List of reptiles of California

This list of reptiles of California includes the snakes, turtles and lizards found in the US state of California.

• ^[e] Endemic species.
• ^[i] Introduced species.

Lizards

Family Anguidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Elgaria coerulia	Northern alligator lizard	North of Monterey Bay and in the Sierra Nevada	File:Elgaria coerulea.jpg
Elgaria multicarinata	Southern alligator lizard	Throughout the state, excluding the deserts and most of the Central Valley	File:Elgaria multicarinata Sacramento County.jpg
Elgaria panamintina [e]	Panamint alligator lizard	Inyo and Mono Counties

Family Anniellidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Anniella alexanderae [e]	Temblor legless lizard	Between California State Highway 33 and southeast base of Temblor Range, Kern County
Anniella campi [e]	Southern Sierra legless lizard	Western Mojave Desert in Kern and Inyo Counties	File:Big Spring Legless Lizard, Anniella campi.jpg
Anniella grinnelli [e]	Bakersfield legless lizard	Southern San Joaquin Valley and the east side of the Carrizo Plain	File:Anniella grinnelli 1631485.jpg
Anniella pulchra [e]	Northern California legless lizard	Contra Costa County south to Ventura County	File:Anniella pulchra.jpg
Anniella stebbinsi	Southern California legless lizard	Southern California south of the Transverse Ranges into northern Baja California	File:Anniella stebbinsi 8672345.jpg

Family Chamaeleonidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Trioceros jacksonii [i]	Jackson's chameleon	San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties	File:Jackson's Chameleon 2 edit1.jpg

Family Crotaphytidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Crotaphytus bicinctores	Great Basin collared lizard	East of the Sierra Nevada	File:Great Basin Collared Lizard - Crotaphytus bicinctores.jpg
Crotaphytus vestigium	Baja California collared lizard	East of Peninsular Ranges south of Mount San Jacinto	File:Crotophytus vestigium.jpg
Gambelia copeii	Cope's leopard lizard	Barely extends into CA, around Campo, San Diego County.	File:Gambelia copei.jpg
Gambelia sila [e]	Blunt-nosed leopard lizard	San Joaquin Valley	File:Blunt-nosed leopard lizard (6554995907).jpg
Gambelia wislizenii	Long-nosed leopard lizard	Mojave and Sonoran Deserts	File:Long-nosed leopard lizard.jpg

Family Dactyloidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Anolis carolinensis [i]	Green anole	Coastal Southern California	File:Anole Lizard Hilo Hawaii edit.jpg
Anolis sagrei [i]	Brown anole	Small isolated populations in San Diego County	File:Cuban brown anole (Anolis sagrei sagrei) juvenile.JPG

Family Eublepharidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Coleonyx switaki	Switak's banded gecko	Borrego Springs south to Baja California	File:Coleonyx switaki.jpg
Coleonyx variegatus	Western banded gecko	Most of inland Southern California	File:Coleonyx Variegatus.jpg

Family Gekkonidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Cyrtopodion scabrum [i]	Rough-tailed gecko	Inyo County near Death Valley	File:Cyrtopodion scabrum cropped.jpeg
Hemidactylus garnotii [i]	Indo-Pacific gecko	Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties	File:Hemidactylus garnotii 60477163.jpg
Hemidactylus mabouia [i]	Tropical house gecko	Orange and San Diego Counties	File:Hemidactylus mabouia 181006615.jpg
Hemidactylus turcicus [i]	Mediterranean house gecko	Southern California and San Joaquin Valley, scattered throughout the rest of the state	File:Mediterranean house gecko.JPG
Tarentola annularis [i]	Ringed wall gecko	Redlands, San Bernardino County	File:Tarentola annularis.jpg
Tarentola mauritanica [i]	Moorish gecko	San Diego County	File:Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)(found by Jean NICOLAS) (34844955103).jpg

Family Helodermatidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Heloderma suspectum	Gila monster	Scattered populations in Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial Counties	File:AZ Gila Monster 01.jpg

Family Iguanidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Dipsosaurus dorsalis	Desert iguana	Mojave and Sonoran Deserts	File:DesertIguana031611.jpg
Sauromalus ater	Common chuckwalla	Mojave and Sonoran Deserts excluding Algodones Dunes	File:Sauromalus ater - Common Chuckwalla (10304873725).jpg

