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...