Skip to main content

Reptilia & Amphibia · Scales, shells & moist skin

Reptiles & Amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians span snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, frogs and salamanders — cold-blooded vertebrates facing habitat loss, wildlife trade and wetland drainage. This is WARN's herpetology section: 59 sourced species guides plus 5 type pages covering snakes, lizards, turtles & tortoises, crocodilians and amphibians.

59 species guides 5 types 10 threatened species covered
Search all 59 guides Browse by type
~11,000
Living reptile species recognised worldwide
Amphibians
Most threatened vertebrate class on current IUCN assessments
Snakes
Vipers and elapids account for almost all serious bites
Crocodilians
Living archosaurs — closer to birds than to lizards

Types

The everyday groupings people search for. Each type has its own page with identification pointers, FAQs and the matching species guides.

All 59 guides

Search by name, or filter by type, conservation status, region and letter.

Showing 1-24 of 59 animals

Animal group
A coiled adder (Vipera berus) basking on heathland, its grey-brown body marked with the species' distinctive dark zigzag stripe running down the back and a V-shaped marking on the head.
Least Concern

Snakes

A

Adder

Vipera berus

Britain's only venomous snake — a shy, cold-tolerant viper marked by an unmistakable zigzag.

United Kingdom · Scandinavia and northern Europe

Open guide
Smooth olive-gray African clawed frog floating in water with limbs splayed out
Least Concern

Amphibians

A

African Clawed Frog

Xenopus laevis

The fully aquatic lab and pet frog

Africa

Open guide
An American alligator resting at the water's edge with its armoured snout and eyes visible above the surface.
Varies by species

Crocodilians

A

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin, 1802) and Alligator sinensis (Fauvel, 1879)

Armoured survivors of ancient wetlands — powerful, patient and ecologically vital.

United States · China

Open guide
Large green American bullfrog sitting at the edge of a pond among reeds
Least Concern

Amphibians

A

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

North America's largest and loudest frog

North America

Open guide
A pale pink axolotl with feathery external gills and a wide, smiling-looking mouth resting on the bed of a planted aquarium
Critically Endangered

Amphibians

A

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

The eternal baby salamander that regrows its own limbs

Mexico

Open guide
A ball python with brown and gold blotched markings coiled on a wooden surface, head resting on its coils.
Least Concern

Snakes

B

Ball Python

Python regius (Shaw, 1802)

Africa's gentle 'royal' python — the world's most popular pet snake, bred into thousands of morphs.

West & Central Africa (wild); kept worldwide

Open guide
A central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) perched on a log, displaying its characteristic spiny scales and beard in a sharp, close-up portrait.
Least Concern

Other

B

Bearded Dragon

Pogona vitticeps

Australia's sociable desert lizard, famous for its spiky beard, arm waves, and one of science's most remarkable sex secrets

Australia · Eastern Australia

Open guide
A juvenile black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) draped across wild tree branches in its natural savanna habitat, its slender grey-brown body and characteristic narrow head clearly visible against a blurred golden background.
Least Concern

Other

B

Black Mamba

Dendroaspis polylepis

Africa's fastest and most feared snake — yet a vital guardian of the savanna.

Sub-Saharan Africa · Southern Africa

Open guide
Boa constrictor with brown saddle markings coiled around a tree branch
Least Concern

Snakes

B

Boa Constrictor

Boa constrictor

The powerful constricting snake of the Americas

North America · South America

Open guide
Smooth limbless caecilian resembling a large earthworm crawling across damp soil
Least Concern

Amphibians

C

Caecilian

Gymnophiona

The limbless, burrowing amphibians

Africa · Asia

Open guide
A spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) lunges upward out of murky brown water with its jaws open wide, displaying rows of teeth and its distinctive scaly hide.
Least Concern

Other

C

Caiman

Caiman crocodilus and relatives (subfamily Caimaninae)

Ancient architects of South America's wetlands

Central America · South America

Open guide
Large brown warty cane toad sitting on damp soil at night
Least Concern

Amphibians

C

Cane Toad

Rhinella marina

A large, toxic toad turned invasive pest

North America · South America

Open guide
A chameleon gripping a thin branch with opposed, pincer-like feet and a coiled prehensile tail, one turreted eye swivelled toward the camera.
Varies by species; many threatened

Lizards

C

Chameleon

Chamaeleonidae

Independently swivelling eyes, a tongue faster than a blink, and colour change that talks rather than hides.

