Aldabra tortoises are giant land reptiles from the Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles. These slow, powerful grazers have huge domed shells, sturdy legs, long lifespans, and an important job shaping island vegetation.

Alligators are large reptiles with broad rounded snouts, armored skin, strong tails, short legs, and eyes on top of their heads. They live near water and are often confused with crocodiles, but they have their own alligator style.

Anacondas are giant nonvenomous snakes that live in or near water in warm parts of South America. They are powerful swimmers, heavy-bodied constrictors, and some of the largest snakes in the world.

Ball pythons are nonvenomous constrictor snakes from West and Central Africa. They are also called royal pythons, and their common name comes from their habit of curling into a tight ball when stressed or frightened.

Basilisk lizards are tropical reptiles from Central and South America, famous for sprinting across water when frightened. They live near streams and rivers, use strong back legs, and have special toe scales that help them dash over the surface for short distances.

Bearded dragons are spiky-looking lizards from Australia. They are famous for puffing out a throat pouch that looks like a beard, basking in warm sunlight, and using body signals such as head bobbing and arm waving.

Black mambas are long, fast, highly venomous snakes from parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are not usually black on the outside; their name comes from the dark inside of the mouth, which they may show when threatened.

Blue-tongued skinks are chunky, smooth-scaled lizards known for their bright blue tongues. Many live in Australia and nearby regions, where they move along the ground, eat a mix of plants and small animals, and use their blue tongue to scare predators.

Boas are mostly nonvenomous constrictor snakes found in the Americas and some nearby regions. Boa constrictors and their relatives use strong muscles to hold prey, and many boas give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.

Boa constrictors are large, nonvenomous snakes from tropical parts of the Americas. They are famous for strong bodies, beautiful patterns, live birth, and a hunting method called constriction.

Chameleons are colorful lizards known for moving eyes, sticky tongues, grasping toes, and amazing color changes. Many live in trees and use careful slow movement to sneak through branches.

Chinese water dragons, also called Asian water dragons, are bright green lizards that live near forest streams and rivers in parts of Southeast Asia and southern China. They are strong climbers and swimmers with long tails, crests, and watchful eyes.

Coral snakes are small, secretive venomous snakes with bright ringed patterns. They belong to the elapid family, the same broad snake family as cobras and sea snakes, and they are best watched from a safe distance.

Corn snakes are colorful nonvenomous snakes from the southeastern and central United States. They are helpful rodent hunters, use constriction to catch prey, and lay eggs in warm hidden places.

Crested geckos are small climbing lizards from New Caledonia. They are also called eyelash geckos because of the fringed crests above their eyes, and they move through rainforest branches using sticky toe pads and jumping skills.

Crocodiles are large reptiles with powerful jaws, sharp teeth, armored skin, long tails, and strong swimming skills. They live in warm places near rivers, wetlands, lakes, coasts, and mangroves.

Frilled lizards are reptiles from northern Australia and southern New Guinea. They are famous for a large folded skin frill around the neck that can open wide when the lizard feels threatened.

Galápagos tortoises are giant land turtles from the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. They are famous for enormous shells, slow movement, plant-eating diets, long lives, and an important conservation story.

Garter snakes are small to medium snakes famous for long stripes and backyard sightings. They are common in many parts of North America, often live near water or gardens, and help eat worms, slugs, insects, frogs, and other small animals.

Geckos are small lizards with soft skin, big eyes, quick movements, and amazing climbing feet. Many geckos are active at night and can climb walls or ceilings using special toe pads.

Gila monsters are colorful venomous lizards from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They are slow-moving reptiles with beadlike scales, black and pink or orange patterns, strong jaws, and fat-storing tails.

Green anacondas are giant nonvenomous snakes from South America. They spend lots of time in or near water, where their heavy bodies, swimming skills, and eyes near the top of the head help them hide and hunt.

Green iguanas are large tree-climbing lizards from tropical parts of Central and South America. They eat mostly leaves, flowers, and fruit, use long tails for balance and defense, and often rest high in trees near water.

Green sea turtles are large hard-shelled sea turtles that live in warm ocean waters. Adults mostly eat seagrass and algae, and females return to sandy beaches to lay eggs.

Hawksbill sea turtles are beautiful reef turtles with pointed beak-like mouths and patterned shells. They live in warm oceans, help coral reefs by eating sponges, and are critically endangered, so protecting beaches and reefs matters.

