List of reptiles of Israel

A Negev tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) in its natural environment in the Negev Desert. Negev tortoises were once a recognized subspecies of Testudo kleinmanni, or Kleinmann's tortoise, but are now considered their own species.

Israel has about 100 species of reptiles, almost a third of which live in its northern areas.^[1] Reptiles in Israel live in environments ranging from the Negev Desert to the Red Sea, from the Jordan River to the Judaean Mountains.

Turtles and tortoises[]

Pond turtles[]

• European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis)
• Caspian turtle (Mauremys caspica)
• Balkan pond turtle (Mauremys rivulata)

Sea turtles[]

• Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
• Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
• Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Softshell turtles[]

• African softshell turtle (Trionyx triunguis)

Tortoises[]

• Spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca)
• Negev tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni)

Lizards[]

Agamid lizards[]

• Sinai agama (Pseudotrapelus sinaitus)
• Stellion (Stellagama stellio)
• Trapelus agnetae
• Desert agama (Trapelus mutabilis)
• Olivier's agama (Trapelus ruderatus)
• Savigny's agama (Trapelus savignii)
• Egyptian mastigure (Uromastyx aegyptia)
• Ornate mastigure (Uromastyx ornata)

A bright blue male Sinai agama during the breeding season.

Chameleons[]

• Common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)
  • Sinai chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon musae)
  • Mediterranean chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon recticrista)

A common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) on the island of Samos in Greece.

Geckos[]

• Blanford's rock gecko (Bunopus blanfordii)
• Rough-tailed gecko (Cyrtopodion scabrum)
• Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)
• Lebanese thin-toed gecko (Mediodactylus amictopholis)
• Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi)
• Sinai fan-fingered gecko (Ptyodactylus guttatus)
• Fan-footed gecko (Ptyodactylus hasselquistii)
• Israeli fan-fingered gecko (Ptyodactylus puiseuxi)
• Middle Eastern short-fingered gecko (Stenodactylus doriae)
• Dune gecko (Stenodactylus petrii)
• Elegant gecko (Stenodactylus sthenodactylus)
• White-spotted wall gecko (Tarentola annularis)
• Natterer's gecko (Tropiocolotes nattereri)

Glass lizards[]

• European glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus)

Lacertid lizards[]

• Be'er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard (Acanthodactylus beershebensis)
• Bosc's fringe-toed lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus)
• Schreiber's fringe-fingered lizard ((Acanthodactylus schreiberi)
• Small-spotted lizard (Mesalina guttulata)
• Snake-eyed lizard (Ophisops elegans)
• Lebanon lizard (Phoenicolacerta laevis)

Ophisops elegans

Monitor lizards[]

• Desert monitor (Varanus griseus)

Skinks[]

• Juniper skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii)
• Rüppell's snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus rueppellii)
• Günther's cylindrical skink (Chalcides guentheri)
• Ocellated skink (Chalcides ocellatus)
• Wedge-snouted skink (Chalcides sepsoides)
• Schneider's skink (Eumeces schneiderii)
• Bridled mabuya (Heremites vittatus)
• Latast's snake skink (Ophiomorus latastii)
• Sandfish (Scincus scincus)

Crocodilians[]

Crocodiles[]

• † Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)^{[note 1]}

Snakes[]

Blindsnakes[]

• Long-nosed worm snake (Leptotyphlops macrorhynchus)
• Rhinotyphlops simoni
• Eurasian blindsnake (Xerotyphlops vermicularis)

Boas[]

• Javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus)

Colubrid snakes[]

• Black whipsnake (Dolichophis jugularis)
• Crowned dwarf racer (Eirenis coronella)
• Ten-striped dwarf racer (Eirenis decemlineatus)
• Levantine dwarf racer (Eirenis levantinus)
• Eirenis lineomaculatus
• Ring-headed dwarf snake (Eirenis modestus)
• Roth's dwarf racer (Eirenis rothii)
• Blotched snake (Elaphe sauromates)
• Coin-marked snake (Hemorrhois nummifer)
• Spotted whip snake (Hemorrhois ravergieri)
• Crowned leafnose snake (Lytorhynchus diadema)
• False smooth snake (Macroprotodon cucullatus)
• Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)
• Red whip snake (Platyceps collaris)
• Elegant racer (Platyceps elegantissimus)
• Braid snake (Platyceps rhodorachis)
• (Platyceps rogersi)
• Sinai racer (Platyceps sinai)
• (Rhynchocalamus dayanae)
• Palestine kukri snake (Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus)
• Diadem snake (Spalerosophis diadema)
• Arabian cat snake (Telescopus dhara)
• Mediterranean cat snake (Telescopus fallax)
• Hoogstraal's cat snake (Telescopus hoogstraali)
• Transcaucasian ratsnake (Zamenis hohenackeri)

A black whipsnake (Dolichophis jugularis) preying on a European glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus) in the Valley of Elah.

Elapid snakes[]

• Desert black snake (Walterinnesia aegyptia)

Lamprophiid snakes[]

• Israeli mole viper (Atractaspis engaddensis)
• Eastern Montpellier Snake (Malpolon insignitus)
• Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus)
• False cobra (Malpolon moilensis)
• Müller's black-headed snake (Micrelaps muelleri)
• Tchernov's chainling (Micrelaps tchernovi)
• Schokari sand racer (Psammophis schokari)

Vipers[]

• Desert horned viper (Cerastes cerastes)
• Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii)
• Saharan sand viper (Cerastes vipera)
• Painted saw-scaled viper (Echis coloratus)
• Blunt-nosed viper (Macrovipera lebetina)
• Field's horned viper (Pseudocerastes fieldi)
• Bornmueller's viper (Montivipera bornmuelleri)
• Palestine viper (Vipera palaestinae)

See also[]

• Wildlife of Israel
• Biodiversity in Israel
• List of birds of Israel
• List of endemic flora of Israel
• List of mammals of Israel
• Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel

References[]