This is a list of reptiles in Guatemala, including snakes, lizards, crocodilians, and turtles. Guatemala has a large variety of habitats, from tropical rain forests, dry thorn scrubs, cloud forests, coastal marshes, pine forests, mountains and lowlands. This vast contrast in biomes makes Guatemala home to a large variety of herpetofauna. These include approximately 240 species of reptiles, subdivided in 3 orders and 29 families.

__NOTOC__ Table of contentsTurtles: Cheloniidae • Dermochelyidae • Chelydridae • Dermatemydidae • Emydidae • Kinosternidae •Crocodilians: Crocodylidae • Alligatoridae •Lizards: Anguidae • Gekkonidae • Helodermatidae • Corytophanidae • Iguanidae • Phrynosomatidae • Polychrotidae • Scincidae • Teiidae • Gymnophthalmidae • Xantusiidae • Xenosauridae •Snakes: Leptotyphlopidae • Typhlopidae • Boidae • Loxocemidae • Tropidophiidae • Colubridae • Elapidae • Viperidae •Notes       References

Turtles (Testudines)

Cheloniidae

Order: Testudines. Family: Cheloniidae

Sea turtles (Cheloniidae) are a family of large tortoises found in all tropical seas and some subtropical and temperate seas. Sea turtles evolved from land turtles about 120 million years ago and are well adapted to life in the sea. Sea turtles eat mostly jellyfish, crustaceans and squid. There are 6 species worldwide, of which at least 5 are currently endangered. Loggerhead sea turtleCaretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) [EN] Pacific green turtleChelonia agassizii Bocourt, 1868Most authorities now consider this turtle as a subspecies of Chelonia mydas (Chelonia mydas agassizi) which lives in Pacific. See: [EN] Green sea turtleChelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) [EN] Hawksbill sea turtleEretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) [CR] Olive ridley sea turtleLepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) [VU]

Dermochelyidae

Order: Testudines. Family: Dermochelyidae

The leatherback turtles are large marine turtles with longitudinally folded carapaces lacking the bony plates of other turtles. The species are well adapted to marine life and have bodies that are streamlined for faster swimming. In contrast to most sea turtles, leatherback turtles are often found in the cooler waters of temperate regions. The family has only one species left and is critically endangered. All other species are only known as fossils. Leatherback turtleDermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) [CR]

Chelydridae

Order: Testudines. Family: Chelydridae

Chelydridae is a family of turtles which has seven extinct and two extant genera, both endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extant genera are Chelydra the snapping turtles, and its larger relative Macrochelys, of which the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the only species. Common snapping turtleChelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Dermatemydidae

Order: Testudines. Family: Dermatemydidae

The Central American river turtle is the only living species in the family Dermatemydidae. It is a nocturnal, aquatic turtle that lives in larger rivers and lakes in Central America, from southern Mexico to northern Honduras. It is one of the world's most heavily exploited turtles and is classified a critically endangered species by the IUCN. It is a fairly large turtle, attaining a maximum size of 65 cm (25 inches) in carapace length, and can weigh in the range of 20 kg (44 lbs). They have a flattened carapace, that is usually a solid grey or almost black in color. Their plastron is normally cream colored. Central American river turtleDermatemys mawii Gray, 1847 [CR]

Emydidae

Order: Testudines. Family: Emydidae

Emydidae, commonly called pond turtles or marsh turtles is a family of turtles which mostly occur in the Western Hemisphere. The family Emydidae includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Furrowed wood turtleRhinoclemmys areolata (Duméril and Bibron, 1851) Painted wood turtleRhinoclemmys pulcherrima (Gray, 1855) Pond sliderTrachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792)

Kinosternidae

Order: Testudines. Family: Kinosternidae

Kinosternidae is a family of mostly small turtles, native to the Americas. They inhabit slow-moving bodies of water, often with soft, muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation. All members of the family are carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, aquatic insects, mollusks, annelids, amphibians, small fish, and sometimes carrion. The family Kinosternidae currently contains 25 species within 4 genera. Tabasco mud turtleKinosternon acutum (Gray, 1831) White-lipped mud turtleKinosternon leucostomum Duméril and Bibron, 1851 [VU] Scorpion mud turtleKinosternon scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1766) Narrow-bridged musk turtleClaudius angustatus Cope, 1865 Giant musk turtleStaurotypus salvinii Gray, 1864 Mexican musk turtleStaurotypus triporcatus (Wiegmann, 1828)

Crocodilians (Crocodylia)

Crocodylidae

Order: Crocodylia. Family: Crocodylidae

Crocodylidae is a family of large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they have a very slow metabolism, and thus can survive long periods without food. They feed mostly on vertebrates like fish, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes on invertebrates like molluscs and crustaceans, depending on species. Despite their appearance of being slow, crocodiles are very fast over short distances, even out of water. American crocodileCrocodylus acutus Cuvier, 1807 [VU] Morelet's crocodileCrocodylus moreletii Duméril and Bocourt, 1851

Alligatoridae

Order: Crocodylia. Family: Alligatoridae

Alligatoridae is a family of crocodylians that includes alligators and caimans. Its species are large aquatic reptiles that live in freshwater habitats throughout the Americas (6 or 7 species) and in China (1 species). Spectacled caimanCaiman crocodilus Linnaeus, 1758

