Photos of Reptiles and Amphibians from the Pacific Northwest






These links lead to lists of all of the species of reptiles and amphibians found in Oregon and Washington (including introduced species) with links to photo galleries of most of these species and their habitat. Two salamanders from Idaho and one introduced lizard from British Columbia have also been included, with their origin noted on the list. Some sources of information about reptiles and amphibians of the Pacific Northwest are included at the bottom.

Click on a name link to see more photos.

Scientific Name Common Name Original Description Sounds
       
Caudata Salamanders Scopoli, 1777  
       
Ambystoma Mole Salamanders Tschudi, 1838  
Ambystoma gracile Northwestern Salamander (Baird, 1859)  
Ambystoma macrodactylum Long-toed Salamander Baird, 1849  
  Ambystoma macrodactylum columbianum Central Long-toed Salamander Ferguson, 1961  
  Ambystoma macrodactylum macrodactylum Western Long-toed Salamander Baird, 1849  
  Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum Southern Long-toed Salamander Ferguson, 1961  
Ambystoma mavortium Barred Tiger Salamander Baird, 1850 “1849”  
  Ambystoma mavortium melanostictum Blotched Tiger Salamander (Baird, 1860)  
       
Aneides Climbing Salamanders Baird, 1851  
Aneides ferreus Clouded Salamander Cope, 1869  
Aneides klamathensis
(Aneides flavipunctatus)
Klamath Black Salamander
(Black Salamander)
Stebbins 1951 & Dubois and Raffaeli, 2009  
       
Batrachoseps Slender Salamanders Bonaparte, 1841  
Batrachoseps attenuatus California Slender Salamander (Eschscholtz, 1833)  
Batrachoseps wrighti Oregon Slender Salamander (Bishop, 1937)  
       
Dicamptodon Pacific Giant Salamanders Strauch, 1870  
Dicamptodon aterrimus  (Idaho) Idaho Giant Salamander (Cope, 1868)  
Dicamptodon copei Cope's Giant Salamander Nussbaum, 1970  
Dicamptodon tenebrosus Coastal Giant Salamander (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
       
Ensatina Ensatinas Gray, 1850  
Ensatina eschscholtzii Ensatina Gray, 1850  
  Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis Oregon Ensatina (Girard, 1856)  
  Ensatina eschscholtzii picta Painted Ensatina Wood, 1940  
       
Plethodon Woodland Salamanders Tschudi, 1838  
Plethodon dunni Dunn's Salamander Bishop, 1934  
Plethodon elongatus Del Norte Salamander Van Denburgh, 1916  
Plethodon idahoensis  (Idaho) Coeur d'Alene Salamander Slater and Slipp, 1940  
Plethodon larselli Larch Mountain Salamander Burns, 1954  
Plethodon stormi Siskiyou Mountains Salamander Highton and Brame, 1965  
Plethodon vandykei Van Dyke's Salamander Van Denburgh, 1906  
Plethodon vehiculum Western Red-backed Salamander (Cooper, 1860)  
       
Rhyacotriton Torrent Salamanders Dunn, 1920  
Rhyacotriton cascadae Cascade Torrent Salamander Good and Wake, 1992  
Rhyacotriton kezeri Columbia Torrent Salamander Good and Wake, 1992  
Rhyacotriton olympicus Olympic Torrent Salamander (Gaige, 1917)  
Rhyacotriton variegatus Southern Torrent Salamander Stebbins and Lowe, 1951  
       
Taricha Pacific Newts Gray, 1850  
Taricha granulosa Rough-skinned Newt (Skilton, 1849)  
Taricha granulosa mazamae

(This subspecies is no longer recognized by most herpetologists)

Crater Lake Rough-skinned Newt

(No photos available.
Please send me one if you have one!)
   
