List of reptiles of Canada

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:WildlifeofCanada This is a list of the reptiles of Canada. Most species are confined to the southernmost parts of the country. All Canadian reptiles are composed of squamates and testudines.

Conservation status - IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

Template:IUCN status - Extinct, Template:IUCN status - Extinct in the wild

Template:IUCN status - Critically endangered, Template:IUCN status - Endangered, Template:IUCN status - Vulnerable

Template:IUCN status - Near threatened, Template:IUCN status - Least concern

Template:IUCN status - Data deficient, Template:IUCN status - Not evaluated

(v. 2013.2, the data is current as of 5 March 2014<ref name="IUCN" />)

Order Squamata

The western skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus) is found in southern British Columbia

The five-lined skink, Plestiodon fasciatus, finds home in the Great Lakes region of Ontario

Of the order Squamata, lizards and snakes are represented. There are no known amphisbaenids native to Canada.

Snakes (suborder Serpentes)

Snakes are the best-represented group of reptiles in Canada, with 35 varieties in three families. They can be found in all provinces and territories except Yukon, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Charina bottae (rubber boa) Template:IUCN status – southern British Columbia,<ref name="bcherps" /> but not Vancouver Island
• Coluber constrictor foxii (blue racer) Template:IUCN status – Pelee Island in Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Coluber constrictor flaviventris (eastern yellow-bellied racer) Template:IUCN status – southern Saskatchewan<ref name="sasherps" />
• Coluber constrictor mormon (western yellow-bellied racer) Template:IUCN status – south-central British Columbia<ref name="bcherps" />
• Contia tenuis (common sharp-tailed snake) Template:IUCN status – southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia<ref name="bcherps" />
• Crotalus horridus (timber rattlesnake) Template:IUCN status – historically southern Ontario and southern Quebec, extirpated<ref name="onherps" />
• Crotalus oreganus oreganus (northern Pacific rattlesnake) Template:IUCN status – south-central British Columbia<ref name="bcherps" />
• Crotalus viridis viridis (prairie rattlesnake) Template:IUCN status – southern Alberta,<ref name="alherps" /> southwestern Saskatchewan<ref name="sasherps" />
• Diadophis punctatus edwardsii (northern ring-necked snake) Template:IUCN status – southeastern Ontario,<ref name="onherps" /> southern Quebec, most of New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia<ref name="nbherps" />
• Hypsiglena chlorophaea (desert night snake) Template:IUCN status – extreme south-central British Columbia
• Heterodon nasicus nasicus (western hog-nosed snake) Template:IUCN status – southeastern Alberta<ref name="alherps" /> southern Saskatchewan<ref name="sasherps" /> and southwestern Manitoba<ref name="manherps" />
• Heterodon platirhinos (eastern hog-nosed snake) Template:IUCN status – southwestern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Lampropeltis triangulum (eastern milk snake) – southern Ontario<ref name="onherps" /> southern Quebec<ref name="quherps" />
• Nerodia sipedon insularum (Lake Erie watersnake) Template:IUCN status – islands in western Lake Erie<ref name="onherps" />
• Nerodia sipedon sipedon (northern watersnake) Template:IUCN status – southern and central Ontario,<ref name="onherps" /> southern Quebec<ref name="quherps" />
• Opheodrys vernalis (smooth green snake) Template:IUCN status – southeast Saskatchewan,<ref name="sasherps" /> southern Manitoba,<ref name="manherps" /> central and southern Ontario,<ref name="onherps" /> southern Quebec,<ref name="quherps" /> most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island<ref name="nbherps" />
• Pantherophis gloydi (eastern foxsnake) Template:IUCN status – southwestern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Pantherophis alleghaniensis (grey ratsnake) – southeastern Ontario<ref name="nbherps" />
• Pituophis catenifer deserticola (Great Basin gophersnake) Template:IUCN status – south-central British Columbia<ref name="bcherps" />
• Pituophis catenifer sayi (bullsnake) Template:IUCN status – southern Alberta<ref name="alherps" /> and southern Saskatchewan<ref name="sasherps" />
• Regina septemvittata (queen snake) Template:IUCN status – southwestern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Sistrurus catenatus (eastern massasauga) Template:IUCN status – Bruce Peninsula and some parts of southwestern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Storeria dekayi (Dekay's brownsnake) Template:IUCN status – southern Ontario,<ref name="onherps" /> southern Quebec<ref name="quherps" />
• Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata (northern red-bellied snake) Template:IUCN status - southeastern Saskatchewan,<ref name="sasherps" /> southern Manitoba,<ref name="manherps" /> southwestern and southeastern Ontario,<ref name="onherps" /> southern Quebec,<ref name="quherps" /> most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island<ref name="nbherps" />
• Thamnophis butleri (Butler's gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – southwestern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Thamnophis elegans vagrans (wandering gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – most of British Columbia,<ref name="bcherps" /> most of Alberta,<ref name="alherps" /> southwestern Saskatchewan,<ref name="sasherps" /> and possibly the Liard River Valley in southwestern Northwest Territories<ref name="ntherps" />
• Thamnophis ordinoides (northwestern gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island<ref name="bcherps" />
• Thamnophis radix haydeni (plains gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – eastern Alberta,<ref name="alherps" /> southern Saskatchewan<ref name="sasherps" /> and southwestern Manitoba<ref name="manherps" />
• Thamnophis saurita septentrionalis (northern ribbonsnake) Template:IUCN status – southern Ontario<ref name="onherps" /> and southwestern Nova Scotia<ref name="nsherps" />
• Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi (valley garter snake) Template:IUCN status – central mainland British Columbia almost up to the Yukon border, and northern Vancouver Island<ref name="bcherps" />
• Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus (Maritime garter snake) Template:IUCN status – southern half of Quebec, most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island<ref name="nbherps" />
• Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (red-sided gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – eastern plains of British Columbia,<ref name="bcherps" /> most of Alberta,<ref name="alherps" /> extreme southern Northwest Territories around the Fort Smith region,<ref name="ntherps" /> most of Saskatchewan,<ref name="sasherps" /> southern half of Manitoba,<ref name="manherps" /> and northwestern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringi (Puget Sound gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – southwest corner of British Columbia, including southern Vancouver Island<ref name="bcherps" />
• Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (eastern gartersnake) Template:IUCN status – most of Ontario<ref name="onherps" /> and Quebec,<ref name="quherps" /> and the southeast corner of Manitoba<ref name="manherps" />

