List of reptiles and amphibians of Alaska

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
	Loggerhead sea turtle	Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)	VU[2]	Two sightings between 1960 and 2007[3]	Gulf of Alaska
	Green sea turtle	Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)	EN[4]	15 sightings between 1960 and 2007[5]	Gulf of Alaska
	Olive ridley sea turtle	Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829)	VU[6]	Three sightings between 1960 and 2007[7]	Gulf of Alaska

Family: Dermochelyidae - leatherback sea turtles

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Leatherback sea turtle	Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)	VU[8]	19 sightings between 1960 and 2007[9]	Gulf of Alaska, Bristol Bay, southernmost of Bering Sea

Amphibians

Order: Anura - frogs and toads

Family: Bufonidae - true toads

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Western toad	Anaxyrus boreas (Baird & Girard, 1852)	LC[10]		Southeast Alaska north to Prince William Sound

Family: Hylidae - tree frogs

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Pacific chorus frog	Pseudacris regilla (Baird & Girard, 1852)	LC[11]	Introduced to Alaska	Southern Revillagigedo Island[1] and north of the city of Sitka on the Sitka Sound and north of Juneau[12]

Family: Ranidae - true frogs

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Wood frog	Lithobates sylvaticus (Le Conte, 1825)	LC[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)	LC[15]	Introduced to Alaska. Sometimes placed in genus Amerana[16]	Introduced to northeastern Chichagof Island[1]
	Columbia spotted frog	Rana luteiventris Thompson, 1913	LC[17]	Sometimes placed in genus Amerana[16]	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)	LC[18]		Southern Southeast Alaska
	Long-toed salamander	Ambystoma macrodactylum Baird, 1850	LC[19]	subspecies Ambystoma macrodactylum columbianum[20]	Southern Southeast Alaska

Family: Salamandridae - newts

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Rough-skinned newt	Taricha granulosa (Skilton, 1849)	LC[21]		Southeast Alaska

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]

References

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