List of reptiles of Canada
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This is a list of the reptiles of Canada. Most species are confined to the southernmost parts of the country. All Canadian reptiles are composed of
testudines
.
Conservation status - IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
- EX - Extinct, EW - Extinct in the wild
- CR - Critically endangered, EN - Endangered, VU - Vulnerable
- NT - Near threatened, LC - Least concern
- DD - Data deficient, NE - Not evaluated
- (v. 2013.2, the data is current as of 5 March 2014[1])
Order Squamata
Of the order amphisbaenids native to Canada.
Snakes (suborder Serpentes)
Snakes are the best-represented group of reptiles in Canada, with 35 varieties in three families. They can be found in all provinces and territories except Yukon, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Coluber constrictor flaviventris (eastern yellow-bellied racer) LC – southern Saskatchewan[4]
- Coluber constrictor mormon (western yellow-bellied racer) LC – south-central British Columbia[2]
- Contia tenuis (common sharp-tailed snake) LC – southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia[2]
- Crotalus horridus (timber rattlesnake) LC – historically southern Ontario and southern Quebec, extirpated[3]
- Crotalus oreganus oreganus (northern Pacific rattlesnake) LC – south-central British Columbia[2]
- Diadophis punctatus edwardsii (northern ring-necked snake) LC – southeastern Ontario,[3] southern Quebec, most of New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia[6]
- Hypsiglena torquata (desert night snake) LC – extreme south-central British Columbia
- Heterodon platirhinos (eastern hog-nosed snake) LC – southwestern Ontario[3]
- Pantherophis gloydi (eastern foxsnake) NT – southwestern Ontario[3]
- Pantherophis obsoleta obsoleta (black ratsnake) LC – southern Ontario[3]
- Pantherophis spiloides (grey ratsnake) – southeastern Ontario[6]
- Pituophis catenifer deserticola (Great Basin gophersnake) LC – south-central British Columbia[2]
- Regina septemvittata (queen snake) LC – southwestern Ontario[3]
- Sistrurus catenatus (eastern massasauga) LC – Bruce Peninsula and some parts of southwestern Ontario[3]
- Thamnophis butleri (Butler's gartersnake) LC – southwestern Ontario[3]
- Thamnophis elegans vagrans (wandering gartersnake) LC – most of British Columbia,[2] most of Alberta,[5] southwestern Saskatchewan,[4] and possibly the Liard River Valley in southwestern Northwest Territories[9]
- Thamnophis ordinoides (northwestern gartersnake) LC – southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island[2]
- Thamnophis saurita septentrionalis (northern ribbonsnake) LC – southern Ontario[3] and southwestern Nova Scotia[10]
- Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi (valley garter snake) LC – central mainland British Columbia almost up to the Yukon border, and northern Vancouver Island[2]
- Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus (Maritime garter snake) LC – southern half of Quebec, most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island[6]
- Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringi (Puget Sound gartersnake) LC – southwest corner of British Columbia, including southern Vancouver Island[2]
Lizards (suborder Lacertilia)
Lizard diversity is low in Canada, with six native species and one introduced species:
- Elgaria coerulea principis (northwestern alligator lizard) LC – southern British Columbia, including most of Vancouver Island[2]
- Plestiodon skiltonianus(western skink) LC - southern interior of British Columbia
- Plestiodon fasciatus (five-lined skink) LC – southern Ontario[3]
- Plestiodon septentrionalis septentrionalis (northern prairie skink) LC – southwestern Manitoba[3]
- Phrynosoma douglasii (pygmy horned lizard) LC – extreme south-central British Columbia[2]
- Podarcis muralis (common wall lizard) - introduced - southeastern Vancouver Island, Denman Island, single records in Vancouver, Summerland and Osoyoos but no populations on BC mainland.
Order Testudines
Of the order Testudines, pond turtles are common in all of Canada's provinces, with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has sea turtles off its shores as does British Columbia.
Land and pond turtles
- Actinemys marmorata(Pacific pond turtle) VU extirpated
- Apalone spinifera(spiny softshell turtle) LC
- Chelydra serpentina(common snapping turtle) LC
- Chrysemys picta(painted turtle) LC
- Clemmys guttata(spotted turtle) EN
- Emydoidea blandingii(Blanding's turtle) EN
- Glyptemys insculpta(wood turtle) EN
- Graptemys geographica(northern map turtle) LC
- Sternotherus odoratus (stinkpot turtle) LC
Sea turtles
- Caretta caretta(loggerhead sea turtle) EN
- Chelonia mydas(green sea turtle) EN
- Dermochelys coriacea(leatherback sea turtle) VU
- Lepidochelys kempii(Kemp's ridley sea turtle) CR
- Lepidochelys olivacea(olive ridley sea turtle) VU
See also
References
- ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Reptiles of BC: - Reptiles and amphibians, snakes, lizards, turtles".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Lizards and snakes of Ontario". Natural Resources Canada. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Reptiles". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/courses.hp/zoo301.hp/altaherps.html [dead link]
- ^ a b c d e "CARCNET - Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network".
- ^ a b c d e f "The Manitoba Herps Atlas".
- ^ a b c d e f http://redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/Qbp/herps/herps.html [dead link]
- ^ a b "Amphibians and Reptiles". Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "Amphibians and Reptiles". Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Turtle, Canadian Encyclopedia
Further reading
- Bumstead, Pat; Norman H. Worsley (2003), Canadian Skin and Scales, Simply Wild Publications, ISBN 0-9689278-1-5