
Tantilla gracilis (flathead snake) is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Plains Black-headed Snake
The Plains black-headed snake (Tantilla nigriceps) is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Ground Snake
The western ground snake (Sonora semiannulata) is a species of small, harmless colubrid snake. The species is endemic to North America. It is sometimes referred to as the common ground snake or variable ground snake as its patterning and coloration can vary widely, even within the same geographic region.
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.
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 the prairie rattlesnake but can be easily distinguished from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white banding on its ...more ↓
Rough Greensnake
Opheodrys aestivus, commonly known as the rough green snake, is a nonvenomous North American colubrid. It is sometimes called grass snake or green grass snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis). The European colubrid called grass snake (Natrix natrix) is unrelated. The rough green snake is ...more ↓
Prairie Kingsnake
Lampropeltis calligaster is a species of kingsnake known commonly as the prairie kingsnake.
Speckled Kingsnake
The speckled kingsnake (Lampropeltis holbrooki) is a nonvenomous species of kingsnake, which is endemic to the United States.
Desert Kingsnake
The desert kingsnake (Lampropeltis splendida) is a species of kingsnake native to Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. It is nonvenomous, colored yellow and black. The desert kingsnake's diet consists of rodents, lizards, and smaller snakes, including rattlesnakes. They normally grow 3–4 feet long but have been known to grow up to 6.8 feet. They are docile creatures when coming face ...more ↓
Eastern Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum, commonly known as a milk snake or milksnake, is a species of king snake. There are 24 subspecies of milk snakes. Lampropeltis elapsoides, the scarlet kingsnake, was formerly classified as the subspecies L. t. elapsoides, but is now recognized as a distinct species. The subspecies have strikingly different appearances, and many ...more ↓
Chihuahuan Hook-nosed Snake
Gyalopion canum, commonly known as the Western hooknose snake, is a species of small colubrid snake endemic to the United States and Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake because it is commonly found in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Central American Indigo Snake
The Middle American indigo snake (Drymarchon melanurus), also known as the blacktail cribo, is a large, nonvenomous, colubrid snake species found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. In addition to the nominotypical subspecies, it has one recognized subspecies, D. m. erebennus commonly known as the Texas indigo ...more ↓