       
Anura Frogs Duméril, 1806 (as Anoures)  
       
Anaxyrus North American Toads Tschudi, 1845  
Anaxyrus boreas Western Toad (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
  Anaxyrus boreas boreas
  (=Bufo boreas boreas)
Boreal Toad (Baird and Girard, 1852) Sounds
Anaxyrus woodhousii Woodhouse's Toad (Girard, 1854)  
  Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii
  (=Bufo woodhousii woodhousii)
Rocky Mountain Toad (Girard, 1854) Sounds
       
Ascaphus Tailed Frogs Stejneger, 1899  
Ascaphus montanus Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog Mittleman and Myers, 1949  
Ascaphus truei Coastal Tailed Frog Stejneger, 1899  
       
Lithobates American Water Frogs Fitzinger, 1843  
Lithobates catesbeianus
 (=Rana catesbeiana)  (Introduced)
American Bullfrog (Shaw, 1802) Sounds
Lithobates clamitans
(=Rana clamitansi   (Introduced)
Green Frog (Rafinesque, 1820) Sounds
Lithobates pipiens
(=Rana pipiens)
Northern Leopard Frog (Schreber, 1782) Sounds
       
Pseudacris Chorus Frogs Fitzinger, 1843  
Pseudacris regilla
(=Hyla regilla)
Pacific Treefrog
= Pacific Chorus Frog
= Northern Pacific Treefrog
(Baird and Girard, 1852) Sounds
       
Rana Brown Frogs Linnaeus, 1758  
Rana aurora Northern Red-legged Frog Baird and Girard, 1852 Sounds
Rana boylii Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Baird, 1854 Sounds
Rana cascadae Cascades Frog Slater, 1939 Sounds
Rana luteiventris Columbia Spotted Frog Thompson, 1913  
Rana pretiosa Oregon Spotted Frog Baird and Girard, 1853 Sounds
       
Spea Western Spadefoots Cope, 1866  
Spea intermontana Great Basin Spadefoot (Cope, 1883) Sounds
       
Squamata Snakes Oppel, 1811  
     
Charina Rubber Boas (Gray 1849)  
Charina bottae Northern Rubber Boa (Blainville, 1835)  
     
Coluber North American Racers,
Coachwhips and Whipsnakes
Linnaeus, 1758  
Coluber constrictor North American Racer Linnaeus, 1758  
  Coluber constrictor mormon
   (=Coluber mormon)
Western Yellow-bellied Racer Baird and Girard, 1852  
Coluber taeniatus Striped Whipsnake (Hallowell, 1852)  
  Coluber taeniatus taeniatus
  (= Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus)
Desert Striped Whipsnake (Hallowell, 1852)  
       
Contia Sharp-tailed Snakes Baird and Girard, 1853  
Contia longicaudae Forest Sharp-tailed Snake Feldman and Hoyer, 2010  
Contia tenuis Common Sharp-tailed Snake (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
       
Crotalus Rattlesnakes Linnaeus, 1758  
Crotalus oreganus Western Rattlesnake Holbrook, 1840  
  Crotalus oreganus lutosus Great Basin Rattlesnake Klauber, 1930  
  Crotalus oreganus oreganus
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake Holbrook, 1840 Sounds
       
Diadophis Ring-necked Snakes Baird and Girard, 1853  
Diadophis punctatus Ring-necked Snake (Linnaeus, 1766)  
  Diadophis punctatus occidentalis Northwestern Ring-necked Snake Blanchard, 1923  
       
Hypsiglena North American Nightsnakes Cope, 1860  
Hypsiglena chlorophaea Desert Nightsnake Cope, 1860  
   Hypsiglena chlorophaea deserticola
    (=Hypsiglena torquata deserticola)
Northern Desert Nightsnake (Tanner, 1944)  
       
Lampropeltis Kingsnakes Fitzinger, 1843  
Lampropeltis californiae California Kingsnake (Blainville, 1835)  
Lampropeltis zonata Caifornia Mountain Kingsnake (Lockington ex Blainville, 1876)  
       
Pituophis Bullsnakes, Pinesnakes,
and Gophersnakes
Holbrook, 1842  
Pituophis catenifer Gophersnake (Blainville, 1835)  
   Pituophis catenifer catenifer Pacific Gophersnake (Blainville, 1835) Sounds
   Pituophis catenifer deserticola Great Basin Gophersnake Stejneger, 1893  
       
