Testudines › Cheloniidae
Green sea turtle
Up to 1.5 m long
Its name comes from its fat, not its shell, and as an adult it is the only aquatic turtle that eats only plants.
Field Guide · Chapter 10 of 29
Reptiles and amphibians
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Testudines › Testudinidae
Galápagos tortoise
Up to 417 kg
It is the largest living tortoise, and can weigh up to 417 kg.
Crocodylia › Alligatoridae
American alligator
Males to 4.8 m long
Alligators balance sticks and branches on their heads to lure birds within reach.
Squamata › Varanidae
Komodo dragon
Males up to 3 m
Its saliva carries more than 50 strains of bacteria, so bitten prey can die of infection.
Squamata › Iguanidae
Green iguana
1.2 to 1.7 m long
Green iguanas reached Anguilla in 1995 by floating ashore after a hurricane.
Squamata › Iguanidae
Marine iguana
The only lizard that spends time in the sea is the marine iguana.
Squamata › Chamaeleonidae
Veiled chameleon
Males up to 61 cm
A newly hatched one can drop to the ground and turn bright red when surprised.
Squamata › Gekkonidae
Tokay gecko
Up to 40 cm long
It drops its own tail to escape and grows a new one in about three weeks.
Squamata › Elapidae
King cobra
Record 5.85 m long
Of all venomous snakes on Earth, this one grows the longest.
Squamata › Pythonidae
Burmese python
About 5 m (16 ft)
The record Burmese python was 5.79 m long, caught in a South Florida national preserve.
Squamata › Boidae
Green anaconda
Up to 6.32 m long
The world's heaviest snake, and one of its longest, it lives in tropical rivers and swamps.
Squamata › Viperidae
Western diamondback
Up to 213 cm (7 ft)
It is likely behind most snakebite deaths in northern Mexico, and it holds its ground when a foe comes near.
Sphenodontia › Sphenodontidae
Tuatara
Often over 100 years
The only living member of a reptile order that was once highly diverse.
Amphibia › Caudata › Ambystomatidae
Axolotl
Up to 45 cm long
Unlike most salamander species, adult axolotls keep their external gills.
Amphibia › Caudata › Salamandridae
Fire salamander
Some reach 30 cm
It can actively spray its poison at a predator.
Amphibia › Caudata › Cryptobranchidae
Japanese giant salamander
About 1.5 m long
It never leaves the water and breathes by poking its head above the surface for air.
Amphibia › Anura › Dendrobatidae
Dyeing poison frog
Some forms reach 7 cm
Its tadpoles grow in the water that collects in fallen trees.
Amphibia › Anura › Phyllomedusidae
Red-eyed tree frog
Bright red eyes
Its red eyes stay hidden while it rests, so it blends into the leaves.
Amphibia › Anura › Bufonidae
Cane toad
24 cm snout to vent
This toad is the most widely introduced amphibian in the world, spread far beyond the home range it came from.
Amphibia › Anura › Ranidae
Common frog
Up to 9 months trapped
Near the top of its range, a common frog may spend as much as nine months a year beneath ice.
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