Reptiles are among the most common animals found in the rainforest.
Reptiles include four main groups: crocodiles and alligators (23 species), the unusual tuataras from New Zealand (2 species), snakes (about 3,000 species) and lizards (about 4,000 species), and turtles and tortoises (about 300 species).
Like frogs, reptiles are cold-blooded, meaning they generally rely on external sources of heat, rather than generating their own body heat.
Many of the world's Crocodilia species -- including alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials -- live in the tropics. Every major rainforest region has at least one type of Crocodilia. These range in size from the dwarf crocodile of Central Africa to the massive, and very dangerous, saltwater crocodile of Australia and New Guinea.
Caiman crossing a road in the Brazilian Pantanal
Black caiman in the Pantanal
American Crocodiles in the Tarcoles river in Costa Rica
Baby caiman in Costa Rica
Lizards are the most commonly seen reptiles in the rainforest. The largest lizards are monitor lizards of the old world, which include the Komodo Dragon from Indonesia.
The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard
Mertens' Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi)
Malayan water monitor in Laos
Monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) in Malaysia
The Green Basilisk is sometimes called the 'Jesus Christ Lizard' because it can run across water
Rainbow Amevia lizard in Honduras
Blue-headed tree agama in Uganda
Chameleons are among the world's most spectacular reptiles, capable of changing to a wide range of colors depending on their surroundings and emotional state. Roughly half the planet's chameleon species are found in Madagascar.
Turquoise Parson's chameleon in Madagascar
Striped juvenile Parson's chameleon in Madagascar
Short-nosed Chameleon (Calumma gastrotaenia) in Madagascar
Female Parson's chameleon with green coloring and a yellow eye
Yellow and orange Parson's chameleon in Madagascar
Blue-green Parson's chameleon in Madagascar
Petter's Chameleon in Montagne d'Ambre, Madagascar.
Blue, green, orange, white, and brown Calumma crypticum chameleon in Ranomafana, Madagascar
Peyrieras' leaf chameleon (Brookesia peyrierasi)
Brown leaf chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris)
Peyrieras' leaf chameleon (Brookesia peyrierasi)
Male panther chameleon with breeding coloration
Panther chameleon with 'Christmas' coloration in Maroantsetra, Madagascar
Male panther (Furcifer pardalis) chameleon in Madagascar
Male panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) on a man's arm
Male panther chameleon in Madagascar
Male panther chameleon in Madagascar
Male panther chameleon in Madagascar
Male Calumma globifer chameleon in Madagascar
Forest dragon with blue eyes in Indonesian Borneo
Baby forest dragon in Indonesian Borneo
Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) in Bali
Klemmer's Yellow-headed Day Gecko (Phelsuma klemmeri) from Madagascar
Tanzania blue gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi)
Gecko lizard species with black markings in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo
Shadow of a day gecko on a sunlit leaf in Madagascar
Koch's day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis kochi) in Madagascar
Phelsuma madagascariensis kochi day gecko
Uroplatus phantasticus leaf-tailed gecko in Madagascar
Satanic Leaf-tail Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) in Madagascar
Giant Leaftailed Gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) in Madagascar
Uroplatus fimbriatus gecko on Nosy Mangabe
Giant leaf-tail gecko in Madagascar
Uroplatus fimbriatus leaf-tail gecko on Nosy Mangabe
Giant leaf-tail gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) in Madagascar
Giant flat-tail gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) in Madagascar
Giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) in Madagascar
Giant leaftailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) in Madagascar
Giant flattail gecko in Madagascar
Juvenile green iguana (Iguana iguana) in Colombia
Black iguana (Ctenosaura similis) in Panama
Male Iguana in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula
Green iguana (Iguana iguana)
The Fijian iguana is critically endangered
Red-Eyed Bush Crocodile Skink (Tribolonotus gracilis) from New Guinea
False coral snake in Colombia
Madagascar leaf-nosed snake
Salmon-bellied Snake (Mastigodryas melanolomus) in Costa Rica
Asian Vine Snake in South Kalimantan, Indonesia Borneo
Gmelin's Bronzeback snake (Dendrelaphis pictus) eating a frog in Tree snake in Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia
Tree snake in Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia
Oriental Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) in Sulawesi, Indonesia
Boa constrictor in Belize
The Anaconda is one of the world's largest snakes.
Common chunk headed snake (Imantodes cenchoa) in Costa Rica
Emerald boa (Corallus caninus) from the Amazon rainforest
Boa constrictor in Bocas del Toro, Panama
Green tree python from Southeast Asia
Green tree python (Morelia viridis) from Southeast Asia
Sumatran freshwater turtle