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Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world, and with its ancient appearance and evocative name, the Komodo…
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Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii)
The Arabian horned viper is one of three currently recognised species of horned viper, a group which is recognisable for the distinctive…
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Black caiman (Melanosuchus niger)
This impressive aquatic hunter is the largest of all alligator species, with reports of individuals measuring six metres. The black caiman…
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Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
Galapagos marine iguanas are the world’s only marine lizards. They inhabit the Galapagos Islands and, in the absence of mammalian predators…
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Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
The Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been exploited for thousands of years as the sole source of…
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Parson’s chameleon (Calumma parsonii)
The largest chameleon in the world, Parson’s chameleon belongs to a unique family of lizards exhibiting some bizarre traits. With a large…
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Western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
An iconic reptile, the rattle of the western diamondback rattlesnake is one of the most evocative sounds of the arid southern United States…
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Green iguana (Iguana iguana)
The green iguana is one of the best-known reptiles due to its popularity in zoos and with private reptile keepers. It has a very…
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Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
The loggerhead is one of the most widespread of all the marine turtles and also the most highly migratory, with individuals known to cross…
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Radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)
The radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) of Madagascar is one of the most attractive of all the tortoises. The high-domed, dark carapace…
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Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
One of the largest of all crocodilians, the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a supremely adapted aquatic predator, with a…
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Short-horned chameleon (Calumma brevicorne)
The most striking and distinctive features of the short-horned chameleon are its large, ear-like occipital lobes, and the short bony…
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Adder (Vipera berus)
The adder (Vipera berus) is an extremely widespread reptile, and is the UK’s only venomous snake. As a result of its venomous bite, the…
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Aldabra giant tortoise (Geochelone gigantea)
The Aldabra giant tortoise is indeed a giant, with individuals reaching over one metre in length. The thick, domed carapace is dark grey to…
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Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis)
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is larger than the common lizard, and somewhat stockier. Sand lizards have an attractive pattern of dark…
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American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
The largest reptile in North America, the iconic American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is considered to be a living fossil, having…
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Yellow sea snake (Hydrophis spiralis)
The longest of the true sea snakes (Hydrophiids), the yellow sea snake (Hydrophis spiralis) has a striking yellow or yellowish-green…
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Western swamp turtle (Pseudemydura umbrina)
This small freshwater turtle is the most endangered Australian reptile. The flattened carapace appears square from above and varies in…
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Sail-fin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus)
The sail-fin lizard is notable not only for its impressive size of up to a metre in length, but also for its rather spectacular appearance…
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Grass snake (Natrix natrix)
The grass snake (Natrix natrix) is Britain's largest terrestrial reptile. This snake is typically olive-green, brown or greyish in colour…
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Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer)
The Cuban crocodile is one of the most threatened New World crocodilians (a group that includes alligators, caimans and the gharial). It is…
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Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia)
The largest member of its genus, the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard is easily recognised by the relatively short and heavily spined tail that…
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Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)
One of the largest freshwater turtles in the world, the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a prehistoric-looking species…
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Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra)
The enormous Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) was once so numerous that Spanish explorers of the region named the Galapagos…
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Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the world's largest turtle; the largest recorded individual weighed a massive 916 kilograms…
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Slow worm (Anguis fragilis)
Being a legless lizard, the slow worm (Anguis fragilis) is often mistaken for a snake. However, there are certain features that separate the…
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Tiger chameleon (Archaius tigris)
With a length of just 16 centimetres, this enchanting species is relatively small for a chameleon. Body colour varies from inconspicuous…
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King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
The longest of all living venomous snakes, the magnificent king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) has been the inspiration for a variety of…
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Spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
A relatively small to medium sized crocodilian, the spectacled caiman is named for the bony ridge between the front of the eyes, which…
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Aruba Island rattlesnake (Crotalus unicolor)
The Aruba Island rattlesnake is one of the rarest rattlesnakes in the world. Its short and stocky looking body has an overall brown colour…
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African rock python (Python sebae)
Africa’s largest snake, the African rock python (Python sebae) has a long, stout body, patterned with blotches that vary in colour between…
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Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
The gharial is one of the largest crocodilians (a group that also includes crocodiles, alligators and caimans) with the narrowest snout of…
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Madagascar tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis)
This medium-sized constrictor occurs in two colour variations. Prevalent mainly in the eastern half of the range is the green to…
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Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all crocodilians, and the largest reptile in the world, with unconfirmed…
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Fiji banded iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus)
The Fiji banded iguana is a spectacularly beautiful, large, emerald-green lizard named for the highly distinctive, broad, vertical blue to…
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Satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)
The incredible satanic leaf-tailed gecko is a master of disguise, with a body that superbly mimics a dead leaf. Its twisted body, veined…
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Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum)
The Gila monster is the largest lizard in the United States, and one of the few species of venomous lizard in the world. It has a stocky…
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Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
The olive ridley turtle is the smallest of the marine turtles. The carapace of this turtle is olive coloured and relatively heart-shaped…
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Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)
The Philippine crocodile is one of the most endangered freshwater crocodiles. It is small with a relatively broad snout and thick bony…
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Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara)
The viviparous or common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is extremely variable in colour. Typically, the upperparts of the lizard are brownish…
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Big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum)
The most distinctive feature of the aptly named big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) is its enormous, triangular head, which is so…
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African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)
The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) is the largest tortoise of the African mainland, and is surpassed in size only by the…
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Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
While the anaconda may not hold the title of the worlds’ longest snake—coming second to the reticulated python—its huge girth means that it…
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Namaqua chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis)
A unique family of lizards, chameleons exhibit some bizarre traits. With a large, triangular head, conical, independently-moving eyes…
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Afghan tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)
The Afghan tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) has a rounded upper shell, known as the carapace, which is almost as broad as it is long. The…
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Beaked sea snake (Enhydrina schistosa)
The beaked sea snake (Enhydrina schistosa) gains its common name from the distinctive downturned, beak-like projection on the snout, at…
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Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius)
The Orinoco crocodile is one of the larger crocodilians (a group that also includes alligators, caimans and the gharial), with a relatively…
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Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca)
This non-venomous snake is very rare in the UK, and is superficially similar in appearance to the adder (Vipera berus), but can be…
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African burrowing python (Calabaria reinhardtii)
This unusual and secretive snake closely resembles the sand boas (subfamily Erycinae), leading to controversy over whether it is in fact a…
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Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
The Siamese crocodile is a small, freshwater crocodilian (a group that also includes alligators, caimans and the gharial), with a relatively…