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The U.S. state of Alabama is home to 93 indigenous reptile species, not including subspecies. Indigenous species include one species of crocodilian, 12 lizard species, 49 snake species, and 31 turtle species. Three native species have possibly been extirpated from the state. These include the eastern indigo snake, southern hognose snake and the mimic glass lizard.^[1]^[2]

There are four known introduced reptile species, all lizards.^[3] They include the Indo-Pacific gecko, brown anole, Texas horned lizard, and Mediterranean house gecko.^[4]

Human predation and habitat destruction has placed several reptile species and subspecies at risk of extirpation or extinction. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lists the conservation status of each species within the state with a rank of lowest, low, moderate, high, and highest concern.^[3]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Alligator

Image	Scientific name	Common name	Family	Conservation concern
	Alligator mississippiensis	American alligator	Alligatoridae	No longer listed as endangered, U.S. Fish and Wildlife now lists as threatened

Lizards

Scientific name	Common name	Family	Conservation concern
Ophisaurus attenuatus longicaudus	eastern slender glass lizard	Anguidae	Moderate
Ophisaurus mimicus	mimic glass lizard	Anguidae	Possibly extirpated
Ophisaurus ventralis	eastern glass lizard	Anguidae	Moderate
Hemidactylus garnotii	Indo-Pacific gecko	Gekkonidae	Exotic
Hemidactylus turcicus	Mediterranean house gecko	Gekkonidae	Exotic
Anolis carolinensis carolinensis	green anole	Dactyloidae	Lowest
Anolis sagrei carolinensis	brown anole	Dactyloidae	Exotic
Phrynosoma cornutum	Texas horned lizard	Phrynosomatidae	Exotic
Sceloporus undulatus	eastern fence lizard	Phrynosomatidae	Low
Plestiodon anthracinus	coal skink	Scincidae	High
Plestiodon egregius	mole skink	Scincidae	Low/ Possibly declining
Plestiodon fasciatus	five-lined skink	Scincidae	Lowest
Plestiodon inexpectatus	southeastern five-lined skink	Scincidae	High
Plestiodon laticeps	broad-headed skink	Scincidae	Low
Scincella lateralis	ground skink little brown skink	Scincidae	Low
Cnemidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus	eastern six-lined racerunner	Teiidae	Moderate

Snakes

Alabama is home to sixty-six known snake species and subspecies. There are nine snake species and subspecies that are venomous to humans in the state. The remaining fifty-five species and subspecies pose no threat to humans.^[5]^[8]^[9]

Scientific name	Common name	Family	Venomous to humans	Conservation concern
Agkistrodon contortrix	eastern copperhead	Viperidae	Yes	Lowest
Agkistrodon conanti	Florida cottonmouth green-tailed moccasin	Viperidae	Yes	Lowest
Agkistrodon piscivorus	northern cottonmouth water moccasin	Viperidae	Yes	Lowest
Carphophis amoenus amoenus	eastern worm snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Carphophis amoenus helenae	midwestern worm snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Cemophora coccinea copei	northern scarlet snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Coluber constrictor constrictor	northern black racer	Colubridae	No	Low
Coluber constrictor priapus	southern black racer	Colubridae	No	Low
Crotalus adamanteus	eastern diamondback rattlesnake	Viperidae	Yes	High
Crotalus horridus	timber rattlesnake canebrake rattlesnake	Viperidae	Yes	Low
Diadophis punctatus edwardsii	northern ringneck snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Diadophis punctatus punctatus	southern ringneck snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Diadophis punctatus stictogenys	Mississippi ringneck snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Drymarchon couperi	eastern indigo snake	Colubridae	No	Highest, Possibly extirpated
Elaphe obsoleta spiloides	gray rat snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Farancia abacura abacura	eastern mud snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Farancia abacura reinwardtii	western mud snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma	rainbow snake	Colubridae	No	Highest
Heterodon platirhinos	eastern hognose snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Heterodon simus	southern hognose snake	Colubridae	No	Highest, Possibly extirpated
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster	prairie kingsnake	Colubridae	No	High
Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata	mole kingsnake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Lampropeltis elapsoides	scarlet kingsnake	Colubridae	No	Low
Lampropeltis getula getula	eastern kingsnake	Colubridae	No	High
Lampropeltis getula holbrooki	speckled kingsnake	Colubridae	No	High
Lampropeltis nigra	black kingsnake	Colubridae	No	Low
Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum	eastern milk snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Lampropeltis triangulum syspila	red milk snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Masticophis flagellum flagellum	eastern coachwhip	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Micrurus fulvius	eastern coral snake	Elapidae	Yes	High
Nerodia clarkii clarkii	Gulf salt marsh snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Nerodia cyclopion	Mississippi green water snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster	redbelly water snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster	yellowbelly water snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Nerodia fasciata confluens	broad-banded water snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Nerodia fasciata fasciata	southern banded water snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Nerodia fasciata pictiventris	Florida banded water snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Nerodia floridana	Florida green water snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Nerodia rhombifer	diamondback water snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis	midland water snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Nerodia taxispilota	brown water snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Opheodrys aestivus	rough green snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Pantherophis guttatus guttatus	corn snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Pantherophis obsoletus	black rat snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi	black pine snake	Colubridae	No	Highest
Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus	northern pine snake	Colubridae	No	High
Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus	Florida pine snake	Colubridae	No	High
Regina rigida sinicola	Gulf crayfish snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Regina septemvittata	queen snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Rhadinaea flavilata	pine woods snake	Colubridae	No	Moderate
Seminatrix pygaea pygaea	North Florida swamp snake	Colubridae	No	High
Sistrurus miliarius barbouri	dusky pigmy rattlesnake Florida ground rattlesnake	Viperidae	Yes	Moderate
Sistrurus miliarius miliarius	Carolina pigmy rattlesnake ground rattlesnake	Viperidae	Yes	Moderate
Sistrurus miliarius streckeri	western pigmy rattlesnake ground rattlesnake	Viperidae	Yes	Moderate
Storeria dekayi dekayi	northern brown snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Storeria dekayi limnetes	marsh brown snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Storeria dekayi wrightorum	midland brown snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata	northern redbelly snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Tantilla coronata	southeastern crown snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Thamnophis saurita saurita	eastern ribbon snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis	common garter snake	Colubridae	No	Low
Virginia striatula	smooth earth snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Virginia valeriae elegans	western earth snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest
Virginia valeriae valeriae	eastern earth snake	Colubridae	No	Lowest

