This list of reptiles of California includes the snakes, turtles and lizards found in the US state of California.
Endemic species. Introduced species.
Lizards
Family Anguidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoElgaria coeruliaNorthern alligator lizardNorth of Monterey Bay and in the Sierra NevadaElgaria multicarinataSouthern alligator lizardThroughout the state, excluding the deserts and most of the Central ValleyElgaria panamintina Panamint alligator lizardInyo and Mono Counties
Family Anniellidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoAnniella alexanderae Temblor legless lizardBetween California State Highway 33 and southeast base of Temblor Range, Kern CountyAnniella campi Southern Sierra legless lizardWestern Mojave Desert in Kern and Inyo CountiesAnniella grinnelli Bakersfield legless lizardSouthern San Joaquin Valley and the east side of the Carrizo PlainAnniella pulchra Northern California legless lizardContra Costa County south to Ventura CountyAnniella stebbinsi Southern California legless lizardSouthern California south of the Transverse Ranges into northern Baja California
Family Chamaeleonidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoTrioceros jacksonii Jackson's chameleonSan Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties
Family Crotaphytidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoCrotaphytus bicinctoresGreat Basin collared lizardEast of the Sierra NevadaCrotaphytus vestigiumBaja California collared lizardEast of Peninsular Ranges south of Mount San JacintoGambelia copeiiCope's leopard lizardBarely extends into CA, around Campo, San Diego County.Gambelia sila Blunt-nosed leopard lizardSan Joaquin ValleyGambelia wislizeniiLong-nosed leopard lizardMojave and Sonoran Deserts
Family Dactyloidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoAnolis carolinensis Green anoleCoastal Southern CaliforniaAnolis sagrei Brown anoleSmall isolated populations in San Diego County
Family Eublepharidae Species Common name OccurrencePhotoColeonyx switakiSwitak's banded geckoBorrego Springs south to Baja California Coleonyx variegatusWestern banded geckoMost of inland Southern California
Family Gekkonidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoCyrtopodion scabrum Rough-tailed geckoInyo County near Death ValleyHemidactylus garnotii Indo-Pacific geckoLos Angeles, Orange, and San Diego CountiesHemidactylus mabouia Tropical house geckoOrange and San Diego CountiesHemidactylus turcicus Mediterranean house geckoSouthern California and San Joaquin Valley, scattered throughout the rest of the stateTarentola annularis Ringed wall geckoRedlands, San Bernardino CountyTarentola mauritanica Moorish geckoSan Diego County
Family Helodermatidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoHeloderma suspectumGila monsterScattered populations in Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial Counties
Family Iguanidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoDipsosaurus dorsalisDesert iguanaMojave and Sonoran DesertsSauromalus aterCommon chuckwallaMojave and Sonoran Deserts excluding Algodones Dunes
Family Lacertidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoAcanthodactylus boskianus Bosc's fringe-toed lizardCoastal Ventura CountyPodarcis siculus Italian wall lizardSan Pedro, Los Angeles County
Family Phrynosomatidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoCallisaurus draconoidesZebra-tailed lizardMojave and Sonoran DesertsPetrosaurus mearnsiBanded rock lizardEast of Peninsular Ranges south of San Gorgonio PassPhrynosoma blainvilliCoast horned lizardWest of Sierra Nevada and deserts, north to the Bay Area, and inland as far north as Shasta ReservoirPhrynosoma douglasiiPygmy short-horned lizardFar northeast near Oregon Phrynosoma mcalliiFlat-tail horned lizardMost of Colorado Desert, excluding Algodones DunesPhrynosoma platyrhinosDesert horned lizardSonoran and Mojave Deserts and far northeast in Great Basin DesertSceloporus becki Island fence lizardChannel IslandsSceloporus graciosusCommon sagebrush lizardMountains surrounding Central