Family Lacertidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Acanthodactylus boskianus [i]	Bosc's fringe-toed lizard	Coastal Ventura County	File:Bosc's fringe-toed lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus asper) juvenile.jpg
Podarcis siculus [i]	Italian wall lizard	San Pedro, Los Angeles County	File:Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus siculus).jpg

Family Phrynosomatidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Callisaurus draconoides	Zebra-tailed lizard	Mojave and Sonoran Deserts	File:Pinkish Zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides).jpg
Petrosaurus mearnsi	Banded rock lizard	East of Peninsular Ranges south of San Gorgonio Pass	File:Petrosaurus mearnsi.jpg
Phrynosoma blainvilli	Coast horned lizard	West of Sierra Nevada and deserts, north to the Bay Area, and inland as far north as Shasta Reservoir	File:Coast Horned Lizard (9096387129).jpg
Phrynosoma douglasii	Pygmy short-horned lizard	Far northeast near Oregon	File:Phrynosoma douglasii 4179.JPG
Phrynosoma mcallii	Flat-tail horned lizard	Most of Colorado Desert, excluding Algodones Dunes	File:Phrynosoma mcallii.jpg
Phrynosoma platyrhinos	Desert horned lizard	Sonoran and Mojave Deserts and far northeast in Great Basin Desert	File:Desert Horned Lizard.jpg
Sceloporus becki [e]	Island fence lizard	Channel Islands	File:Western-Fence-Lizard.jpg
Sceloporus graciosus	Common sagebrush lizard	Mountains surrounding Central Valley north to Oregon and east to Nevada	File:Common Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus).jpg
Sceloporus magister	Desert spiny lizard	Sonoran Desert	File:Sceloporus magister Phoenix.jpg
Sceloporus occidentalis	Western fence lizard	Throughout California excluding most of Sonoran and Mojave Deserts	File:Sceloporus occidentalis, Sacramento County, California.jpg
Sceloporus orcutti	Granite spiny lizard	Lower slopes of Peninsular Ranges south of San Gorgonio Pass	File:Sceloporus orcutti.jpg
Sceloporus uniformis	Yellow-backed spiny lizard	Mojave Desert with scattered populations in Coast Ranges.	File:Sceloporus uniformis - Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard (10304838504).jpg
Sceloporus vandenburgianus	Southern sagebrush lizard	Transverse and Peninsular Ranges	File:Belly of male Southern sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus).jpg
Uma inornata [e]	Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard	Coachella Valley	File:Coachella valley fringe toed lizard.jpg
Uma notata	Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard	Colorado Desert	File:Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard imported from iNaturalist photo 1526425 on 2 January 2022.jpg
Uma scoparia	Mojave fringe-toed lizard	Mojave Desert between Death Valley and Colorado River	File:Uma-scoparia.jpg
Urosaurus graciosus	Long-tailed brush lizard	Sonoran and Mojave Deserts	File:Urosaurus graciosus.jpg
Urosaurus microscutatus	Small-scaled lizard	East side of Peninsular Ranges south of Borrego Palm Canyon, Marron Valley, Cottonwood, and Deerhorn Flat areas on the west side.	File:Urosaurus nigricaudus.jpg
Urosaurus ornatus	Ornate tree lizard	Native along Colorado River, introduced in San Bernardino County and El Centro	File:Urosaurus ornatus.jpg
Uta stansburiana	Common side-blotched lizard	Southern California north to Bay Area, excluding the Central Valley and including Great Basin Desert near Nevada	File:Common Side-blotched Lizard (b04d81e1-fdf7-4581-8540-2076fee9a6d8).jpg

Family Phyllodactylidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Phyllodactylus nocticolus	Peninsular leaf-toed gecko	East of Peninsular Ranges, south of Palm Springs	File:Phyllodactylus nocticolus 28046804.jpg

