List of reptiles and amphibians of Alaska explained

Alaska is the northwestern most part of North America. Reptiles and amphibians are not common in Alaska due to them being cold-blooded. Alaska has four reptile species and eight amphibian species. Two of these species are introduced. There are no snakes or lizards in Alaska.^[1]

Reptiles

Order: Testudines - turtles and tortoises

Family: Cheloniidae - typical sea turtles

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
		Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)	^[2]	Two sightings between 1960 and 2007^[3]	Gulf of Alaska
		Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)	^[4]	15 sightings between 1960 and 2007^[5]	Gulf of Alaska
		Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829)	^[6]	Three sightings between 1960 and 2007^[7]	Gulf of Alaska

Family: Dermochelyidae - leatherback sea turtles

Amphibians

Order: Anura - frogs and toads

Family: Bufonidae - true toads

Family: Hylidae - tree frogs

Family: Ranidae - true frogs

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
		Lithobates sylvaticus (Le Conte, 1825)	^[13]	Sometimes placed in genus Rana^[14]	Statewide, except extreme north, Alaska Peninsula, and Aleutian Islands
	Northern red-legged frog	Rana aurora (Baird & Girard, 1852)	^[15]	Introduced to Alaska. Sometimes placed in genus Amerana	Introduced to northeastern Chichagof Island
		Rana luteiventris Thompson, 1913	^[16]	Sometimes placed in genus Amerana^[17]	Southeast Alaska

Order: Caudata - newts and salamanders

Family: Ambystomatidae - mole salamanders

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Northwestern salamander	Ambystoma gracile (Baird, 1859)	^[18]		Southern Southeast Alaska
	Long-toed salamander	Ambystoma macrodactylum Baird, 1850	^[19]	subspecies Ambystoma macrodactylum columbianum^[20]	Southern Southeast Alaska

Family: Salamandridae - newts

Unconfirmed species

Two species are alleged to occur naturally in Alaska, but are not officially confirmed.^[1]

• Batrachoseps caudatus, the Alaska worm salamander, was described based on a specimen described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1889. It was described based on an individual allegedly captured on Annette Island; this is likely mislabeled and the specimen is from California, and represents the California slender salamander.
• The common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, has allegedly been seen around the Taku River and Stikine River, but the snakes have never been officially recorded in the state.

Additionally, the tailed frog, Ascaphus truei, occurs in British Columbia until the Portland Inlet,^[22] and may occur in southernmost Alaska.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Web site: MacDonald . S. O. . The Amphibians and Reptiles of Alaska A Field Handbook . Fauna of Alaska . U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service . 23 September 2024.
2. Casale, P. . Tucker, A.D. . 2017 . 2015 . Caretta caretta . 2017 . e.T3897A119333622 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T3897A119333622.en . 23 September 2024.
3. Web site: Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) . Alaska Department of Fish and Game . State of Alaska . 23 September 2024.
4. Seminoff, J.A. (Southwest Fisheries Science Center, U.S.). . 2023 . 2004 . Chelonia mydas . 2023 . e.T4615A247654386 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T4615A247654386.en . 23 September 2024.
5. Web site: Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) . Alaska Department of Fish and Game . State of Alaska . 23 September 2024.
6. Abreu-Grobois, A. . Plotkin, P. (IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group). . 2008 . Lepidochelys olivacea . 2008 . e.T11534A3292503 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T11534A3292503.en . 23 September 2024.
7. Web site: Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) . Alaska Department of Fish and Game . State of Alaska . 23 September 2024.
8. Wallace, B.P. . Tiwari, M. . Girondot, M. . 2013 . Dermochelys coriacea . 2013 . e.T6494A43526147 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T6494A43526147.en . 23 September 2024.
9. Web site: Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) . Alaska Department of Fish and Game . State of Alaska . 23 September 2024.
10. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Anaxyrus boreas . 2022 . e.T181488862A197445871 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T181488862A197445871.en . 23 September 2024.
11. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Pseudacris regilla . 2022 . e.T166731785A53961380 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T166731785A53961380.en . 23 September 2024.
12. Pseudacris regilla. 2428132. 2024-09-23.
13. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Lithobates sylvaticus . 2022 . e.T58728A193382501 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T58728A193382501.en . 23 September 2024.
14. Yuan. Z.-Y.. etal. 2016. Spatiotemporal diversification of the true frogs (genus Rana): A historical framework for a widely studied group of model organisms. Systematic Biology. 65. 5. 10.1093/sysbio/syw055. 27288482. 824–42. free. 2292/43460. free.
15. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Rana aurora . 2022 . e.T58553A196335511 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T58553A196335511.en . 23 September 2024.
16. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Rana luteiventris . 2022 . e.T58649A196336248 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T58649A196336248.en . 23 September 2024.
17. Dubois . Alain . Ohler . Annemarie . Pyron . R. Alexander . New concepts and methods for phylogenetic taxonomy and nomenclature in zoology, exemplified by a new ranked cladonomy of recent amphibians (Lissamphibia) . Megataxa . 26 February 2021 . 5 . 1 . 10.11646/megataxa.5.1.1 . 23 September 2024. free .
18. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Ambystoma gracile . 2022 . e.T59057A196337763 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T59057A196337763.en . 23 September 2024.
19. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Ambystoma macrodactylum . 2022 . e.T59063A196338222 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T59063A196338222.en . 23 September 2024.
20. Book: Stebbins RA. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Peterson Field Guide Series) . 3rd . Houghton Mifflin . Boston . 2003 . 978-0-395-98272-3.
21. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Taricha granulosa . 2022 . e.T59469A196342071 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T59469A196342071.en . 23 September 2024.
22. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. . 2022 . Ascaphus truei . 2022 . e.T54414A196332997 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T54414A196332997.en . 23 September 2024.