Lizards (suborder Lacertilia)

Lizard diversity is low in Canada, with six native species and one introduced species:

• Elgaria coerulea principis (northwestern alligator lizard) Template:IUCN status – southern British Columbia, including most of Vancouver Island<ref name="bcherps" />
• Plestiodon skiltonianus (western skink) Template:IUCN status - southern interior of British Columbia
• Plestiodon fasciatus (five-lined skink) Template:IUCN status – southern Ontario<ref name="onherps" />
• Plestiodon septentrionalis septentrionalis (northern prairie skink) Template:IUCN status – southwestern Manitoba<ref name="onherps" />
• Phrynosoma douglasii (pygmy horned lizard) Template:IUCN status – extreme south-central British Columbia<ref name="bcherps" />
• Phrynosoma hernandesi (short-horned lizard) Template:IUCN status – extreme southeastern Alberta<ref name="alherps" /> and southern Saskatchewan<ref name="sasherps" />
• Podarcis muralis (common wall lizard) - introduced - southeastern Vancouver Island, Denman Island, single records in Vancouver, Summerland and Osoyoos but no populations on BC mainland.

Order Testudines

Of the order Testudines, pond turtles are common in all of Canada's provinces, with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has sea turtles off its shores as does British Columbia.

Land and pond turtles

• Actinemys marmorata (Pacific pond turtle) Template:IUCN status extirpated
• Apalone spinifera (spiny softshell turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Chelydra serpentina (common snapping turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Chrysemys picta (painted turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Clemmys guttata (spotted turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding's turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Glyptemys insculpta (wood turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Graptemys geographica (northern map turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Sternotherus odoratus (stinkpot turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Terrapene carolina (eastern box turtle) Template:IUCN status extirpated<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Turtle, Canadian Encyclopedia</ref>

Sea turtles

• Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Dermochelys coriacea (leatherback sea turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Lepidochelys kempii (Kemp's ridley sea turtle) Template:IUCN status
• Lepidochelys olivacea (olive ridley sea turtle) Template:IUCN status

See also

• Lists of reptiles by region
• List of reptiles of Quebec

Further reading

• Template:Citation

External links

• JCVI Reptiles Database: Canada
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species