Family Scincidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Chalcides ocellatus [i]	Ocelated skink	Small populations in San Bernardino and San Diego Counties	File:Scincidae Chalcides ocellatus 2.jpg
Plestiodon gilberti	Gilbert's skink	Sierra Nevada, Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges, with populations in Mojave Desert	File:Gilbert's Skink (Plestiodon gilberti) - Flickr - GregTheBusker.jpg
Plestiodon skiltonianus	Western skink	Coastal and Northern California, with populations in Sierra Nevada and Great Basin Desert	File:Western Skink.jpg
Trachylepis Quinquetaeniata [i]	African five-lined skink	Glendora, Los Angeles County	File:Trachylepis quinquetaeniata.jpg

Family Teiidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Aspidoscelis hyperythrus	Orange-throated whiptail	Coastal Southern California west of Peninsular Ranges	File:Cnemidophorus hyperythrus.jpg
Aspidoscelis tigris	Tiger whiptail	Desert regions, Central Valley, Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges	File:Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus.jpg
Aspidoscelis sonorae [i]	Sonoran spotted whiptail	Orange and northern San Diego Counties	File:WHIPTAIL, SONORAN SPOTTED (Aspidoscelis sonorae) (7-15-12) pena blanca lake, scc, az -01 (7578641246).jpg

Family Xantusiidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Xantusia gracilis [e]	Sandstone night lizard	Anza-Borrego State Park	File:Xantusia gracilis sandstone night lizard.jpg
Xantusia henshawi	Granite night lizard	Peninsular Ranges south of San Gorgonio Pass	File:Xantusia henshawi.jpg
Xantusia riversiana [e]	Island night lizard	Santa Barbara Island, Sutil Islet, San Clemente Island, and San Nicolas Island	File:Island night lizard on Rock Side.jpg
Xantusia sierrae [e]	Sierra night lizard	Southwestern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains along the western edge of the Greenhorn mountains in Kern County	File:Xantusia sierrae.jpg
Xantusia vigilis	Desert night lizard	Throughout the Mojave Desert, Transverse and Coast Ranges, and southern Sierra Nevada, Santa Catalina Island population may be introduced	File:Xantusia vigilis1.jpg
Xantusia wigginsi	Baja California night lizard	Scissor's Crossing, San Diego County and east of Jacumba	File:Xantusia wigginsi.jpg

Snakes

Family Boidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photos
Charina bottae	Northern rubber boa	Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges north of Monterey County, north of Central Valley	File:Charina bottae on towel.jpg
Charina umbratica [e]	Southern rubber boa	Disjunct areas in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains	File:Southern Rubber Boa imported from iNaturalist photo 70818331 on 6 August 2022.jpg
Lichanura orcutti	Coastal rosy boa	San Diego County north and east into Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, excluding Imperial Valley	File:Lichanura orcutti 128753307.jpg

