List of amphibians and reptiles of Saba

This is a list of amphibians and reptiles found on the island of Saba, a Dutch municipality in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.


Amphibians edit

There is one species of amphibian on Saba.

Frogs (Anura) edit

Tropical frogs (Leptodactylidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei Lesser Antillean Whistling Frog, Coqui Antillano, Johnstone's Whistling Frog Least Concern.[1]  


Reptiles edit

Including marine turtles and introduced species, there are 11 reptile species reported on Saba. One species, the Saban Anole (Anolis sabanus), is endemic to Saba.

Turtles (Testudines) edit

Tortoises (Testudinidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Geochelone carbonaria[2] Red-Footed Tortoise  
Scaly sea turtles (Cheloniidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Caretta caretta Loggerhead Turtle Endangered.  
Chelonia mydas Green Turtle Endangered.  
Eretmochelys imbricata Hawksbill Turtle Critically Endangered.  
Leathery sea turtles (Dermochelyidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherback Turtle Critically Endangered.  

Lizards and snakes (Squamata) edit

Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Hemidactylus mabouia House Gecko Introduced.  
Sphaerodactylus sabanus Saba Least Gecko Regionally endemic. Abundant.  
Thecadactylus rapicauda Turnip-Tailed Gecko Rare.
Iguanas and Anolids (Iguanidae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Anolis sabanus Saban Anole Endemic. Widespread and common.  
Iguana iguana Green Iguana, Common Iguana Rare. Population on Saba is possibly a distinct species.  
Colubrids (Colubridae)
Species Common name(s) Notes Image
Alsophis rufiventris Saba Racer, Red-bellied Racer, Orange-bellied Racer Endangered. Regional endemic. