While you might have heard of a snake or a turtle before, chances are that you have never heard of a skink, crowned forest dragon, or Chinese crocodile lizard. Even with your typical everyday reptile, there are a wide variety of types, including those that change color, look like a completely different species, or even glide between trees.
The amount of different types of reptiles in the world are staggering, with over 10,000 different species being recorded into the online Reptile Database. In fact, the number of reptiles on this planet continues to grow each year. So, it is no wonder that you might not have heard of or seen many of the coolest species out there.
Whether you are talking about snakes, turtles, or one of the many other types of reptiles, you can always find a unique species that you’ve never seen before. The following reptiles represent just a cross section of the many that you’ve probably never seen before. And even if you have seen some of these species, there are probably many out there that you haven’t seen.
1) Central American River Turtle
This turtle species hails from the rivers in Central America. Their coloration ranges from brown to black, gray or olive. The males tend to have yellow markings on the side of their head and sport a longer and thicker tail.
2) Namoroka Leaf Chameleon
Considered critically endangered, the Namoroka Leaf chameleon lives on the island of Madagascar in a relatively small area of only 39 square miles. Living in the island country’s forested areas, the species tends to favor more humid areas.
3) Be’er Sheva Fringe-Fingered Lizard
Known for the pronounced appendages on its rear legs, the Be’er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard lives in the desert and scrubland of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. With the short lifespan of only a year, this species’ young have a bright blue tail, which turns to a brownish gray color as they get older.
The bent-toed gecko lives exclusively in southern Thailand. Preferring rocky outcroppings,in limestone areas, the bent-toed gecko gets its name from its bent toes and is distinguished by the dark bands found down the length of its body.
Hailing from the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, the La Palma giant lizard was at one time thought to be extinct. But recent sightings have proven this to be wrong. Considered a living fossil, the most recent sighting of a La Palma giant lizard was of a species only one foot in length.
6) Atalaye Curlytail Lizard
In extreme danger of extinction, the Atalaye curlytail lizard occupies areas of Northern Haiti and on the island of lle-a-Cabrit. Some environmental scientists fear that the species has become extinct mainly due to habitat loss and the introduction of the mongoose into the areas in which they live.
7) Wattle-Necked Softshell Turtle
This endangered species of turtle is native to parts of Asia, including China, Laos, and Vietnam. Known for its relatively smooth shell, long, retractable neck, and elongated snout. The wattle-necked softshell turtle gets its name from the tubercles, or wattles, found on the shells of younger turtles.
A member of the gecko family, the Uroplatus Guentheri is native to Madagascar. Only reaching a length of around six inches, the Uroplatus Guentheri uses its natural camouflage to mimic dead branches and bark in its native habitat, making it hard to spot during the day.
9) West African Slender-Snouted Crocodile
Native to freshwater areas in Western and Central Africa, the West African slender-snouted crocodile can grow up to 14 feet long. Considerably shy, the West African slender-snouted crocodile prefers to hide in the vegetation along bodies of water in its native Africa.
Found in the Mary River in Australia, this turtle is one of the largest species of turtles found on the continent. The Mary River turtle is most often identified by the long strands of algae that cover the species, resembling hair.
11) Newman’s Knob-Scaled Lizard
Unlike other lizard species, the Newman’s knob-scaled lizard gives birth to live young. Growing up to a length of 10 inches, the lizard has a flat, triangular head and lumpy scales along its body. The lizard is native to parts of Central America, including Mexico and Guatemala.
12) Big-Headed Amazon River Turtle
Found in the South American countries of Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela, the big-headed Amazon River turtle is known locally as the Cabezon, which translates into big-headed. This species is the only one within its genus, having diverged from all other species about 100 million years ago.
The Bojers skink is a member of the skink family, a group of lizards with little to no neck and very small legs. Native to the island nation of Maritius, the Bojers skink grows to about four inches in total length and is brownish in color with black markings.
Known more commonly as the Spiny Turtle, Heosemys Spinosa has a spiky-edged carapace and inhabits areas around small streams found in lowland and hilly rainforest. The spiny turtle is found in the countries of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, among others.
This large lizard grows up to three-and-a-half feet long and is found only in the lowland forests of Southern Luzon, Catanduanes, and Polillo Island in the Philippines. In fact, the species was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1980.
16) Guatemalan Spiny-Tailed Iguana
Found exclusively in the Motagua Valley in Guatemala, the Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana is known most for its ridged back, particularly along its tail. Coming in a multitude of colors, the Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana is often used as a food source by locals.
17) Northern River Terrapin
Native to the rivers of Southeast Asia, the Northern River Terrapin is one of Asia’s largest species of freshwater turtles, reaching a length of one-and-a-half to two feet. The distinguishing feature of the turtle is its upwards pointing snout.
18) Crowned Forest Dragon
Found in Indonesia, the crowned forest dragon gets its name from the pronounced crest along its back, extending to the back of the lizard’s head. Also called tree dragons, the crowned forest dragon lives in trees within its rainforest habitat.
Called the horned viper due to the pair of supraocular horns found on the heads of most members of the species, the Saharan horned viper is native to the deserts of Northern Africa, as well as parts of the Middle East. The viper can grow to a length of 33 inches long and produce a rasping noise when agitated or threatened.
The plumed basilisk is a lizard native to Central America. Greenish in color, the plumed basilisk can grow to a length of up to 10 inches. Males also have crests, one each on their head, back, and tail.
This three-horned chameleon species is native to East Africa, but it is also found in Hawaii, Florida, and California in the United States. While the males have three horns protruding from their head, the females are generally without horns.