Madagascar · Sub-Saharan Africa

Open guide
A cobra with hood expanded, standing tall on a third of its body length, facing forward with alert posture.
Varies by species

Snakes

C

Cobra

Multiple elapid genera — Naja (true cobras), Ophiophagus (king cobra) and related hooded species

Hooded elapids of Africa and Asia — iconic, venomous and widely misunderstood.

Africa · Asia

Open guide
A common toad (Bufo bufo) with dry, warty, olive-brown skin, copper-coloured eyes and a squat body, sitting on damp leaf litter.
Least Concern

Amphibians

C

Common Toad

Bufo bufo

The warty wanderer of European ponds and gardens.

United Kingdom and Ireland · Mainland Europe

Open guide
Corn snake with orange and red blotched pattern coiled on a wooden surface
Least Concern

Snakes

C

Corn Snake

Pantherophis guttatus

The gentle, colorful beginner's pet snake

North America

Open guide
A saltwater crocodile resting at a muddy riverbank with jaws slightly open, eyes and nostrils above the waterline.
Varies by species

Crocodilians

C

Crocodile

Order Crocodilia — crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials

Living dinosaurs of river and coast — apex reptiles unchanged for millions of years.

Tropics and subtropics worldwide

Open guide
Eastern box turtle with domed shell
Vulnerable

Turtles & tortoises

E

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

North America's hinged turtle

North America

Open guide
Frilled lizard standing with its large neck frill flared open and mouth gaping
Least Concern

Lizards

F

Frilled Lizard

Chlamydosaurus kingii

The lizard that flares a dramatic neck frill

Oceania

Open guide
A bright green tree frog perched on a wet leaf, its bulging golden eyes and smooth moist skin visible, with raindrops on the foliage around it.
Varies by species

Amphibians

F

Frog

Anura

More than 7,700 species, and one of the planet's clearest warning signs.

Worldwide

Open guide
Galápagos giant tortoise on volcanic rock facing the camera
Vulnerable

Turtles & tortoises

G

Galápagos Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger species complex (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) — 12 surviving species

Hunted to 3,000 animals, brought back to 60,000 — the clearest recovery story in conservation.

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Open guide
Garter snake with yellow stripes along a dark body resting in green grass
Least Concern

Snakes

G

Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

One of North America's most common and widespread snakes

North America

Open guide
A gecko clinging to a vertical wall showing adhesive toe pads, large eyes and mottled skin.
Varies by species

Lizards

G

Gecko

Infraorder Gekkota — ~1,500 species across six families worldwide

Nocturnal lizards of walls and forests — adhesive toes and unmistakable calls.

Tropical and subtropical worldwide · some temperate regions

Open guide
An adult male gharial with an elongated narrow snout and a bulbous nasal growth basking on a sandbank of an Indian river.
Critically Endangered

Crocodilians

G

Gharial

Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)

The fish-eater of the Ganges — a crocodilian unlike any other, down to its last rivers.

India · Nepal

Open guide

Quick answers

Browse all answers →

Trade and wetland loss decide most herpetofauna futures

Collection for the pet trade, skin markets, wetland drainage and the chytrid fungus remove reptiles and amphibians faster than slow breeders and moisture-dependent larvae can replace themselves.

Free, sourced guides exist so readers can separate venomous from harmless, reptile from amphibian, and myth from mechanism — and so every page can still route toward habitat and rescue funding.

Fund reptile & amphibian protection Start with snakes

Reptiles & Amphibians: frequently asked questions

What belongs in this section?
WARN groups everyday types people search for, then lists every matching species guide. Use the type pages for identification; use the A–Z browse for the full set.
How are types different from taxonomy?
Types are everyday groupings — snakes, reef fish, insects — not formal Linnaean ranks. They cut across orders when that matches how people look things up.
Does every guide appear in a type?
Most do. Guides that do not fit a type cleanly still appear in the full A–Z browse on this hub.
Are the facts sourced?
Yes. Species guides carry IUCN status, citations and FAQs. Type pages summarise identification and conservation patterns for the group.
How can I help threatened species in this group?
Support habitat protection, avoid wildlife products linked to illegal trade, and use free sourced guides to replace myths that obscure real threats.
Where else should I look?
Animals A–Z lists every guide on the site. The glossary explains Red List categories. Appeals and donate pages fund partner-led rescue.

Keep exploring