Sonora North American Groundsnakes Baird and Girard, 1853  
Sonora semiannulata Western Groundsnake Baird and Girard, 1853  
   Sonora semiannulata semiannulata Variable Groundsnake Baird and Girard, 1853  
       
Thamnophis North American Gartersnakes Fitzinger, 1843  
Thamnophis atratus Aquatic Gartersnake (Kennicott, 1860)  
   Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus Oregon Gartersnake Fitch, 1936  
Thamnophis elegans Western Terrestrial Gartersnake (Baird and Girard, 1853)  
   Thamnophis elegans terrestris Coast Gartersnake Fox, 1951  
   Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Gartersnake (Baird and Girard, 1853)  
Thamnophis ordinoides Northwestern Gartersnake (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
Thamnophis sirtalis Common Gartersnake (Linnaeus, 1758)  
   Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus Red-spotted Gartersnake (Hallowell, 1852)  
   Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi Valley Gartersnake Fox, 1951  
   Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii Puget Sound Gartersnake (Baird and Girard, 1853)  
       
Squamata Lizards Oppel, 1811  
       
Aspidoscelis Whiptails Fitzinger, 1843  
Aspidoscelis tigris Tiger Whiptail (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
   Aspidoscelis tigris tigris Great Basin Whiptail (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
Aspidoscelis velox
(=Cnemidophorus velox)
(Introduced in Oregon)
Plateau Striped Whiptail (Springer, 1928)  
       
Crotaphytus Collared Lizards Holbrook, 1842  
Crotaphytus bicinctores Great Basin Collared Lizard Smith and Tanner, 1972  
       
Elgaria Western Alligator Lizards Gray, 1838  
Elgaria coerulea Northern Alligator Lizard (Wiegmann, 1828)
 
   Elgaria coerulea principis Northwestern Alligator Lizard (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
   Elgaria coerulea shastensis Shasta Alligator Lizard (Fitch, 1934)  
Elgaria multicarinata Southern Alligator Lizard (Blainville, 1835)
 
   Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata Forest Alligator Lizard (Skilton, 1849)  
       
Gambelia Leopard Lizards Baird 1859 “1858”  
Gambelia wislizenii Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
       
Phrynosoma Horned Lizards Wiegmann, 1828  
Phrynosoma douglasii Pygmy Short-horned Lizard (Bell, 1829)  
Phrynosoma hernandesi Greater Short-horned Lizard Girard, 1858
 
  Phrynosoma hernandesi ornatum Salt Lake Valley Short-horned Lizard Girard 1858b, comb. nov.  
Phrynosoma platyrhinos Desert Horned Lizard Girard, 1852  
   Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos Northern Desert Horned Lizard Girard, 1852  
       
Plestiodon Toothy Skinks Duméril and Bibron, 1839  
Plestiodon skiltonianus Western Skink Baird and Girard, 1852
 
Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus Skilton's Skink Baird and Girard, 1852  
       
Podarcis Wall Lizards Wagler, 1830  
Podarcis muralis  
(Introduced on Vancouver Island, Canada)
Common Wall Lizard (Laurenti, 1768)  
Podarcis siculus
(Introduced on Orcas Island, WA)
Italian Wall Lizard (Rafinesque, 1810)  
       
       
Sceloporus Spiny Lizards Wiegmann, 1828  
Sceloporus graciosus Common Sagebrush Lizard Baird and Girard, 1852
 
   Sceloporus graciosus gracilis Western Sagebrush Lizard Baird and Girard, 1852  
   Sceloporus graciosus graciosus Northern Sagebrush Lizard Baird and Girard, 1852  
Sceloporus occidentalis Western Fence Lizard Baird and Girard, 1852
 
  Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis Northwestern Fence Lizard Baird and Girard, 1852  
       
Uta Side-blotched Lizards Baird and Girard in Stansbury 1852  
Uta stansburiana Side-blotched Lizards Baird and Girard, 1852  
   Uta stansburiana nevadensis Nevada Side-blotched Lizard Ruthven, 1913  
       