Valley north to Oregon and east to NevadaSceloporus magisterDesert spiny lizardSonoran DesertSceloporus occidentalisWestern fence lizardThroughout California excluding most of Sonoran and Mojave DesertsSceloporus orcuttiGranite spiny lizardLower slopes of Peninsular Ranges south of San Gorgonio PassSceloporus uniformisYellow-backed spiny lizardMojave Desert with scattered populations in Coast Ranges.Sceloporus vandenburgianusSouthern sagebrush lizardTransverse and Peninsular RangesUma inornata Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizardCoachella ValleyUma notataColorado Desert fringe-toed lizardColorado DesertUma scopariaMojave fringe-toed lizardMojave Desert between Death Valley and Colorado RiverUrosaurus graciosusLong-tailed brush lizardSonoran and Mojave DesertsUrosaurus microscutatusSmall-scaled lizardEast side of Peninsular Ranges south of Borrego Palm Canyon, Marron Valley, Cottonwood, and Deerhorn Flat areas on the west side.Urosaurus ornatusOrnate tree lizardNative along Colorado River, introduced in San Bernardino County and El CentroUta stansburianaCommon side-blotched lizardSouthern California north to Bay Area, excluding the Central Valley and including Great Basin Desert near Nevada
Family Phyllodactylidae Species Common nameOccurrencesPhotoPhyllodactylus nocticolusPeninsular leaf-toed geckoEast of Peninsular Ranges, south of Palm Springs
Family Scincidae Species Common nameOccurrencesPhotoChalcides ocellatus Ocelated skinkSmall populations in San Bernardino and San Diego CountiesPlestiodon gilbertiGilbert's skinkSierra Nevada, Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges, with populations in Mojave DesertPlestiodon skiltonianusWestern skinkCoastal and Northern California, with populations in Sierra Nevada and Great Basin DesertTrachylepis Quinquetaeniata African five-lined skinkGlendora, Los Angeles County
Family Teiidae Species Common nameOccurrencesPhotoAspidoscelis hyperythrusOrange-throated whiptailCoastal Southern California west of Peninsular RangesAspidoscelis tigrisTiger whiptailDesert regions, Central Valley, Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular RangesAspidoscelis sonorae Sonoran spotted whiptailOrange and northern San Diego Counties
Family Xantusiidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoXantusia gracilis Sandstone night lizardAnza-Borrego State ParkXantusia henshawiGranite night lizardPeninsular Ranges south of San Gorgonio PassXantusia riversiana Island night lizardSanta Barbara Island, Sutil Islet, San Clemente Island, and San Nicolas IslandXantusia sierrae Sierra night lizardSouthwestern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains along the western edge of the Greenhorn mountains in Kern CountyXantusia vigilisDesert night lizardThroughout the Mojave Desert, Transverse and Coast Ranges, and southern Sierra Nevada, Santa Catalina Island population may be introducedXantusia wigginsiBaja California night lizardScissor's Crossing, San Diego County and east of Jacumba
Snakes
Family Boidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotosCharina bottaeNorthern rubber boaSierra Nevada and Coast Ranges north of Monterey County, north of Central ValleyCharina umbratica Southern rubber boaDisjunct areas in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto MountainsLichanura orcuttiCoastal rosy boaSan Diego County north and east into Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, excluding Imperial Valley
Family Colubridae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoArizona elegansGlossy snakeSouthern California, north up the Coast Ranges to Bay Area.Bogertophis rosaliaeBaja California rat snakeMay exist near Mexico border in Imperial CountyChionactis occipitalisWestern shovelnose snakeMojave DesertColuber constrictorNorth American RacerThroughout California excluding San Joaquin Valley and desert regionsContia longicaudaeForest sharp-tailed snakeDel Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Trinity Counties, hugging the coast.Contia tenuisSharp-tailed snakeSierra Nevada and Coast Ranges north of