Currently, there are about 6,500 recognized species of reptiles in the world, divided
into 5 living orders. Within Kansas 67 species are recorded from 16 families in 2
orders.
| Classification of living organisms has undergone a profound revolution
within the last thirty years due to the advent of DNA analysis and the new taxonomic
discipline of cladistics, which does not necessarily use the classical Linnean hierarchy
(Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species) to sort out how creatures are related to
each other. The position of turtles, for instance, is a contentious issue currently.
For more information, see the link to the Tree of Life website in the resource list. |
The species list below is based on "A Checklist of the Vertebrate
Animals of Kansas", 3rd edition, 2005, by George Potts and Joseph Collins. This
publication is available from the Kansas University Natural History Museum, 1345 Jayhawk
Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045-7163.
For a pdf version of the Kansas list, click here 
.
(On a Windows system, download the file by right clicking on the link and choose
"Save Target As" to save it to your hard drive, then open it from there.
You will need Acrobat Reader to view this file. If you don't have that software
already, you can get it for free from Adobe.)
In this list, the scientific name of each species follows the common name and is written
in italics.
Lizards
(15 Species in Kansas)
Family Crotaphytidae - Collared Lizards
Eastern Collared Lizard - Crotaphytus
collaris
Family Phrynosomatidae - Prairie, Earless
& Horned Lizards
Lesser Earless Lizard - Holbrookia
maculata
Texas Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma
cornutum
Prairie Lizard - Sceloporus consobrinus
Family Scincidae - Skinks
Coal Skink - Eumeces anthracinus
Five-lined Skink - Eumeces fasciatus
Broadhead Skink
- Eumeces laticeps
Great Plains Skink - Eumeces obsoletus
Southern Prairie Skink - Eumeces
obtusirostris
Northern Prairie Skink - Eumeces
septentrionalis
Ground Skink - Scincella lateralis
Family Lacertidae - Wall Lizards
Western Green Lacerta - Lacerta
bilineata
Italian Wall Lizard - Podarcis sicula
Family Teiidae - Whiptails
Six-lined Racerunner - Aspidoscelis
sexlineata
Family Anguidae - Glass Lizards
Western Slender Glass Lizard - Ophisaurus
attenuatus
Snakes
(38 Species in Kansas)
Family Leptotyphlopidae - Slender Blind Snakes
New Mexico Blind
Snake - Leptotyphlops dissectis
Family Colubridae - Harmless Egg-laying Snakes
Eastern Glossy
Snake - Arizona elegans
Eastern Racer - Coluber
constrictor
Prairie Kingsnake
- Lampropeltis calligaster
Common Kingsnake - Lampropeltis
getula
Milk Snake - Lampropeltis
triangulum
Coachwhip - Masticophis
flagellum
Rough Green Snake - Opheodrys
aestivus
Great Plains Rat Snake
- Pantherophis emoryi
Western Rat Snake -
Pantherophis obsoletus
Gopher Snake - Pituophis
catenifer
Longnose Snake - Rhinocheilus
lecontei
Ground Snake - Sonora
semiannulata
Flathead Snake - Tantilla
gracilis
Plains Blackhead Snake
- Tantilla nigriceps
Family Dipsadidae - Slender Rear-fanged Snakes
Western Worm Snake
- Carphophis vermis
Ringneck Snake - Diadophis
punctatus
Night Snake - Hypsiglena
torquata
Family Natricidae - Harmless Live-bearing
Snakes
Plainbelly Water Snake
- Nerodia erythrogaster
Diamondback Water Snake
- Nerodia rhombifer
Northern Water Snake
- Nerodia sipedon
Graham's Crayfish
Snake - Regina grahamii
Brown Snake - Storeria
dekayi
Redbelly Snake
- Storeria occipitomaculata
Checkered Garter
Snake - Thamnophis marcianus
Western Ribbon Snake
- Thamnophis proximus
Plains Garter Snake -
Thamnophis radix
Common Garter Snake
- Thamnophis sirtalis
Lined Snake - Tropidoclonion
lineatum
Rough Earth Snake
- Virginia striatula
Smooth Earth Snake
- Virginia valeriae
Family Xenodontidae - Robust Rear-fanged
Snakes
Western Hognose Snake
- Heterodon nasicus
Eastern Hognose
Snake - Heterodon platirhinos
Family Crotalidae - Pit Vipers
Copperhead
- Agkistrodon contortrix
Cottonmouth - Agkistrodon
piscivorus
Timber Rattlesnake
- Crotalus horridus
Prairie Rattlesnake
- Crotalus viridis
Massasauga - Sistrurus
catenatus
Turtles
(15 Species in Kansas)
Family Chelydridae - Snapping Turtles
Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra
serpentina
Alligator Snapping Turtle - Macrochelys
temminckii
Family Kinosternidae - Mud & Musk Turtles
Yellow Mud Turtle - Kinosternon
flavescens
Common Musk Turtle - Sternotherus odoratus
Family Emydidae - Box & Basking Turtles
Northern Painted Turtle - Chrysemys picta
Common Map Turtle
- Graptemys geographica
Ouachita Map Turtle - Graptemys
ouachitensis
False Map Turtle - Graptemys
pseudogeographica
River Cooter - Pseudemys concinna
Eastern Box Turtle - Terrapene carolina
Ornate Box Turtle - Terrapene
ornata
Pond Slider - Trachemys scripta
Family Trionychidae - Softshell Turtles
Smooth Softshell - Apalone mutica
Spiny Softshell - Apalone spinifera
For more information on
reptiles, see these resources:
