List of reptiles of Kansas explained

This list of Kansas reptiles includes the snakes, turtles and lizards found in the US state of Kansas.

Turtles

Kansas is home to 15 species of turtles.^[1]

Family Chelydridae – snapping turtles

• Alligator snapping turtle
• Common snapping turtle

Family Kinosternidae – mud and musk turtles

• Common musk turtle (stinkpot)
• Yellow mud turtle

Family Emydidae – basking and box turtles

• Painted turtle
• Common map turtle
• Ouachita map turtle
• False map turtle
• River cooter
• Ornate box turtle
• Eastern box turtle
• Pond slider turtle

Family Trionychidae – softshell turtles

• Spiny softshell turtle
• Smooth softshell turtle

Lizards

There are 16 species of lizards in Kansas.^[2]

Anguidae – lateral fold lizards

• Slender glass lizard

Crotaphytidae – collared and leopard lizards

• Eastern collared lizard

Gekkonidae – geckos

• Mediterranean gecko (introduced)

Lacertidae – lacertas (wall and true lizards)

• Western green lizard (introduced)
• Italian wall lizard (introduced)

Phrynosomatidae – spiny lizards

• Lesser earless lizard
• Texas horned lizard
• Prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus)

Scincidae – skinks

• Coal skink
• Skin colored black dotted skink
• Five-lined skink
• Broadhead skink
• Great Plains skink
• Southern prairie skink (Plestiodon obtusirostris)
• Northern prairie skink (Plestiodon septentrionalis)
• Ground skink

Teiidae – whiptails

• Six-lined racerunner

Venomous species

• Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)
• Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
• Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) (very rare)
• Timber rattlesnake species in need of conservation (Crotalus horridus)
• Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)
• Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus)

Non-venomous species

• Eastern glossy snake (Arizona elegans)
• Western worm snake (Carphophis vermis)
• Eastern racer (Coluber constrictor)
• Ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus)
• Western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus)
• Eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
• Night snake (Hypsiglena torquata)^MT
• Prairie kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster)
• Common kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)
• Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
• New Mexico blind snake (Leptotyphlops dissectus)
• Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum)
• Plainbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster)
• Diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer)
• Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon)
• Rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
• Great Plains rat snake (Pantherophis emoryi)
• Western rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta)
• Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer)
• Graham's crayfish snake (Regina grahamii)
• Longnose snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei)
• Ground snake (Sonora semiannulata)
• Brown snake (Storeria dekayi)
• Redbelly snake species in need of conservation (Storeria occipitomaculata)
• Flathead snake (Tantilla gracilis)
• Plains blackhead snake (Tantilla nigriceps)
• 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)

^MT This snake has enlarged grooved teeth near the back of the upper jaw and secretes a mildly toxic saliva to incapacitate its prey. However, it is not considered dangerous to humans.

Notes and References

1. http://www.gpnc.org/reptiles.htm Reptiles of Kansas
2. Web site: Archived copy . 2013-01-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114931/http://webcat.fhsu.edu/ksfauna/herps/index.asp?page=species&order_id=32 . 2016-03-04 . – Kansas Herp Atlas