List of reptiles of Canada facts for kids

Canada is home to many amazing animals, and that includes a special group called reptiles. Reptiles are cold-blooded animals, meaning their body temperature changes with their surroundings. They usually have scales or scutes (bony plates) and lay eggs. In Canada, you'll find mostly snakes and lizards and turtles. Most of these cool creatures live in the warmer, southernmost parts of the country.

When we talk about how well animals are doing in the wild, we often use a system called the IUCN Red List. It helps us understand if a species is safe or if it needs our help to survive. Here's what some of the terms mean:

• Extinct: This means the animal no longer exists anywhere in the world.
• Extinct in the wild: The animal only lives in zoos or special protected areas, not in nature.
• Critically endangered: These animals are in extreme danger of disappearing forever.
• Endangered: They are at a very high risk of becoming extinct.
• Vulnerable: They face a high risk of becoming endangered in the future.
• Near threatened: These animals might become vulnerable soon.
• Least concern: These animals are doing well and are not currently at risk.
• Data deficient: We don't have enough information to know their status.
• Not evaluated: Their status hasn't been checked yet.

Snakes and Lizards in Canada

This group of reptiles, called Squamata, includes both lizards and snakes. Canada doesn't have any amphisbaenids, which are worm-like lizards.

Amazing Canadian Snakes

The western skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus) is found in southern British Columbia.

The five-lined skink, Plestiodon fasciatus, makes its home in the Great Lakes region of Ontario.

Snakes are the most common type of reptile you'll find in Canada. There are 35 different kinds! You can find snakes in almost every province and territory, except for Yukon, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Here are some of the snakes that call Canada home:

• Charina bottae (rubber boa) – found in southern British Columbia, but not Vancouver Island.
• Coluber constrictor foxii (blue racer) – lives on Pelee Island in Ontario.
• Coluber constrictor flaviventris (eastern yellow-bellied racer) – found in southern Saskatchewan.
• Coluber constrictor mormon (western yellow-bellied racer) – lives in south-central British Columbia.
• Contia tenuis (common sharp-tailed snake) – found on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
• Crotalus horridus (timber rattlesnake) – used to live in southern Ontario and southern Quebec, but is now extirpated (meaning it no longer lives there).
• Crotalus oreganus oreganus (northern Pacific rattlesnake) – found in south-central British Columbia.
• Crotalus viridis viridis (prairie rattlesnake) – lives in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.
• Diadophis punctatus edwardsii (northern ring-necked snake) – found in southeastern Ontario, southern Quebec, most of New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
• Hypsiglena torquata (desert night snake) – lives in the very south-central part of British Columbia.
• Heterodon nasicus nasicus (western hog-nosed snake) – found in southeastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwestern Manitoba.
• Heterodon platirhinos (eastern hog-nosed snake) – lives in southwestern Ontario.
• Lampropeltis triangulum (eastern milk snake) – found in southern Ontario and southern Quebec.
• Nerodia sipedon insularum (Lake Erie watersnake) – lives on islands in western Lake Erie.
• Nerodia sipedon sipedon (northern watersnake) – found in southern and central Ontario, and southern Quebec.
• Opheodrys vernalis (smooth green snake) – lives in southeast Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, central and southern Ontario, southern Quebec, most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
• Pantherophis gloydi (eastern foxsnake) – found in southwestern Ontario.
• Pantherophis obsoleta obsoleta (black ratsnake) – lives in southern Ontario.
• Pantherophis spiloides (grey ratsnake) – found in southeastern Ontario.
• Pituophis catenifer deserticola (Great Basin gophersnake) – lives in south-central British Columbia.
• Pituophis catenifer sayi (bullsnake) – found in southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan.
• Regina septemvittata (queen snake) – lives in southwestern Ontario.
• Sistrurus catenatus (eastern massasauga) – found on the Bruce Peninsula and some parts of southwestern Ontario.
• Storeria dekayi (Dekay's brownsnake) – lives in southern Ontario and southern Quebec.
• Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata (northern red-bellied snake) – found in southeastern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, southwestern and southeastern Ontario, southern Quebec, most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
• Thamnophis butleri (Butler's gartersnake) – lives in southwestern Ontario.
• Thamnophis elegans vagrans (wandering gartersnake) – found in most of British Columbia, most of Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan, and possibly the Liard River Valley in southwestern Northwest Territories.
• Thamnophis ordinoides (northwestern gartersnake) – lives in southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island.
• Thamnophis radix haydeni (plains gartersnake) – found in eastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwestern Manitoba.
• Thamnophis saurita septentrionalis (northern ribbonsnake) – lives in southern Ontario and southwestern Nova Scotia.
• Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi (valley garter snake) – found in central mainland British Columbia almost up to the Yukon border, and northern Vancouver Island.
• Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus (Maritime garter snake) – lives in the southern half of Quebec, most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
• Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (red-sided gartersnake) – found in the eastern plains of British Columbia, most of Alberta, extreme southern Northwest Territories around the Fort Smith region, most of Saskatchewan, the southern half of Manitoba, and northwestern Ontario.
• Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringi (Puget Sound gartersnake) – lives in the southwest corner of British Columbia, including southern Vancouver Island.
• Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (eastern gartersnake) – found in most of Ontario and Quebec, and the southeast corner of Manitoba.

Cool Canadian Lizards

Canada has fewer types of lizards compared to snakes, with six native species and one species that was introduced by humans.

Here are the lizards you might find:

• Elgaria coerulea principis (northwestern alligator lizard) – lives in southern British Columbia, including most of Vancouver Island.
• Plestiodon skiltonianus (western skink) – found in the southern interior of British Columbia.
• Plestiodon fasciatus (five-lined skink) – lives in southern Ontario.
• Plestiodon septentrionalis septentrionalis (northern prairie skink) – found in southwestern Manitoba.
• Phrynosoma douglasii (pygmy horned lizard) – lives in the very south-central part of British Columbia.
• Phrynosoma hernandesi (short-horned lizard) – found in extreme southeastern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan.
• Podarcis muralis (common wall lizard) – This lizard was introduced to Canada. It lives on southeastern Vancouver Island, Denman Island, and has been seen in Vancouver, Summerland, and Osoyoos, but doesn't have large groups on the BC mainland.

Terrific Canadian Turtles

The group of reptiles known as Testudines includes all turtles. You can find pond turtles in all of Canada's provinces, except for Newfoundland and Labrador. However, Newfoundland and Labrador, along with British Columbia, do have amazing sea turtles swimming off their coasts.

Turtles of Ponds and Land

These turtles spend their lives in freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, or on land.

• Actinemys marmorata (Pacific pond turtle) – This turtle is now extirpated from Canada.
• Apalone spinifera (spiny softshell turtle)
• Chelydra serpentina (common snapping turtle)
• Chrysemys picta (painted turtle)
• Clemmys guttata (spotted turtle)
• Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding's turtle)
• Glyptemys insculpta (wood turtle)
• Graptemys geographica (northern map turtle)
• Sternotherus odoratus (stinkpot turtle)
• Terrapene carolina (eastern box turtle) – This turtle is also extirpated from Canada.

Giant Sea Turtles

These incredible turtles live in the ocean and visit Canadian waters.

• Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle)
• Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle)
• Dermochelys coriacea (leatherback sea turtle)
• Lepidochelys kempii (Kemp's ridley sea turtle)
• Lepidochelys olivacea (olive ridley sea turtle)

See also

• Lists of reptiles by region