Bearded dragons are called such because of the beard of scales on their throat, which they can expand to scare off predators. These scales also change color, turning black when in the presence of a rival or under stress.
Draco lizards are a small species of lizard native to South Asia. Their most distinguishing feature is their ability to glide by extending skin connected to their arms and ribcage area, with glides of up to 200 feet recorded by observers.
The crested gecko is found in Southern New Caledonia, located off the East Coast of Australia. Associated most closely with the hair-like projections found above their eyes, the crested gecko was thought extinct until rediscovered in 1994.
25) Pink-Tailed Worm-Lizard
A rare legless lizard found in Australia, the pink-tailed worm-lizard resembles a cross between a small snake and a worm. Unlike a snake, though, which has a forked tongue, the tongue of the pink-tailed worm-lizard is flat and long.
26) Proboscis Anole (Pinocchio Lizard)
Male Proboscis anoles have a long, pointed snout, setting them apart from other species of reptile. It is thought that this long proboscis plays a part in courtship displays with the females of the species, who don’t possess the elongated structure.
Native to Northern India, the gharial is related to the crocodile. The main difference between the two species is the extremely long, thin jaws of the gharial and the distinctive snout area possessed by males of the species.
28) Flattened Musk Turtle
Native to the state of Alabama in the U.S., the flattened musk turtle is known for its lower and flattened shell that looks like someone has stepped on it. Most recently, the flattened musk turtle has suffered a decline in its numbers leading to it being listed as critically endangered.
29) Pritchard’s Snake-Necked Turtle
Found exclusively in Papua New Guinea, Australia; Rote Island in Indonesia; and East Timor, the Pritchard’s snake-necked turtle is known for its long neck and the inability to pull its head completely into its shell.
30) Rhampholeon Hattinghi
Rhampholeon Hattinghi is part of a group of reptiles known as pygmy chameleons, found in the woodlands and savannas of East Africa. They tend to have a brown, gray, or green coloration, though, like all chameleons, they can change color to suit their surroundings.
31) Zong’s Odd-Scaled Snake
Found in the Jiangxi province of China, Zong’s odd-scaled snake has little information known about it. A member of the Xenodermidae family of snakes, the reptile is considered critically endangered with its habitat currently declared a protected area by the Chinese government.
Found on Eua Island in the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga, the Eua forest gecko lives under the bark of dead trees on the island. The gecko is best identified by the alternating bands of dark and light brown that run the length of its body.
33) Mount Namuli Pygmy Chameleon
The Mount Namuli pygmy chameleon is another pygmy chameleon found in Africa, this time found exclusively in small forest patches on Mount Namuli in Mozambique. Like many chameleons, the Mount Namuli pygmy chameleon lives in low-lying areas on the forest floor.
34) Paragehyra Gabriellae
Paragehyra Gabriellae is another reptile species found only on the island of Madagascar. It lives among granite boulders along streams in the southeast part of the island country. Like all geckos, Paragehyra Gabriellae can camouflage itself to match the surrounding terrain.
35) Hispaniolan Tailspot Sphaero
The Hispaniolan Tailspot Sphaero make up a group of geckos that are some of the smallest reptiles in the world. Found in the Dominican Republic, the Hispaniolan Tailspot Sphaero lives amongst limestone rocks in covered areas and cave entrances.
36) Haitian Border Threadsnake
Thought to be extinct, the Haitian Border Threadsnake lives in the La Selle Massif region in Southern Haiti. A burrowing snake, the Haitian Border Threadsnake is a slender, silvery snake with tiny eyes. Listed as critically endangered, this species lives under the cover of mango trees in its native habitat.
Extremely rare, Sepsophis Punctatus is a relatively new species of limbless lizard found along streams in hilly, tree-covered terrain in the Khandadhar Hills region of India. Resembling a snake, the skink does have rudimentary fore limbs with which it burrows into loose soil.
38) Chinese Crocodile Lizard
Found in Southern China and Northern Vietnam, the Chinese crocodile lizard gets its name from the two rows of scales on top of its tail that resemble those of a crocodile. The Chinese crocodile lizard inhabits densely vegetated subtropical forests and hibernates during the colder winter months.
39) Madagascar Blind Snake
Considered one of Madagascar’s oldest living species, the Madagascar Blind Snake resembles an earthworm and spends much of its life underground. The snake was thought to be extinct until being rediscovered in 2005. Effectively functioning without eyes, the Madagascar Blind Snake tries to avoid light whenever possible.
40) Mexican Alligator Lizard
Found from Mexico through Central America, the Mexican alligator lizard are a species of lizards that come in a wide variety of colors. Commonly found living in high trees in their native habitats, there are also instances of finding specimens living in rotting wood on the ground.
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Reptiels are some of the most varied creatures on our planet, adapting to live in a wide variety of environments virtually within walking distance of other related reptiles living in different biomes. With over 10,000 species living on the Earth, more species are discovered every year. These were just some of the wide variety of unique reptiles found on our planet.
While you might have heard of a snake or a turtle before, chances are that you have never heard of a skink, crowned forest dragon, or Chinese crocodile lizard. Even with your typical everyday reptile, there are a wide variety of types, including those that change color, look like a completely different species, or even glide between trees.
The amount of different types of reptiles in the world are staggering, with over 10,000 different species being recorded into the online Reptile Database. In fact, the number of reptiles on this planet continues to grow each year. So, it is no wonder that you might not have heard of or seen many of the coolest species out there.
Whether you are talking about snakes, turtles, or one of the many other types of reptiles, you can always find a unique species that you’ve never seen before. The following reptiles represent just a cross section of the many that you’ve probably never seen before. And even if you have seen some of these species, there are probably many out there that you haven’t seen.