Reptiles of Indonesia: characteristics and examples

Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus). The Asian house gecko often lives on buildings and hunts insects around lights; separate it from flat-tailed house geckos.

A large semi-aquatic lizard living near rivers, swamps, mangroves and some human-used areas. As both predator and scavenger, it connects aquatic and terrestrial food webs.

The banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) is a neurotoxic krait with full black-and-yellow rings, found in Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Bali.

The banded Malaysian coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis) is a small venomous snake with a red tail and black-and-white belly from western Indonesia.

Common Four-clawed Gecko (Gehyra mutilata). The four-clawed gecko is widespread; its common name points to foot structure, while species identification still needs toe detail and locality.

Common Sun Skink (Eutropis multifasciata). The common sun skink uses open basking places; smooth scales and lengthwise pattern should be compared with other skinks.

Common Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus). The common wolf snake is named for enlarged front teeth, not kinship with wolves; building encounters are often misidentified.

The crocodile monitor (Varanus salvadorii) is a large tree-climbing monitor lizard found only on New Guinea, with a very long tail and serrated teeth.

Double-spotted Gecko (Gekko monarchus). The double-spotted gecko occurs from southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula through Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi and Maluku to New Guinea and the Philippines; spots alone are insufficient without body shape and locality.

Emerald Tree Skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina). The emerald tree skink is a bright green arboreal skink; green colour alone cannot distinguish it from other green lizards.

The false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a slender-snouted crocodilian of the peat swamps of Sumatra and Borneo, listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus). The flat-tailed house gecko has a noticeably flattened tail; tail and body form help distinguish it from other building-dwelling geckos.

Great Crested Canopy Lizard (Bronchocela jubata). The maned forest lizard is a slender arboreal agamid with a crest along the neck and back; its local 'chameleon' label is not a taxonomic classification.

Indian Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor). The oriental garden lizard can change colour with condition and behaviour; that does not make it a true chameleon.

Indo-Chinese Rat Snake (Ptyas korros). The Indo-Chinese rat snake is a Southeast Asian ratsnake; the common name does not imply every individual eats only rodents.

Javan Flying Dragon (Draco volans). The Javan flying dragon glides on rib-supported skin membranes; it has neither bird wings nor bat wings.

The Javan spitting cobra (Naja sputatrix) is a venomous spitting cobra of Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara that often turns up around homes.

Keeled Slug Snake (Pareas carinatus). The keeled slug snake is a pareid associated with feeding on slugs and snails; a group name does not prove every individual meal.

The largest living lizard, native to a small group of islands in East Nusa Tenggara. Explore its links with prey, dry habitats, and island-specific conservation.

The Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus) is a highly venomous black-and-white banded krait of Sumatra, Java and Bali that is active at night.

The Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) is a haemotoxic viper of Java that hides in leaf litter and tends to stay still when approached.

Marbled Bow-fingered Gecko (Cyrtodactylus marmoratus). The marbled bent-toed gecko is an Indonesian gecko known mainly from Java; mottled pattern should be considered with toe shape and photo locality.

The New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae) is a medium-sized freshwater crocodile found only on New Guinea, smaller than the saltwater crocodile.

Oriental Long-tailed Grass Lizard (Takydromus sexlineatus). The long-tailed grass lizard often has a tail several times its body length; never pull it by the tail, which can be shed.

Oriental Whipsnake (Ahaetulla prasina). The oriental whipsnake is exceptionally slender and often found in vegetation; green colour alone cannot separate it from other tree snakes.

Pacific Bluetail Skink (Emoia caeruleocauda). The Pacific bluetail skink can show a blue tail, especially at some ages; colour changes and other skinks also have blue tails.

Painted Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus). The painted bronzeback is a slender active snake ranging across Southeast Asia and southern China; side pattern must be checked with head shape.

The painted terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) is a Critically Endangered estuary and mangrove turtle; breeding males show a white head with a red stripe.

The pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) is a flipper-limbed freshwater turtle of southern Papua, threatened by egg harvest and hatchling smuggling.

Puff-faced Water Snake (Homalopsis buccata). The puff-faced water snake occurs in tropical Southeast Asian waters; head shape and wet habitat matter more than colour alone.

Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus). The reticulated python can grow exceptionally long and subdues prey by constriction; it is nonvenomous but large animals still require distance.

The Rote Island snake-necked turtle (Chelodina mccordi) is a freshwater turtle of Rote Island, NTT, left Critically Endangered by the pet trade.

A large reptile capable of using both salt and fresh water. Understanding its habitat and respecting its space matters for community safety and conservation.

The Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus) is a venomous snake-eater of Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Bali, separated from O. hannah in 2024.

Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko). The tokay gecko is a large mostly nocturnal tree gecko with a conspicuous call; a call need not reveal the animal's exact position.

Wagler's Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri). Wagler's pitviper is a venomous Southeast Asian snake; the 'temple' nickname comes from a well-known site, not every habitat.

White-lipped Island Pitviper (Trimeresurus insularis). The Sunda island pitviper is venomous; older sources treated it as a white-lipped pitviper subspecies, so taxon names need checking.

White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris). The white-lipped pitviper is venomous and has lookalike relatives; safe-distance photographs and locality are better than handling for identification.

Yellow-lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina). The yellow-lipped sea krait has dark-and-light bands and uses both sea and land during its life cycle; it is venomous and should not be handled.