Reptiles & Amphibians
Reptiles and amphibians are two distinct groups of ectothermic vertebrates. Reptiles — lizards, snakes, crocodilians, and turtles — have dry, scaly skin and (mostly) lay shelled eggs on land. Amphibians — frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders — have moist, permeable skin and usually depend on water to breed. These profiles are educational, not care guides, and wild reptiles and amphibians should be observed without handling.
Reptiles
Scaly, mostly land-egg-laying vertebrates — crocodilians, lizards, snakes, and turtles.
Crocodile
Family Crocodylidae — large aquatic predators of the tropics.
Alligator
Family Alligatoridae — American and Chinese alligators.
Caiman
American crocodilians; spectacled caiman as a reference.
Snake
Suborder Serpentes — limbless reptiles, a group-level overview.
Anaconda
Green anaconda — a giant, non-venomous constrictor.
Turtle
Order Testudines — shelled reptiles of land and water.
Sea Turtle
Ocean-going reptiles (also in Marine Animals).
Chameleon
Colour-changing lizards; panther chameleon as a reference.
Iguana
Large lizards; green iguana as a reference.
Gecko
Climbing lizards; leopard gecko as a reference.
Monitor Lizard
Genus Varanus; Nile monitor as a reference.
Komodo Dragon
The largest living lizard, native to Indonesia.
Tortoise
Family Testudinidae — land-dwelling, long-lived shelled reptiles.
Cobra
Genus Naja and relatives — venomous, hood-spreading snakes.
Python
Family Pythonidae — non-venomous constrictors of the Old World.
Rattlesnake
Crotalus & Sistrurus — venomous New World pit vipers with a rattle.
Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum — a venomous desert lizard.
Tuatara
Sphenodon punctatus — sole survivor of an ancient reptile order.
Boa Constrictor
Boa constrictor — large non-venomous constrictor of the Americas.
Gharial
Gavialis gangeticus — critically endangered, thin-snouted fish-eating crocodilian.
Mamba
Genus Dendroaspis — fast, alert African snakes; black mamba as a reference.
Skink
Family Scincidae — smooth-scaled lizards; blue-tongued skink as a reference.
Viper
Family Viperidae — venomous snakes with long hinged fangs; Gaboon viper as a reference.
Tegu
Large South American lizards; the partly warm-bodied Argentine tegu.
Anole
Genus Anolis — small American lizards with a colourful throat dewlap.
Basilisk
Genus Basiliscus — the 'Jesus lizard' that runs across water.
Chuckwalla
Genus Sauromalus — desert lizards that wedge into rocks and inflate.
Frilled Lizard
Chlamydosaurus kingii — flares a huge neck frill and runs on two legs.
Krait
Genus Bungarus — highly venomous, mostly nocturnal Asian snakes.
Tokay Gecko
Gekko gecko — a large, loud gecko with sticky toe pads and a firm bite.
Sea Snake
Venomous marine snakes with paddle tails; the banded sea krait as a reference.
Thorny Devil
Moloch horridus — a spiky, ant-eating Australian desert lizard.
Flying Snake
Genus Chrysopelea — Asian tree snakes that glide between trees.
Caiman Lizard
Dracaena guianensis — a semi-aquatic Amazon lizard that crushes snails.
Agama
Genus Agama — African rock lizards whose dominant males flush red-and-blue.
Horned Lizard
Genus Phrynosoma — spiny desert 'horned toads'; some squirt blood from their eyes.
Glass Lizard
Legless lizards that look like snakes but blink and shed a brittle tail.
Worm Lizard
Amphisbaenia — ringed, burrowing reptiles that resemble earthworms (not worms or snakes).
Girdled Lizard
Family Cordylidae — armoured African lizards; the armadillo species bites its tail into a ring.
Alligator Lizard
Genus Elgaria — armoured North American lizards with a soft expandable fold along each side.
Wall Lizard
Genus Podarcis — agile, sun-loving European lizards of walls, rocks, and ruins.
Legless Lizard
Snake-like burrowing lizards (e.g. Anniella) that 'swim' through sand — leglessness evolved many times.
Whiptail Lizard
Genus Aspidoscelis — fast striped racers; several species are all-female and reproduce by cloning.
Plated Lizard
Genus Gerrhosaurus — armoured African lizards with bony, plate-like scales and a flexible flank fold.
Sandfish
Scincus scincus — a desert skink (a lizard, not a fish) that 'swims' through loose sand.
Amphibians
Moist-skinned vertebrates that usually breed in water — frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. Wild amphibians have sensitive skin and should not be handled.
Frog
Order Anura — tailless amphibians, a group-level overview.
Toad
Warty-skinned frogs; common toad as a reference.
Salamander
Tailed amphibians; fire salamander as a reference.
Newt
Semi-aquatic salamanders; smooth newt as a reference.
Tree Frog
Climbing frogs with sticky toe pads; red-eyed tree frog as a reference.
Poison Dart Frog
Family Dendrobatidae — vivid, toxic rainforest frogs.
Fire Salamander
Salamandra salamandra — striking black-and-yellow European amphibian.
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum — neotenic salamander famous for regeneration.
American Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus — large, deep-voiced frog; invasive where introduced.
Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis — North America's largest salamander.
Glass Frog
Family Centrolenidae — tree frogs with see-through undersides.
Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum — a large burrowing salamander; axolotl relative.
Olm
Proteus anguinus — a blind, long-lived European cave salamander.
Mudpuppy
Necturus maculosus — an aquatic salamander with bushy red gills.
Goliath Frog
Conraua goliath — the world's largest frog, which builds its own nest pools.
Surinam Toad
Pipa pipa — a flat aquatic frog whose young develop in pockets on its back.
African Clawed Frog
Xenopus laevis — a famous lab frog, and invasive where released.
Mantella
Genus Mantella — tiny, brilliantly coloured toxic frogs of Madagascar.
Midwife Toad
Genus Alytes — the male carries the eggs wrapped around his legs.
Spadefoot Toad
Burrowing toads that dig with spade-like feet and wait out droughts.
Tomato Frog
Dyscophus antongilii — a vivid red Madagascan frog with a sticky defence.
Marbled Newt
Triturus marmoratus — a striking green-and-black European newt.
Reed Frog
Genus Hyperolius — small, brilliantly coloured African frogs of the reeds.
Fire-Bellied Toad
Genus Bombina — flashes a warning red-and-black belly when threatened.
Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer — a tiny North American tree frog whose chorus heralds spring.
Painted Frog
Genus Discoglossus — mottled Mediterranean frogs of an ancient, disc-tongued lineage.
Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus — a masked frog that freezes solid each winter and thaws back to life.
Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus — an abundant lungless salamander that breathes through its skin.
Amphiuma
Genus Amphiuma — eel-like aquatic salamanders with tiny useless legs; among N. America's longest amphibians.
Siren
Family Sirenidae — eel-like salamanders that keep gills for life and have only front legs.
Chorus Frog
Genus Pseudacris — small striped North American frogs whose spring choruses include the spring peeper.
Rain Frog
Genus Breviceps — round African burrowing frogs that squeak, can't really swim, and hatch straight into froglets.
About This Section
Profiles cover classification, geographic range, habitat, diet, behaviour, and conservation context, with conservation status drawn from sources such as the IUCN Red List where available. The distinction between wild ecology and any captive context is clearly noted, and these pages do not provide care, handling, or veterinary advice. Amphibians worldwide face serious declines, so conservation status should always be checked against current sources.