Tulare CountyDiadophis punctatusRingneck snakeMountainous regions and near Nevada Hypsiglena chlorophaeaDesert nightsnakeMojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin Deserts Hypsiglena ochrorhynchusCoast night snakeSierra Nevada and Coast Ranges, coastal Southern CaliforniaLampropeltis californiaeCalifornia kingsnakeEntire state excluding extreme NW coast, NE Great Basin Desert, and high elevationsLampropeltis multifasciataCoast mountain kingsnakeCoast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges from Monterey County southLampropeltis zonataCalifornia mountain kingsnakeCoast Ranges north of Monterey County, and Sierra NevadaMasticophis flagellumCoachwhipSouthern California, San Joaquin Valley, inner Coast Ranges north to Bay AreaMasticophis fuliginosusBaja California coachwhipSan Diego County near Mexico Masticophis lateralisCalifornia striped whipsnakeMountainous regions in ring around Central Valley south to MexicoMasticophis taeniatusStriped whipsnakeGreat Basin DesertNerodia fasciata Banded water snakeColorado River, Lake Natoma, and Lake MachadoNeroida sipedon Common water snakeRoseville, Placer CountyPhyllorhynchus decurtatusWestern leaf-nosed snakeSonoran and Mojave DesertsPituophis cateniferGopher snakeAll of California excluding high SierrasRhinocheilus leconteiLong-nosed snakeInner Coast Ranges, Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin Deserts, and the Sierra Nevada foothillsSalvadora hexalepisWestern patch-nosed snakeSouthern California and Great Basin DesertSonora annulataColorado Desert shovelnose snakeSonoran (Colorado) DesertSonora semiannulataWestern ground snakeEastern Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin DesertsTantilla hobartsmithiSouthwestern blackhead snakeSouthern Sierra foothills and Mojave DesertTantilla planicepsWestern black-headed snakeInner Coast Ranges south from Bay Area, Transverse and Peninsular RangesThamnophis atratusAquatic garter snakeCoast Ranges north from Santa Barbara County to OregonThamnophis couchiiSierra garter snakeSierra NevadaThamnophis elegansTerrestrial garter snakeNorthern California, Sierra Nevada, and Coast Ranges south to Santa Barbara County. Isolated population in San Bernardino MountainsThamnophis gigasGiant garter snakeCentral ValleyThamnophis hammondiiTwo-striped garter snakeCoastal California south of Monterey BayThamnophis marcianusCheckered garter snakeColorado River and Imperial Valley as north as MeccaThamnophis ordinoidesNorthwestern garter snakeExtreme northwest corner of stateThamnophis sirtalisCommon garter snakeMost of state excluding desert regions, San Joaquin Valley and high SierrasTrimorphodon lambdaSonoran lyre snakeNear Colorado RiverTrimorphodon lyrophanesCalifornia lyresnakeSouthern California, southeast of a line between Inyo and Santa Barbara Counties, but absent from large parts of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts.
Family Hydrophiinae Species Common nameOccurrencesPhotoHydrophis platurusYellow-bellied sea snakeOccasionally beaches in Southern California
Family Leptotyphlopidae Species Common nameOccurrencesPhotoRena humilisWestern threadsnakeSouthern California north to southern Great Basin Desert
Family Typhlopidae Species Common nameOccurrencePhotoIndotyphlops braminus Brahminy blind snakeSouthern California
Family Viperidae Species Common nameOccurrencesPhotoCrotalus atroxWestern diamondback rattlesnakeSonoran DesertCrotalus cerastesSidewinderMojave and Sonoran DesertsCrotalus helleriSouthern Pacific rattlesnakeTransverse and Peninsular Ranges north to Santa Barbara CountyCrotalus lutosusGreat Basin rattlesnakeGreat Basin DesertCrotalus oreganusNorthern Pacific rattlesnakeNorth of Santa Barbara County, excluding desertsCrotalus ruberRed diamond rattlesnakeSouth of San Bernardino County, west of desert region.Crotalus pyrrhusSouthwestern speckled rattlesnakePeninsular Ranges, Sonoran and southern Mojave Deserts, excluding Imperial ValleyCrotalus scutulatusMojave rattlesnakeMojave DesertCrotalus stephensiPanamint rattlesnakeNorthern Mojave Desert
Turtles
Family Cheloniidae