Reptiles of Australia

The Perentie (Varanus giganteus) is Australia's largest lizard.

Reptiles of Australia are a diverse group of animals, widely distributed across the continent. Three of the four orders of reptiles are native to Australia: Testudines, Squamata and Crocodilia. The only missing extant order is Sphenodontia, containing the tuataras, which are endemic to New Zealand. Australia has a large diversity of reptiles, with over 860 species. This is rich in comparison to other continents. For example, North America has approximately 280 species of reptile.^[1] The most diverse group is Squamata, also known as the snakes and lizards. The snakes and lizards are especially diverse in the arid areas of Australia, where diversity of other fauna is generally low. Spinifex grass is a major habitat which allows them to remain in a relatively cool, moist area.

Australia has a large array of reptiles which can be dangerous to humans. The world's largest reptile, the Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), is native to Australia.

Australian reptile families

Testudines - 4 families
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Cheloniidae	Sea turtles	Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Dermochelyidae	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Chelidae	Austro-American Side-necked Turtles	Common Snakeneck Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)
Carettochelyidae	Pig-nosed Turtle	Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta)
Squamata - 12 families
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Gekkonidae	Geckos	Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii)
Pygopodidae	Legless lizards	Burton's Snake-lizard (Lialis burtonis)	-
Agamidae	-	Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)
Varanidae	Monitors or goannas	Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
Scincidae	Skinks	Western Blue-Tongued Skink (Tiliqua occipitalis)
Typhlopidae	Blind snakes	-	-
Pythonidae	Pythons	Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis)
Colubridae	Colubrid snakes	Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)
Elapidae	-	Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus)
Hydrophiidae	Sea snakes	-	-
Laticaudidae	Sea kraits	-	-
Acrochordidae	File snakes	Marine File Snake (Acrochordus granulatus)	-
Crocodilia - 1 family
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Crocodylidae	Crocodiles	Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)

Notes

Donate to Wikimedia