The King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is a highly venomous snake endemic to jungles in Southern and Southeast Asia. The sole member of the genus Ophiophagus, it is distinguishable from other cobras, most noticeably by its size and neck patterns. The...
The Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest living reptile and crocodilian known. It was hunted for its skin throughout its range up to the 1970s and is threatened by illegal killing and habitat loss. It is regarded as dangerous to...
The mugger (Crocodylus palustris ) is a crocodile of medium to large size with the broadest snout of all the living members of the genus Crocodylus. It lives in the Indian subcontinent as well as other countries in southern Asia. Like most...
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea ), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to 1.8 metres and...
Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus ) are one of the biggest crocodilians (a group that includes alligators, crocodiles, and caimans) and have the narrowest snout of these different species. Their common name is due to the bulbous nasal snout of adult...
The Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) is a non-venomous snake native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake and is among the three heaviest snakes. In several countries in its range, it is hunted for its skin, for...
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is one of the largest species of snakes. This non-venomous snake is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of...
The Common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is a small lizard native to Southeast Asia. They are named so because they are often seen climbing walls of houses and other buildings in search of insects attracted to porch lights and are immediately...
The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. The common name of this species refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black....
Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) is a venomous snake found in Asia. The species is named for Patrick Russell, a Scottish herpetologist who first described many of India's snakes. In Bengali, this snake is called Chandroborha since it carries...
The Indian cobra (Naja naja) is a large highly venomous snake and is a member of the "big four" species that inflict the most snakebites on humans in India. The Indian cobra is revered in Indian mythology and culture and is often seen with snake...
The Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) is a large varanid lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the most common monitor lizards in Asia and is among the largest squamates in the world.
The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko in the genus Gekko, the true geckos. It is one of the largest gecko species.
The Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The Hawksbill sea turtle has a global distribution; it lives part...
The Brahminy blind snake (Indotyphlops braminus) is a nonvenomous blind snake species found mostly in Africa and Asia. It has also been introduced in many other parts of the world. They are completely fossorial (i.e., burrowing) animals, with habits...
The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea ), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world....
The Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis) is a large terrestrial monitor lizard. Young monitors, however, may be more arboreal, but adults mainly hunt on the ground. Although large Bengal monitors have few predators apart from humans who hunt them...
The Common leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is a ground-dwelling lizard. The leopard gecko has become a popular pet, and due to extensive captive breeding it is sometimes referred to as the first domesticated species of lizard.
The Banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) is the largest species of kraits, with a maximum length up to 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in).Although the banded krait is venomous and its bite may be deadly to humans, it is shy, primarily nocturnal, and not particularly...
The Oriental ratsnake (Ptyas mucosa) is a common non-venomous species of colubrid snake found in South and Southeast Asia. It is the second largest snake in Sri Lanka, after the Indian rock python. Rat snakes are diurnal, semi-arboreal and...
The Long-nosed whip snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) is a mildly venomous, slender green tree snake native to Sri Lanka. It is a diurnal predator that uses its binocular vision to hunt prey.
The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a threatened tortoise species. Its name comes from the star-like patterns that feature on its high-domed shell. Because of these very distinctive patterns and its highly rounded shell, the Indian star...
The Indian saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) is a venomous viper species native to Asia. It is the smallest member of the big four snakes that are responsible for causing the most snakebite cases and deaths.
The Indian python (Python molurus) is a large, nonvenomous python species. It is known by the common names Black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian rock python.
The Yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) is a venomous species of snake found in tropical oceanic waters around the world except for the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most widely distributed snakes in the world. Yellow-bellied sea snakes...
The Yellow-lipped sea krait (Laticauda colubrina) venomous sea snake found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceanic waters. This snake spends much of its time under water to hunt, but returns to land to digest, rest, and reproduce. Because of its affinity...
The Monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) is a venomous cobra species widespread across South and Southeast Asia. Some populations of the Monocled cobra have the ability to spit venom, earning them the name "Indian spitting cobra".
The Oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor) is an agamid lizard found in indo-Malaya. It has also been introduced in many other parts of the world. The Oriental garden lizard is an insectivore and the male gets a bright red throat in the...
The Indian sand boa (Eryx johnii) is a nonvenomous snake native to Western and South Asia. This species is also known as John's sand boa, erutaley nagam, mannoli pambu, Red sand boa, and Brown sand boa.
The Stejneger's pit viper (Trimeresursus stejnegeri) is a venomous snake found only in Asia. The scientific name, stejnegeri, is in honor of Leonhard Stejneger, the Norwegian-born, American herpetologist who worked at the Smithsonian Institution for...
The Caspian cobra (Naja oxiana ), also called the Central Asian cobra, ladle snake, Oxus cobra, or Russian cobra is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia. Described by Karl Eichwald in 1831, it...
The checkered keelback (Fowlea piscator ), also known commonly as the Asiatic water snake, is a common species in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Asia. It is non-venomous.
The Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata ) is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia. The "flap-shelled" name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron. These flaps of skin cover the limbs when they retract...
Lycodon capucinus, also known as the Oriental wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is commonly found in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Named after their enlarged front teeth, which gives them a muzzled appearance similar to canines,...
Macrovipera lebetinus is a venomous viper species found in North Africa, much of the Middle East, and as far east as Kashmir. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate race described here.
Chrysopelea ornata (Thai: งูเขียวพระอินทร์) is a colubrid snake found in both South and Southeast Asia. It is, along with the other species in its genus Chrysopelea, very unusual in that it is capable of a type of gliding flight. It is also...
Lepidodactylus lugubris, known as the mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard, a gecko of the family Gekkonidae.
Psammodynastes pulverulentus, the common mock viper, is a species of snake native to Asia.Mock viper is a small snake (total length up to 65 cm (26 in), less in males), but it will form defensive coils and strike in viper-like fashion when...
The northern river terrapin (Batagur baska ) is a species of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It is classified Critically Endangered by the IUCN and considered extinct in much of its former range.
Lycodon aulicus, commonly known as the Indian wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Early naturalists have suggested its resemblance to the venomous common krait as an instance of Batesian mimicry.
Xenopeltis unicolor is a non-venomous sunbeam snake species found in Southeast Asia and some regions of Indonesia. This is a primitive snake known for both its highly iridescent scales and its ability to reproduce quickly, as it is oviparous and as...
Craspedocephalus gramineus, known as the bamboo pit viper, Indian green pit viper, or common green pit viper, is a venomous pit viper species found in the southern and north eastern parts of India.