Family Colubridae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Arizona elegans	Glossy snake	Southern California, north up the Coast Ranges to Bay Area.	File:Arizona elegans occidentalis.jpg
Bogertophis rosaliae	Baja California rat snake	May exist near Mexico border in Imperial County	File:Bogertophis rosaliae.jpg
Chionactis occipitalis	Western shovelnose snake	Mojave Desert	File:Chionactis occipitalis05.jpg
Coluber constrictor	North American Racer	Throughout California excluding San Joaquin Valley and desert regions	File:RACER (coluber constrictor) (7-9-09) canet rd, morro bay, slo co, ca -04 (3705168033).jpg
Contia longicaudae	Forest sharp-tailed snake	Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Trinity Counties, hugging the coast.	File:Contia longicaudae.jpg
Contia tenuis	Sharp-tailed snake	Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges north of Tulare County	File:Contia tenuis (San Luis Obispo).jpg
Diadophis punctatus	Ringneck snake	Mountainous regions and near Nevada	File:Prairie Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus arnyi).jpg
Hypsiglena chlorophaea	Desert nightsnake	Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin Deserts	File:Hypsiglena chlorophaea.jpg
Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus	Coast night snake	Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges, coastal Southern California	File:Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus ssp. nuchalata.jpg
Lampropeltis californiae	California kingsnake	Entire state excluding extreme NW coast, NE Great Basin Desert, and high elevations	File:Californiakingsnake.jpg
Lampropeltis multifasciata	Coast mountain kingsnake	Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges from Monterey County south	File:Lampropeltis multifasciata.jpg
Lampropeltis zonata	California mountain kingsnake	Coast Ranges north of Monterey County, and Sierra Nevada	File:Lampropeltis zonata multicincta.jpg
Masticophis flagellum	Coachwhip	Southern California, San Joaquin Valley, inner Coast Ranges north to Bay Area	File:Western Coachwhip Snake (Masticophis flagellum). Low resolution image. (60036677-155d-451f-67e7-5678f33a7361).jpg
Masticophis fuliginosus	Baja California coachwhip	San Diego County near Mexico	File:Baja coachwhip in habitat.jpg
Masticophis lateralis	California striped whipsnake	Mountainous regions in ring around Central Valley south to Mexico	File:Are You Kidding Me? (2482497870).jpg
Masticophis taeniatus	Striped whipsnake	Great Basin Desert	File:Coluber taeniatus - Flickr - aspidoscelis.jpg
Nerodia fasciata [i]	Banded water snake	Colorado River, Lake Natoma, and Lake Machado	File:Broadbanded Watersnake (Nerodia fasciata confluens) - Flickr - 2ndPeter.jpg
Neroida sipedon [i]	Common water snake	Roseville, Placer County	File:Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) - Flickr - 2ndPeter.jpg
Phyllorhynchus decurtatus	Western leaf-nosed snake	Sonoran and Mojave Deserts	File:Spotted leafnose snake Phyllorhynchus decurtatus.jpg
Pituophis catenifer	Gopher snake	All of California excluding high Sierras	File:Pituophis catenifer affinis - Flickr - aspidoscelis (13).jpg
Rhinocheilus lecontei	Long-nosed snake	Inner Coast Ranges, Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin Deserts, and the Sierra Nevada foothills	File:Rhinocheilus lecontei - Flickr - aspidoscelis (1).jpg
Salvadora hexalepis	Western patch-nosed snake	Southern California and Great Basin Desert	File:Salvadora hexalepis ssp. mojavensis.jpg
Sonora annulata	Colorado Desert shovelnose snake	Sonoran (Colorado) Desert	File:Resplendent Desert Shovel-Nosed Snake imported from iNaturalist photo 353462683 on 27 February 2024.jpg
Sonora semiannulata	Western ground snake	Eastern Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin Deserts	File:Sonora semiannulata 36700125.jpg
Tantilla hobartsmithi	Southwestern blackhead snake	Southern Sierra foothills and Mojave Desert	File:Tantilla hobartsmithii.jpg
Tantilla planiceps	Western black-headed snake	Inner Coast Ranges south from Bay Area, Transverse and Peninsular Ranges	File:Tantilla planiceps.jpg
Thamnophis atratus	Aquatic garter snake	Coast Ranges north from Santa Barbara County to Oregon	File:Thamnophis atratus (1).jpg
Thamnophis couchii	Sierra garter snake	Sierra Nevada	File:Thamnophis couchii - Sierra garter snake at Lower Sardine Lake, Tahoe National Forest - 2023 June.jpg
Thamnophis elegans	Terrestrial garter snake	Northern California, Sierra Nevada, and Coast Ranges south to Santa Barbara County. Isolated population in San Bernardino Mountains	File:Coast Garter Snake.jpg
Thamnophis gigas	Giant garter snake	Central Valley	File:GR800471-Giant Garter.jpg
Thamnophis hammondii	Two-striped garter snake	Coastal California south of Monterey Bay	File:Thamnophis hammondii01.jpg
Thamnophis marcianus	Checkered garter snake	Colorado River and Imperial Valley as north as Mecca	File:Thamnophis marcianus 186822611.jpg
Thamnophis ordinoides	Northwestern garter snake	Extreme northwest corner of state	File:Thamnophis ordinoides 2.jpg
Thamnophis sirtalis	Common garter snake	Most of state excluding desert regions, San Joaquin Valley and high Sierras	File:Thamnophis sirtalis ssp. infernalis, Sonoma County, 09-2019 (52844871).jpg
Trimorphodon lambda	Sonoran lyre snake	Near Colorado River	File:Sonoran lyre snake Trimorphodon lambda.jpg
Trimorphodon lyrophanes	California lyresnake	Southern California, southeast of a line between Inyo and Santa Barbara Counties, but absent from large parts of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts.	File:California Lyresnake imported from iNaturalist photo 428005223 on 21 October 2024.jpg

