Reptiles of Taiwan

Taiwan Beauty Snake

• Part of the rat snake family, the Taiwan Beauty typically can be found in the forests of Taiwan. Distinctive markings include a yellow-brown color, a dark-spotted anterior and a striped tail. Mice, rats and small birds make up the preferred diet of the Taiwan Beauty, which kills by constriction. These snakes are skillful tree climbers and are fiercely protective of their territories. Adults range in size from 4 feet to 8 feet in length. Taiwan Beauties are not endangered.

South China Forest Skink

• This small reptile, commonly known as Bao's Lizard, can only be found in three counties of Taiwan. The maximum body length is approximately 8 cm, but their easily-detachable tails can grow to 1.5 times that size. Forest skinks commonly live on the fringes of the forest, where they can easily hunt for insects and other small prey. The South China Forest Skink is easily recognized by its white underbelly and a set of horizontal stripes that run the length of either side of the body.

Harti's Glass Lizard

• Upon first glance, Harti's Glass Lizards can easily be mistaken for a small snake because of a lack of protruding limbs. Unlike snakes, however, these reptiles have eyelids and visible auditory canals. Their preferred habitat of damp soil and leaf-covered forest floors is what earned them the common name "mud dragon." Glass lizards come in a variety of brown shades, all with small blue spots. Shy by nature, they prefer to remain hidden on forest floors, seeking food such as earthworms and larvae.

Hundred-Pacer Snake

• This forest-dwelling mountain snake is also known as the Chinese Moccasin. They prefer low to middle altitudes where they can freely hunt rats, birds and toads. Hundred-Pacers have distinctive, triangular heads with narrow necks that taper to a body approximately 150 cm in length. They are light brown in color with black triangle markings along the sides of the body. Identification of these snakes is of paramount importance, as they are highly aggressive when provoked, and their venom can kill a human adult almost instantly.

Green Sea Turtle

• Because female green sea turtles prefer to lay eggs in warm sands, they are partial to tropical and subtropical waters. Any turtle found in the waters surrounding Taiwan is most likely to be a green sea turtle. Unlike other sea turtles, the main staple of the green sea turtle diet is seaweed, though they sometimes will eat fish and mollusks. Brownish-black in color, their name derives from the color of their body fat. Green sea turtles are well-protected in Taiwan, thanks in part to the Wang An Island Green Sea Turtle Reserve of Penghu.

Swinhoe's Japalura

• While there is a variety of Taiwanese japalura, Swinhoe's japalura are both the largest and most abundant of the island. At maximum length, these lizards can reach up to 31 cm, though roughly two-thirds of that length is tail. Swinhoe's japalura are most abundant on the edges of forests where they can hunt for insects. Distinctive characteristics include white-specked chins and yellow-brown skin. Males also will have bright yellow splashes on the sides of the body.