Reptiles of the Yucatan Peninsula
Hawksbill Turtle Hatchling, (Photo - Hotel Eco Paraíso)
The Yucatan Peninsula is home to over 180 species of reptiles and amphibians that inhabit its rich and ideal natural habitat. A diverse reptile population, from sea turtles to boa constrictors, can be found in all parts of the equally diverse habitat. While some might not be easy to see, all leave their distinct footprint on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Crocodilians
- Morelet's Crocodile - Crocodylus moreletii
- American Crocodile - Crocodylus acutus
Turtles and Tortoises
- Green Turtle - Chelonia mydas
- Loggerhead Turtle - Caretta caretta
- Hawksbill Turtle - Eretmochelys imbricata
- Leatherback Turtle - Dermochelys coriacea
- White-lipped
Mud Turtle - Kinosternon leucostomum
- Scorpion Mud Turtle - Kinosternon scorpiodes
- Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle - Claudius angustatus
- Mexican Giant Musk Turtle - Staurotypus triporcatus
- Furrowed Wood Turtle - Rhinoclemmys areolata
- Slider - Trachemys scripta
Lizards
Morelet's Crocodile, Coba
- Black-beaded Lizard - Heloderma horridum
- Dwarf Gecko - Sphaerodactylus glaucus
...photo
- Spotted Gecko - Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus
...photo
- House Gecko - Hemidactylus frenatus...photo
- Turnip-tailed Gecko - Thecadactylus rapicauda
- Yucatan Banded Gecko - Coleonyx elegans
...photo
- Yellow-spotted (Yucatan) Spiny
Lizard - Sceloporus chrysostictus
- Cozumel Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus cozumelae (Endemic to Cozumel and northern coasts of Yucatán peninsula)
- Lundell’s Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus lundelli
- Blue Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus serrifer
- Black Iguana - Ctenosaura similis
- Campeche Spiny-tailed Iguana - Ctenosaura alfredschmidti
- Yucatan Spiny-tailed Iguana - Ctenosaura defensor
- Green Iguana - Iguana iguana
- Serrated Casquehead Iguana -
Laemanctus serratus ...photo
- Brown Basilisk - Basiliscus vittatus
- Neotropical Green Anole - Norops biporcatus
- Brown Anole - Norops sagrei
- Ghost Anole - Norops lemurinus
- Silky Anole - Norops sericeus
- Smooth Anole - Anolis rodriguezi
- Rainbow Amieva - Amieva undulata
- Yucatan Whiptail - Cnemidophorus angusticeps
- Checkered Whiptail - Aspidoscelis tesselata (Cnemidophorus tesselatus)
- Maslin's Racerunner - Aspidoscelis maslini (Cnemidophorus maslini)
- Cozumel Racerunner (Whiptail) - Aspidoscelis conzumela (Cnemidophorus cozumelae)
- Schwartze's Skink (Yucatan Giant Skink)- Mesoscinucs (Eumeces) schwartzei
- Central American Mabuya - Mabuya unimarginata
Snakes
Black-tailed Indigo Snake eating Black Iguana
Red Coffee Snake, (Photo - Jim Conrad)
- Black Blind Snake - Leptotyphlops goudotii
- Yucatan Blind Snake - Typhlops microstomus
- Boa Constrictor - Constrictor constrictor
- Middle American Burrowing Snake - Adelphicos quadrivirgatus
- Rustyhead Snake - Amastridium veliferum
- Mussurana -
Clelia clelia
- Mexican
Snake Eater - Clelia scytalina
- Yucatan Striped Snake - Coniophanes meridanus
- Black Striped Snake - Coniophanes piceivittis
- Schmidt’s Striped Snake - Coniophanes schmidti
- Many-lined Snake (Yucatan Road Guarder) - Conophis lineatus
- Short-faced Snail Sucker - Dipsas brevifacies
- Black-tailed Indigo Snake or Black-tailed Cribo - Drymarchon (corais?) melanurus
- Speckled Racer - Drymobius margaritiferus
- Middle American Smooth-scaled Racer - Dryadophis melanolomus
- Central American Ratsnake - Pantherophis flavirufus (Elaphe/Pseudelaphe flavirufa)
...photo
- Yucatan Blunt-headed Tree Snake - Imantodes tenuissimus
- Tropical
Milksnake - Lampropeltis triangulum
Blanchard's or Yucatan Milk Snake is the subspecies that is endemic to the Yucatan.
- Rain Forest Cat-eyed Snake - Leptodeira frenata
- Mexican Parrot Snake - Leptophis mexicanus
- Red Coffee Snake
- Ninia sebae
- Green Vine Snake - Oxybelis fulgidus
- ?? Green Snake - Opheodrys mayae
- Neotropical Vine Snake - Oxybelis aeneus
- Bird-eating Tree Snake (Neotropical Bird Snake, Puffing Snake) -
Pseustes poecilonotus ...photo
- Green (Peninsular) Rat Snake - Senticolis triaspis
- Cloudy Snail Sucker - Sibon nebulata
- Tropical Rat Snake - Spilotes pullatus
- Scorpion-eating Snake - Stenorrhina freminvillei
- Yucatan White-lipped Snake - Symphimus mayae
- Yucatan Centipede Snake - Tantilla cuniculator
- Yucatan Dwarf Centipede-eater -
Tantillita canula ...photo
- Yucatan Checkered Garter Snake - Thamnophis marcianus
- Western Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis proximus
- Brown's Coral Snake - Micrurus browni
- Variable Coral Snake - Micrurus diastema
- Mayan Coral Snake - Micrurus hippocrepis
- Central American Coral Snake - Micrurus nigrocinctus
- Cantil - Agkistrodon bilineatus
- Jumping Pit Viper - Atropoides nummifer
- Terciopelo (Fer-de-lance) - Bothrops asper
- Eye-lash viper - Bothriechis schlegelii ?? (Please let us know if you
have information about the status of this species in the Yucatan)
- Neotropical Rattlesnake
(Cascabel) - Crotalus durissus ...photo
- Yucatan Hognose Pit Viper - Porthidium yucatanicum
Reptile Articles
- A posting on FieldHerpForum.com with lots of photos of Anoles and a discussion on identification of the species in the photos, June 2008.
...link
- Follow-up on the decline in hawksbills of the Yucatan region, from
WWF’s Latin American and Caribbean Marine Turtle Programme, 2005.
...link
- The Campeche "Escorpion", an Unknown Mexican Reptile, by Peter Heimes,
México desconocido, May 2000. A great article about the discovery (in 1994)
and ecology of the Campeche Spiny-tailed Iguana - Ctenosaura alfredschmidti.
...link
- Morelet's Crocodile at Yucatan Peninsula; Crocodile Specialist Group (WWF)
Newsletter; Jan-Mar 2002.
...link
 Spanish translation
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