Turtles

Alabama law makes it illegal to take, sell or possess turtles, turtle parts, or turtle eggs from the wild for commercial purposes.^[6]

Scientific name	Common name	Family	Conservation concern
Caretta caretta	loggerhead sea turtle	Cheloniidae	Highest
Chelonia mydas	green sea turtle	Cheloniidae	Highest
Lepidochelys kempii	Atlantic ridley sea turtle	Cheloniidae	Highest/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered
Chelydra serpentina	common snapping turtle	Chelydridae	Lowest
Macrochelys temminckii	alligator snapping turtle	Chelydridae	Wheeler Wildlife Refuge lists as endangered
Dermochelys coriacea	leatherback sea turtle	Dermochelyidae	Highest/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered
Chrysemys picta picta	eastern painted turtle	Emydidae	Lowest
Chrysemys picta dorsalis	southern painted turtle	Emydidae	Lowest
Chrysemys picta marginata	midland painted turtle	Emydidae	Lowest
Deirochelys reticularia reticularia	eastern chicken turtle	Emydidae	Low
Graptemys barbouri	Barbour's map turtle	Emydidae	High
Graptemys ernsti	Escambia map turtle	Emydidae	Moderate
Graptemys geographica	northern map turtle	Emydidae	Low
Graptemys nigrinoda delticola	delta map turtle southern black-knobbed sawback	Emydidae	Moderate
Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda	black-knobbed map turtle northern black-knobbed sawback	Emydidae	Moderate
Graptemys ouachitensis	Ouachita map turtle	Emydidae	Lowest
Graptemys pulchra	Alabama map turtle	Emydidae	Moderate
Malaclemys terrapin pileata	Mississippi diamondback terrapin	Emydidae	Highest
Pseudemys alabamensis	Alabama red-bellied cooter (Designated as official state reptile)	Emydidae	Highest/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered
Pseudemys concinna concinna	eastern river cooter	Emydidae	Lowest
Pseudemys concinna floridana	coastal plain cooter	Emydidae	Lowest
Trachemys scripta elegans	red-eared slider	Emydidae	Lowest
Trachemys scripta scripta	yellow-bellied slider	Emydidae	Lowest
Terrapene carolina carolina	eastern box turtle	Emydidae	Low
Terrapene carolina major	Gulf Coast box turtle	Emydidae	Low
Terrapene carolina triunguis	three-toed box turtle	Emydidae	Low
Kinosternon subrubrum	eastern mud turtle	Kinosternidae	Lowest
Sternotherus minor minor	loggerhead musk turtle	Kinosternidae	Low
Sternotherus minor peltifer	stripe-necked musk turtle	Kinosternidae	Low
Sternotherus depressus	flattened musk turtle	Kinosternidae	High
Sternotherus odoratus	common musk turtle stinkpot turtle	Kinosternidae	Lowest
Gopherus polyphemus	gopher tortoise	Testudinidae	High
Apalone ferox	Florida softshell turtle	Trionychidae	Moderate
Apalone mutica	smooth softshell turtle	Trionychidae	Low
Apalone spinifera	spiny softshell turtle	Trionychidae	Low
Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata^[10]	Atlantic hawksbill	Cheloniidae	Highest/U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered^[11]

References

^ Mount, Robert H. (1975). The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn Printing Company. pp. 150–315. OCLC 1958638.
^ "Reptiles in Alabama". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Lizards". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^ "Exotic Animals Established in Alabama". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Snakes". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Turtles". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^ "Alligators". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^ Mount, Robert H. (1975). The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn Printing Company. pp. 172–259. OCLC 1958638.
^ "Identification and Control of Snakes in Alabama" (PDF). Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Alabama A&M University and Auburn University. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
^ Guyer, Craig (2015). Turtles of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-8173-5806-8.
^ "Carey (Eretmochelys imbricata)". FWS Focus. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 9 April 2024.