Family Hydrophiinae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Hydrophis platurus	Yellow-bellied sea snake	Occasionally beaches in Southern California	File:Pelamis platura, Costa Rica.jpg

Family Leptotyphlopidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Rena humilis	Western threadsnake	Southern California north to southern Great Basin Desert	File:Leptotyphlops humilis.jpg

Family Typhlopidae

Species	Common name	Occurrence	Photo
Indotyphlops braminus [i]	Brahminy blind snake	Southern California	File:Ramphotyphlops braminus 117901268.jpg

Family Viperidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Crotalus atrox	Western diamondback rattlesnake	Sonoran Desert	File:Crotalus atrox, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Tamaulipas.jpg
Crotalus cerastes	Sidewinder	Mojave and Sonoran Deserts	File:Crotalus cerastes 184743765.jpg
Crotalus helleri	Southern Pacific rattlesnake	Transverse and Peninsular Ranges north to Santa Barbara County	File:Crotalus oreganus helleri 184505379.jpg
Crotalus lutosus	Great Basin rattlesnake	Great Basin Desert	File:Great Basin Rattlesnake (30850298776).jpg
Crotalus oreganus	Northern Pacific rattlesnake	North of Santa Barbara County, excluding deserts	File:Crotalus oreganus.jpg
Crotalus ruber	Red diamond rattlesnake	South of San Bernardino County, west of desert region.	File:Crotalus ruber 02.jpg
Crotalus pyrrhus	Southwestern speckled rattlesnake	Peninsular Ranges, Sonoran and southern Mojave Deserts, excluding Imperial Valley	File:Crotalus-mitchellii.jpg
Crotalus scutulatus	Mojave rattlesnake	Mojave Desert	File:Crotalus scutulatus 22637508.jpg
Crotalus stephensi	Panamint rattlesnake	Northern Mojave Desert	File:Crotalus stephensi 127913344.jpg

Turtles

Family Cheloniidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Caretta caretta	Loggerhead sea turtle	Southern California waters, does not nest	File:Loggerhead sea turtle.jpg
Chelonia mydas	Green sea turtle	California waters, does not nest	File:Hawaii turtle 2.JPG
Eretmochelys imbricata	Hawksbill sea turtle	Southern California waters, does not nest	File:Tortuga carey (Eretmochelys imbricata), islas Ad Dimaniyat, Omán, 2024-08-13, DD 71.jpg
Lepidochelys olivacea	Olive ridley sea turtle	Southern California waters, does not nest	File:Lepidochelys olivacea.jpg

Family Chelydridae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Chelydra serpentina [i]	Common snapping turtle	Populations scattered throughout the state	File:Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina).jpg

Family Dermochelyidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Dermochelys coriacea	Leatherback sea turtle	California waters, does not nest	File:Close up of dermochelys coriacea leatherback turtle.jpg

Family Emydidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Chrysemys picta [i]	Western painted turtle	Mostly Bay Area and coastal Southern California	File:Western Painted Turtle (3013493529).jpg
Actinemys marmorata	Northwestern pond turtle	Central Valley north to Oregon	File:2009-Western-pond-turtle.jpg
Actinemys pallida	Southwestern pond turtle	Peninsular, Transverse, and Coast Ranges north to Bay Area	File:Preserving Nature, Empowering Launch (8427556).jpg
Trachemys scripta [i]	Red-eared slider	Populations scattered throughout the state	File:Trachemys scripta elegans partially submerged.jpg

Family Kinosternidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Kinosternon sonoriense	Sonoran mud turtle	Along Colorado River, probably extirpated	File:Kinosternon sonoriense 16756612 (cropped).jpg

Family Testudinidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Gopherus agassizii	Mojave desert tortoise	Mojave and eastern Sonoran Desert	File:Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) (6012501624).jpg

Family Trionychidae

Species	Common name	Occurrences	Photo
Apalone ferox [i]	Florida softshell	Bay Area and Los Angeles Basin	File:Apalone ferox 108903870.jpg
Apalone spinifera [i]	Spiny softshell	Colorado River and in scattered populations across the state	File:Spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera).jpg