kids encyclopedia robot

List of reptiles of Florida facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
AmericanAlligator3
The American alligator is the state reptile of Florida.

Florida is home to many amazing reptiles! This list tells you about the different kinds of reptiles you can find there. It includes both animals that naturally live in Florida (native species) and those that were brought there by people (introduced species). We only count introduced species if they have an established population. This means they have a large group that is breeding and living successfully in the wild, sometimes even becoming invasive.

Florida has three of the four main groups of reptiles. The only group missing is the Tuatara, which lives far away in New Zealand. While the exact number changes as new species are introduced, Florida has about 118 different kinds of reptiles.

Turtles and Tortoises (Testudines)

This group includes all kinds of freshwater and sea turtles, plus land tortoises. Florida is home to 26 different species in this group. It has many turtles but only one type of tortoise.

Freshwater Turtles (Emydids)

Florida has many freshwater turtles that live in ponds, rivers, and lakes. Some common ones include:

Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae)

These are large, strong turtles known for their powerful bites.

Mud and Musk Turtles (Kinosternidae)

These smaller turtles often live at the bottom of muddy waters.

Softshell Turtles (Trionychidae)

Softshell turtles have flat, leathery shells instead of hard ones.

Sea Turtles

Florida's coasts are important nesting grounds for several types of sea turtles. These amazing creatures spend most of their lives in the ocean.

Tortoises

Unlike turtles, tortoises live only on land. Florida has just one native tortoise species.

  • Gopher tortoise - This tortoise digs long burrows that provide homes for many other animals.

Alligators and Crocodiles (Crocodilians)

Florida is unique because it's one of the few places where both alligators and crocodiles live naturally. These are the largest reptiles and top predators in the state.

Alligators

Crocodiles

Lizards (Squamates - suborder Lacertilia)

Lizards are a huge group of reptiles, and Florida has many different kinds. A lot of the lizards you see in Florida were actually introduced from other places.

Common Lizards (Phrynosomatidae)

Curly-tailed Lizards (Leiocephalidae)

These lizards are known for curling their tails.

Agama Lizards (Agamidae)

Several types of Agama lizards have been introduced to Florida.

  • Common agama - Introduced.
  • Oriental garden lizard - Introduced.

Anoles (Dactyloidae)

Anoles are small lizards often seen on trees and fences. Many different kinds have been introduced.

  • Green anole - Florida's native anole.
  • Brown anole - A very common introduced species.
  • Knight anole - A large introduced anole.
  • Cuban green anole - Introduced.

Iguanas (Iguanidae)

Large, often green or spiny, iguanas are common introduced species in South Florida.

  • Green iguana - Introduced.
  • Black spiny-tailed iguana - Introduced.

Basilisks (Corytophanidae)

  • Brown basilisk - This lizard can run across water! It was introduced.

Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae)

Several types of chameleons, known for changing color, have been introduced.

Monitor Lizards (Varanidae)

  • Nile monitor - A large, introduced lizard that can be a problem for native wildlife.

Whiptails and Tegus (Teiidae)

Geckos (Gekkota)

Geckos are often small, nocturnal lizards with sticky toe pads. Many have been introduced.

  • Reef gecko - A tiny native gecko.
  • Ocellated gecko - Introduced.
  • Mediterranean house gecko - A very common introduced gecko often seen near lights at night.
  • Tokay gecko - A large, vocal introduced gecko.

Skinks (Scincidae)

Skinks are smooth, shiny lizards that often live underground or under logs.

Glass Lizards (Anguidae)

Glass lizards look like snakes but are actually lizards without legs. Their tails can break off easily, like glass.

Snakes (Squamates - suborder Serpentes)

Florida has many different kinds of snakes. Some are venomous (poisonous), and others are non-venomous. Unlike lizards, most snakes in Florida are native. A few species, like the Burmese python, were introduced. The Burmese python became a big problem after Hurricane Andrew destroyed a snake facility, letting many escape. However, they mostly survive only in very warm South Florida.

Blind Snakes

Boas (Boidae)

  • Common boa - Introduced.

Colubrids

This is the largest group of snakes, and most are non-venomous.

Elapids

This group includes venomous snakes with fixed fangs.

  • Eastern coral snake - This snake has bright red, yellow, and black bands. Remember the rhyme: "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, venom lack" (for North American coral snakes).

Pythons

Large constricting snakes, all found in Florida are introduced.

Vipers (Viperidae)

This group includes venomous snakes with hinged fangs.

Worm Lizards (Squamates - suborder Amphisbaenidae)

This is a small and less-known group of reptiles. They are worm-like and live underground. Florida has only one species.

Amphisbaenids

  • Florida worm lizard - This unique reptile looks like a large worm.

See also

Sources

  • Reptile Database
  • Florida Herpetology Center
  • Invasive reptiles
  • Invasive
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of reptiles of Florida Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.