Lizards (Squamata - suborder Lacertilia)

Anguidae Order: Squamata. Family: Anguidae

Anguidae is a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern Hemisphere. The group includes the slowworms, glass lizards, and alligator lizards, among others. Anguidae is divided into three subfamilies and contains 94 species in eight genera. Their closest living relatives are the helodermatid lizards. Anguids are carnivorous or insectivorous, and inhabit a wide range of different habitats. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species. Most species are terrestrial, although some climb trees. Abronia anzuetoi Campbell and Frost, 1994 Abronia aurita (Cope, 1869) Abronia campbelli Brodie and Savage, 1993 Abronia fimbriata (Cope, 1885) Abronia frosti Campbell, Sasa, Acevedo, and Mendelson, 1998 Abronia gaiophantasma Campbell and Frost, 1993 Abronia matudai (Hartweg and Tihen, 1946) Abronia meledona Campbell and Brodie, 1999 Abronia vasconcelosi (Bocourt, 1872) Mesaspis moreletii (Bocourt, 1872) Diploglossus atitlanensis (Smith and Taylor, 1950) Diploglossus bivittatus Boulenger, 1895 Diploglossus rozellae (Smith, 1942)

Gekkonidae

Order: Squamata. Family: Gekkonidae

Geckos are lizards found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm. Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. Geckos are the second most species rich group of lizards with close to 1,500 different species worldwide. All geckos, excluding the family Eublepharidae, have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane, the brille, which they lick to clean. Many species will, in defense, expel a foul-smelling material and feces onto their aggressors. There are also many species that will drop their tails in defense. Many species are well known for their specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces, and even cross indoor ceilings with ease. Unlike most lizards, geckos are usually nocturnal and are great climbers. Geckos come in various patterns and colors such as purple, pink, blue, and black, and are among the most colorful lizards in the world. St. George Island geckoAristelliger georgeensis (Bocourt, 1870) Yucatán banded geckoColeonyx elegans Gray, 1845 Central American banded geckoColeonyx mitratus Peters, 1863 Yellow-headed geckoGonatodes albogularis (Duméril and Bibron, 1836) Common house geckoHemidactylus frenatus Schlegel, 1836 Belize leaf-toed geckoPhyllodactylus insularis Dixon, 1960 Yellow-bellied geckoPhyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann, 1834 Sphaerodactylus glaucus Cope, 1865 Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell, 1861 Turnip-tailed geckoThecadactylus rapicauda (Houttuyn, 1782)

Helodermatidae Order: Squamata. Family: Helodermatidae

Heloderma, the only genus of the family Helodermatidae, consists of venomous lizards native to Guatemala, Mexico and the southwestern United States. Their closest living relatives are the anguid lizards. Helodermatids (or beaded lizards) are large, stocky, slow-moving reptiles that prefer semi-arid habitats. The tails are short and used as fat storage organs. They are covered with small, non-overlapping bead-like scales. Both species are dark in color, with yellowish or pinkish markings. The species' venom glands are located in the lower jaw, unlike snakes' venom glands, which are located in the upper jaw. The venom is typically used only in defense, rather than in subduing prey, and the lizard must chew on its victim to work the venom into the flesh. Helodermatids are carnivorous, preying on rodents and other small mammals, and eating the eggs of birds and reptiles. They are oviparous, laying large clutches of eggs. The family Helodermatidae includes two species, with six subspecies. The species found in Guatemala is the beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum), which occurs in two subspecies, including the Motagua Valley subspecies (H. h. charlesborgeti), one of the rarest lizards in the world, with a wild population of fewer than 200 animals. Beaded lizardHeloderma horridum (Wiegmann, 1829)

Corytophanidae

Order: Squamata. Family: Corytophanidae

Corytophanidae is a family of lizards, commonly called casque head lizards or helmeted lizards. Casque heads are moderately sized forest-dwelling lizards with laterally compressed bodies. They typically have well-developed head crests in the shape of a casque. This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of Basiliscus, but is present in both sexes of Corytophanes and Laemanctus. The crests are used in defensive displays where the lateral aspect of the body is brought about to face a potential predator in an effort to look bigger. Unlike many of their close relatives, they are unable to break off their tails when captured, probably because the tail is essential as a counterbalance during rapid movement. Despite the small size of the group, it includes both egg-laying species and some that give birth to live young. They are found from Mexico, through Central America, and as far south as Ecuador. There are 9 known species of casque heads. 6 of which occur in Guatemala. Brown basiliskBasiliscus vittatus Wiegmann, 1828 Helmeted iguanaCorytophanes cristatus (Merrem, 1821) Hernandez's helmeted basiliskCorytophanes hernandesii (Wiegmann, 1831) Guatemalan helmeted basiliskCorytophanes percarinatus Duméril, 1856 Eastern casquehead iguanaLaemanctus longipes Wiegmann, 1834 Serrated casquehead iguanaLaemanctus serratus Cope, 1864

Iguanidae

Order: Squamata. Family: Iguanidae