Testudines Turtles Linnaeus, 1758  
       
Actinemys Western Pond Turtle Agassiz, 1857  
Actinemys marmorata Northwestern Pond Turtle (Baird and Girard, 1852)  
       
Caretta Loggerhead Sea Turtles Rafinesque, 1814  
Caretta caretta Loggerhead Seaturtle (Linnaeus, 1758)  
       
Chelonia Green Sea Turtles Brongniart, 1800  
Chelonia mydas Green Seaturtle  (Linnaeus, 1758)  
       
Chelydra Snapping Turtles Schweigger, 1812  
Chelydra serpentina Snapping Turtle Schweigger, 1812  
   Chelydra serpentina serpentina  
    (Introduced)
Eastern Snapping Turtle (Linnaeus, 1758)  
       
Chrysemys Painted Turtles Gray, 1844  
Chrysemys picta Painted Turtle (Schneider, 1783)  
   Chrysemys picta bellii Western Painted Turtle (Gray, 1831)  
       
Dermochelys Leatherback Sea Turtles Blainville, 1816  
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherback Seaturtle (Vandelli, 1761)  
       
Lepidochelys Ridley Sea Turtles Fitzinger, 1843  
Lepidochelys olivacea Olive Ridley Seaturtle (Eschscholtz, 1829)  
       
Trachemys Sliders Agassiz, 1857  
Trachemys scripta Pond Slider (Schoepff, 1792)  
   Trachemys scripta elegans 
    (Introduced)
Red-eared Slider
(Wied-Neuwied, 1838)  
       
Books With Information About Northwest Reptiles and Amphibians

Northwest Amphibians

Corkran, Charlotte & Chris Thoms. Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, 1996.

Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005.

Leonard et. al. Amphibians of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, 1993.

Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.



Northwest Reptiles

Brown et. al. Reptiles of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society,1995.

Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.

St. John, Alan D. Reptiles of the Northwest: Alaska to California; Rockies to the Coast. 2nd Edition - Revised & Updated. Lone Pine Publishing, 2021.





Western Herps

Samuel M. McGinnis and Robert C. Stebbins. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians. 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018.

Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.

Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.

Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998.



North American Frogs

Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.

Elliott, Lang, Carl Gerhardt, and Carlos Davidson. Frogs and Toads of North America, a Comprehensive Guide to their Identification, Behavior, and Calls. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005.

Storer, Tracy I. A Synopsis of the Amphibia of California. University of California Press Berkeley, California 1925.

Wright, Albert Hazen and Anna Wright. Handbook of Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, 1949.
North American Lizards

Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.

Jones, Lawrence, Rob Lovich, editors. Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009.

Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.



North American Salamanders

Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.

Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943.

Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005.

Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.




North American Snakes

Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Snakes of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.

Bartlett, R. D. & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000.

Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997.

Ernst, Carl H., Evelyn M. Ernst, & Robert M. Corker. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003.

Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, 1957.



North American Turtles

Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.

Carr, Archie. Handbook of Turtles: The Turtles of the United States, Canada, and Baja California. Cornell University Press, 1969.

Ernst, Carl H., Roger W. Barbour, & Jeffrey E. Lovich. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution 1994. (2nd Edition published 2009)



North American Rattlesnakes

Ernst, Carl. H. Venomous Reptiles of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1999.

Hayes, William K., Kent R. Beaman, Michael D. Cardwell, and Sean P. Bush, editors. The Biology of Rattlesnakes. Loma Linda University Press, 2009.

Hubbs, Brian R., & Brendan O'Connor. A Guide to the Rattlesnakes and other Venomous Serpents of the United States. Tricolor Books, 2011.

Klauber, Laurence M. Rattlesnakes. University of California Press. (Abridged from the 1956 two volume Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind.) University of California Press, 1982.

Rubio, Manny. Rattlesnake - Portrait of a Predator. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998.

Walls, Jerry G. Rattlesnakes: Their Natural History and Care. T. F. H. Publications, Inc., 1996.

 
 

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