Northern Pacific Rattlesnake

Reptiles > Vipers & Pitvipers

The Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is the only venomous snake native to the vast Pacific Northwest region of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. A master of camouflage and arid-land ambush hunting, this heavy-bodied pit viper is famous for its...

Night Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids

The Night Snake (Hypsiglena torquata) is a small, enchanting nocturnal reptile celebrated for its vertical, cat-like pupils and glossy, spotted desert camouflage. Roaming the rocky canyons and sagebrush steppes of western North America, this gentle rear-fanged...

Common Sharp-tailed Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids

The Common Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis) is a diminutive, highly secretive woodland reptile native to the moist coastal forests and oak woodlands of the Pacific Northwest. Named for the conspicuous, sharp thorn-like spine at the very tip of its tail, this...

Southern Rubber Boa

Reptiles > Boas & Pythons

The Southern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica) is an elusive, gentle living relic of ancient North American boid evolution, restricted to cool, forested mountain ‘sky islands’ of Southern California. Famous for its smooth, rubbery skin that feels like supple...

Northern Alligator Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Northern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is a remarkable, cold-adapted reptile that holds the northernmost distribution of any lizard in western North America. Resembling a miniature, plated alligator with its rectangular armored scales and distinct skin fold,...

Desert Night Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Desert Night Lizard (Xantusia vigilis) is a secretive, miniature reptile renowned for its lifelong ecological partnership with the iconic Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Despite its historic name suggesting nocturnal activity, scientific research revealed that...

Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake

Reptiles > Snakes

The Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelana) is a dazzling, non-venomous constrictor restricted to the isolated ‘sky island’ mountain ranges of the American Southwest and Mexico. Famous for its brilliant, high-contrast tricolor bands of fiery...

Little Brown Skink

Reptiles > Skinks

The Little Brown Skink (Scincella lateralis), widely known as the Ground Skink, is a miniature, glossy reptile that scurries through the fallen leaf litter of eastern North American woodlands. With its smooth, glass-like golden-bronze scales and serpentine movements,...

Smooth Earth Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids & Snakes

The Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae) is a diminutive, highly secretive fossorial serpent native to the deciduous woodlands of the eastern and central United States. Named for its perfectly smooth, glossy dorsal scales that lack keels, this gentle, harmless...

Kirtland’s Snake

Reptiles > Non-venomous Snakes

Kirtland’s Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) is one of the rarest, most secretive, and most vulnerable colubrid snakes in North America. Endemic to the historic prairie wetland belt of the Midwest, this shy, docile serpent features a modest, keeled grey-brown dorsal...