North Carolina Reptiles By Name

Click below to discover the many fascinating reptiles that slither, swim, skitter, and float around North Carolina.

Northern Water Snake
Northern Water Snake Nerodia sipedon. Reptile. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
Eastern Kingsnake
Eastern Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula getula. Reptile. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
Eastern Fence Lizard
Eastern Fence Lizard Sceloporus undulatus. Reptile. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
Copperhead
Copperhead Snake Agkistrodon contortrix. Reptile. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
Snapping Turtle
Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina. Reptile. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
American Alligator
Pond where American Alligators Alligator mississippiensis live. Reptiles. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.

Overview of the Reptile Orders

Alligators: Order Crocodylia

Families include:

  • Alligatoridae – Alligators

North Carolina Species Include:

General Characteristics of Alligators

  • Strong, muscular tails that are flattened from side to side.
  • Front feet are un-webbed and have five toes.
  • Hind feet are webbed and have four toes.
  • Bodies are covered in tough, hard, bony scales.
  • Special membranes cover and protect the eyes when the animals are underwater.
  • Eyes are protected when underwater by special membranes

Lizards: Order Squamata, Suborder Lacertilia

Families include:

  • Amphisbaenidae: Amphisbaenid Lizards*
  • Anguidae: Anguid Lizards
  • Anniellidae: California Legless Lizards*
  • Gekkonidae: Gecko Lizards*
  • Helodermatidae: Gila Monster Lizards*
  • Iguanidae: Iguanid Lizards
  • Lacertidae: Typical Old World Lizards*
  • Scincidae: Skink Lizards
  • Teiidae: Whiptail and Racerunner Lizards
  • Xantusidae: Night Lizards*

*No species classified within this family is found in North Carolina

North Carolina Species Include:

General Characteristics of Lizards

  • Wide range of sizes, colors, and shapes
  • Typical lizards have:
    • Four legs with clawed feet
    • Long tails
    • Dry, scaly skin
    • External ear openings
  • Typical lizards resemble salamanders.
    • Differentiated from salamanders by their dry, scaly skin, clawed feet, and external ear openings (Behler and King 2020).
  • Some lizard species are legless and resemble snakes.
    • Differentiated from snakes by the presence of eyelids (Behler and King 2020); unlike snakes, lizards can blink.
  • Most species are found in warm to hot, dry areas, like deserts.
  • Diurnal and often seen basking in the sun to warm their bodies.

Snakes: Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes

Families Include:

  • Boidae: Boa and Python Snakes*
  • Colubridae: Colubrid Snakes
  • Elapidae: Coral Snakes
  • Leptotyphlopidae: Slender Blind Snakes*
  • Viperidae: Pit Viper Snakes

*No species classified within this family is found in North Carolina

North Carolina Snake Species Include:

General Characteristics of Snakes

  • Wide range of sizes, colors, and shapes
  • All snakes have:
    • Long, sinuous, legless bodies
    • Dry, scaly skin
    • No external ear openings
    • No moveable eyelids
  • Snakes resemble some species of legless lizards.
    • Differentiated from legless lizards by the absence of eyelids; unlike lizards, snakes can’t blink.
  • Some North Carolina snake species are venomous and can be extremely dangerous.

Turtles: Order Testudines

Families Include:

  • Chelydra: Snapping Turtles
  • Kinosternidae: Musk and Mud Turtles
  • Emydidae: Pond, Marsh, and Box Turtles
  • Testudinidae: Tortoises*
  • Chelonidae: Sea Turtles
  • Dermochelyidae: Leatherback Turtles
  • Trionychidae: Softshell Turtles

*No species classified within this family is found in North Carolina

North Carolina Turtle Species Include:

General Characteristics of Turtles

  • Bony shells protect the animals’ bodies.
    • Shells are:
      • Formed from the animals’ ribs and enclose the limb girdles and internal organs.
      • Covered in horny scutes (exception: Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).
      • Usually domed.
      • Usually hard.
      • Composed of two halves: an upper “carapace” and a lower “plastron”.
  • Jaws lack teeth and are covered by horny beaks.
  • Dry, scaly skin typical of reptiles.
  • Inhabit aquatic, oceanic, and terrestrial environments throughout the tropical and temperate latitudes.
    • Four limbs end in:
      • Flippers (ocean-going sea turtles)
      • Webbed feet (freshwater turtles)
      • Elephantine feet (terrestrial turtles)
  • All turtle species lay eggs.
  • North Carolina boasts at least 24 native species, including some sea turtles.

North Carolina Reptiles By Type