Reptilian Species, broken down by Order
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, cold-blooded (ectothermic) vertebrates which are covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods (have four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors). Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Reptiles originated around 320-310 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, having evolved from advanced reptile-like amphibians that became increasingly adapted to life on dry land. There are four living Orders of reptiles that are typically recognized:
- Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises): over 300 species
- Crocodilia (crocodiles, gavials, caimans, and alligators): 23 species
- Sphenodontia (tuataras from New Zealand): 2 species
- Squamata (lizards, snakes, and worm lizards): approximately 9,150 species
When naming reptiles (just like the birds) there is a fair bit of biology that goes into how a particular reptile gets classified. Reptiles get broken in one of the four main Orders, then into Sub-Orders, and then into Families. If you have any familiarity with Biology who will know a great many of our classification system for animals follow a similar (and even more elaborate) system.
Order Testudines – Turtles
- Suborder Cryptodira
- Family Chelydridae – Common Snapping Turtles and Alligator Snapping Turtle
- Family Emydidae – Pond Turtles and Box Turtles
- Family Testudinidae – Tortoises
- Family Geoemydidae – Asian River Turtles and Allies
- Family Carettochelyidae – Pignose Turtles
- Family Trionychidae – Softshell Turtles
- Family Dermatemydidae – River Turtles
- Family Kinosternidae – Mud Turtles
- Family Cheloniidae – Sea Turtles
- Family Dermochelyidae – Leatherback Turtles
- Suborder Pleurodira
- Family Chelidae – Austro-American Sideneck Turtles
- Family Pelomedusidae – Afro-American Sideneck Turtles
- Family Podocnemididae – Madagascan Big-headed Turtles and American Sideneck River Turtles
Order Crocodylia – crocodilians
- Suborder Eusuchia
- Family Crocodylidae – crocodiles
- Family Alligatoridae – alligators
- Family Gavialidae – gavials
Order Sphenodontia – Tuataras
- Family Sphenodontidae
Order Squamata – Scaled Reptiles
-
- Family Agamidae – Agamas
- Family Chamaeleonidae – Chameleons
- Family Iguanidae
- Subfamily Corytophaninae – Casquehead Lizard
- Subfamily Crotaphytinae – Collared and Leopard Lizards
- Subfamily Hoplocercinae – Wood lizards
- Subfamily Iguaninae – Iguanas
- Subfamily Leiocephalinae
- Subfamily Leiosaurinae
- Subfamily Liolaeminae
- Subfamily Oplurinae – Madagascar iguanids
- Subfamily Phrynosomatinae – Horned Lizards
- Subfamily Polychrotinae – Anoles
- Subfamily Tropidurinae – Neotropical Ground Lizards
- Family Gekkonidae – Geckoes
- Family Pygopodidae – Legless lizards
- Family Dibamidae – Blind Lizards
- Family Cordylidae – Spinytail Lizards
- Family Gerrhosauridae – Plated Lizards
- Family Gymnophthalmidae – Spectacled Lizards
- Family Teiidae – Whiptails and Tegus
- Family Lacertidae – Lacertids
- Family Scincidae – Skinks
- Family Xantusiidae – Night Lizards
- Family Anguidae – Glass Lizards
- Family Anniellidae – American legless lizards
- Family Xenosauridae – Knob-scaled Lizards
- Family Helodermatidae – Gila Monsters
- Family Lanthanotidae – Earless Monitor lizards
- Family Varanidae – Monitor lizards
- Suborder Amphisbaenia
- Family Amphisbaenidae – Worm Lizards
- Family Trogonophidae – Shorthead Worm Lizards
- Family Bipedidae – Two-legged Worm Lizards
- Suborder Serpentes (Snakes)
- Family Acrochordidae – Wart snakes
- Family Aniliidae – False coral snakes
- Family Anomochilidae – Dwarf pipe snakes
- Family Atractaspididae – African burrowing asps, stiletto snakes
- Family Boidae – boas
- Subfamily Boinae
- Subfamily Erycinae – Old World sand boas
- Family Bolyeriidae – Mauritius snakes
- Family Colubridae – Colubrids, typical snakes
- Subfamily Xenodermatinae
- Subfamily Homalopsinae
- Subfamily Boodontinae
- Subfamily Pseudoxyrhophiinae
- Subfamily Colubrinae
- Subfamily Psammophiinae
- Subfamily Natricinae
- Subfamily Pseudoxenodontinae
- Subfamily Dipsadinae
- Subfamily Xenodontinae
- Family Cylindrophiidae – Asian pipe snakes
- Family Elapidae – Cobras, coral snakes, mambas, sea snakes
- Family Loxocemidae – Mexican pythons
- Family Pythonidae – Pythons
- Family Tropidophiidae – Dwarf boas
- Family Uropeltidae – Pipe snakes, shield-tailed snakes
- Family Viperidae – Vipers, pitvipers
- Subfamily Azemiopinae – Fae’s viper
- Subfamily Causinae – Night adders
- Subfamily Crotalinae – Pitvipers, rattlesnakes
- Subfamily Viperinae – True vipers
- Family Xenopeltidae – Sunbeam snakes
- Infraorder Scolecophidia – Blind snakes
- Family Anomalepididae – Primitive blind snakes
- Family Leptotyphlopidae – Slender blind snakes, thread snakes
- Family Typhlopidae – typical blind snakes