Horned lizards are small, flat, spiky reptiles from North and Central America. They are sometimes called horned toads, but they are lizards, not toads, and many are famous for eating ants, hiding in desert colors, and using strange defense tricks.

Iguanas are large lizards with long tails, scaly skin, strong claws, and spiky crests. Many iguanas live in warm places, climb trees, bask in sunlight, and eat mostly leaves, flowers, and fruit.

King cobras are large venomous snakes from forests and wild areas of South and Southeast Asia. They are famous for their hood, long body, deep warning hiss, and unusual habit of eating other snakes.

Komodo dragons are giant monitor lizards from Indonesia. They are the largest living lizards, with strong bodies, sharp claws, forked tongues, tough skin, and powerful hunting skills.

Leatherback sea turtles are the largest sea turtles and the only sea turtles without a hard shell. They have a flexible leathery carapace, huge front flippers, and travel across oceans to find jellyfish and nesting beaches.

Leopard geckos are small spotted lizards from dry rocky places in parts of Asia. Unlike many geckos, they have movable eyelids, clawed toes instead of sticky pads, and thick tails that store fat for lean times.

Loggerhead sea turtles are ocean reptiles named for their large heads and strong jaws. They use those jaws to crush hard-shelled prey such as whelks, conchs, crabs, and other seafloor animals.

Mambas are fast, slender, venomous snakes from Africa. Some mambas live mostly in trees, while the black mamba often moves on the ground. They are amazing reptiles, but they should always be watched from far away and never touched.

Marine iguanas are unusual reptiles from the Galapagos Islands. They are the only modern lizards that regularly forage in the sea, where they swim and dive to eat algae growing on rocks.

Milk snakes are colorful nonvenomous snakes related to kingsnakes. Their red, black, white, yellow, or tan bands can make them look like coral snakes, but milk snakes are harmless to people when left alone and are helpful rodent hunters.

Monitor lizards are smart, active reptiles with long bodies, strong claws, powerful tails, and forked tongues. Different species live in Africa, Asia, Australia, and nearby islands, from forests and deserts to rivers and mangroves.

Pythons are nonvenomous snakes with long muscular bodies, flexible jaws, smooth scales, and strong squeezing power. They live in warm habitats and are famous for being constrictors, which means they wrap around prey instead of using venom.

Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes from the Americas, famous for the rattle at the end of the tail. They use camouflage, heat-sensing pits, fangs, and warning rattles to survive in deserts, grasslands, forests, and rocky places.

Reticulated pythons are huge nonvenomous snakes from South and Southeast Asia. They are famous for their net-like pattern, strong constriction, excellent swimming, and record-breaking length, but wild pythons should always be watched from a safe distance.

Sea kraits are venomous sea snakes that split life between ocean and land. They hunt in coral reefs and coastal waters, but unlike fully ocean-living sea snakes, sea kraits return to land to rest, digest food, shed skin, mate, and lay eggs.

Sea snakes are marine reptiles that live in warm ocean waters. They are related to cobras, have venom, breathe air at the surface, and many have flattened paddle-like tails that help them swim through reefs, lagoons, and coastal seas.

Sea turtles are ocean reptiles with shells, flippers, lungs, and long life cycles. They live in the world’s oceans and come onto beaches to lay eggs in sandy nests.

Snapping turtles are freshwater turtles named for their powerful biting defense. They have strong jaws, rugged shells, long tails, and a mostly aquatic life in ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, and slow waterways.

Thorny devils are small spiky lizards from dry parts of Australia. They look fierce with thorny bodies and a pretend head, but they are slow, harmless reptiles that mostly eat ants.

Tortoises are land-living turtles with sturdy legs, strong shells, and slow steady movement. They belong to the turtle order, but most tortoises spend their lives on land instead of swimming in water.

Tuataras are rare lizard-like reptiles from New Zealand, but they are not lizards. They are the only living members of an ancient reptile group and have spiky crests, a beak-like mouth, slow growth, and a hidden third eye on top of the head.

Vipers are venomous snakes known for long hinged fangs that fold back when not in use. This group includes many famous snakes, such as adders, rattlesnakes, copperheads, puff adders, and other vipers from many habitats around the world.