List of reptiles of Canada
This is a list of the reptiles species recorded in Canada. There are relatively few reptiles in Canada, as only a limited number of species have been able to adapt to the diverse, generally colder Canadian climate. Most species are confined to the southernmost parts of the country. At higher latitudes, the harsh conditions, especially in winter, make it impossible for these cold-blooded animals to survive. Canadian reptiles are represented by the orders Squamata and Testudines; there are no crocodilians or sphenodonts native to Canada.
Order Squamata
Of the order Squamata, lizards and snakes are represented. There are no known amphisbaenids native to Canada.
Snakes are the best-represented group of reptiles in Canada, with 35 varieties in three families. They can be found in all provinces except Yukon, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Charina bottae (Rubber Boa) – southern British Columbia,[1] but not Vancouver Island
- Coluber constrictor foxii (Blue Racer) – Pelee Island in Ontario[2]
- Coluber constrictor flaviventris (Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer) – southern Saskatchewan[3]
- Coluber constrictor mormon (Western Yellow-bellied Racer) – south-central British Columbia[1]
- Contia tenuis (Common Sharp-tailed Snake) – southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia[1]
- Crotalus horridus (Timber Rattlesnake) – southern Ontario, possibly extirpated[2]
- Crotalus oreganus oreganus (Northern Pacific Rattlesnake) – south-central British Columbia[1]
- Crotalus viridis viridis (Prairie Rattlesnake) – southern Alberta,[4] southwestern Saskatchewan[3]
- Diadophis punctatus edwardsii (Northern Ring-necked Snake) – southeastern Ontario,[2] southern Quebec, most of New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia[5]
- Hypsiglena torquata deserticola (Desert Nightsnake) – extreme south-central British Columbia
- Heterodon nasicus nasicus (Western Hog-nosed Snake) – southeastern Alberta.[4] southern Saskatchewan[3] and southwestern Manitoba[6]
- Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hog-nosed Snake) – southwestern Ontario[2]
- Lampropeltis triangulum temporalis (Eastern Milksnake) – southern Ontario[2] southern Quebec[7]
- Nerodia sipedon insularum (Lake Erie Watersnake) – islands in western Lake Erie[2]
- Nerodia sipedon sipedon (Northern Watersnake) – southern and central Ontario,[2] southern Quebec[7]
- Opheodrys vernalis vernalis (Eastern Smooth Greensnake) – southeast Saskatchewan,[3] southern Manitoba,[6] central and southern Ontario,[2] southern Quebec,[7] most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island[5]
- Pantherophis gloydi (Eastern Foxsnake) – southwestern Ontario[2]
- Pantherophis obsoleta obsoleta (Black Ratsnake) – southern Ontario[2]
- Pantherophis spiloides (Gray Ratsnake) – southeastern Ontario[5]
- Pituophis catenifer deserticola (Great Basin Gophersnake) – south-central British Columbia[1]
- Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) – southern Alberta[4] and southern Saskatchewan[3]
- Regina septemvittata (Queen Snake) – southwestern Ontario[2]
- Sistrurus catenatus (Eastern Massasauga) – Bruce Peninsula and some parts of southwestern Ontario[2]
- Storeria dekayi (Dekay's Brownsnake) – southern Ontario,[2] southern Quebec[7]
- Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata (Northern Red-bellied Snake) - southeastern Saskatchewan,[3] southern Manitoba,[6] southwestern and southeastern Ontario,[2] southern Quebec,[7] most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island[5]
- Thamnophis butleri (Butler's Gartersnake) – southwestern Ontario[2]
- Thamnophis elegans vagrans (Wandering Gartersnake) – most of British Columbia,[1] most of Alberta,[4] southwestern Saskatchewan,[3] and possibly the Liard River Valley in southwestern Northwest Territories[8]
- Thamnophis ordinoides (Northwestern Gartersnake) – southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island[1]
- Thamnophis radix haydeni (Plains Gartersnake) – eastern Alberta,[4] southern Saskatchewan[3] and southwestern Manitoba[6]
- Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis (Northern Ribbonsnake) – southern Ontario[2] and southwestern Nova Scotia[9]
- Thamnophis sirtalis fitchii (Valley Gartersnake) – central mainland British Columbia almost up to the Yukon border, and northern Vancouver Island[1]
- Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus (Maritime Gartersnake) – southern half of Quebec, most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island[5]
- Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Red-sided Gartersnake) – eastern plains of British Columbia,[1] most of Alberta,[4] extreme southern Northwest Territories around the Fort Smith region,[8] most of Saskatchewan,[3] southern half of Manitoba,[6] and northwestern Ontario[2]
- Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringi (Puget Sound Gartersnake) – southwest corner of British Columbia, including southern Vancouver Island[1]
- Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (Eastern Gartersnake) – most of Ontario[2] and Quebec,[7] and the southeast corner of Manitoba[6]
Lizards are far fewer in number, with six native and seven total species found in Canada:
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
Sea turtles
See also
References
Further reading
- Bumstead, Pat; Norman H. Worsley (2003), Canadian skin and scales, Simply Wild Publications, ISBN 0968927815, http://books.google.ca/books?id=RjeL9ymSfx4C&lpg=PP5&dq=reptiles%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true
- eBook, Encyclopedia (2010), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of North American Reptiles and Amphibians, MobileReference, ISBN 1605014591, http://books.google.ca/books?id=ue-TN0bHKw0C&lpg=PT103&dq=reptiles%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true
External links
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Lists of reptiles of North America
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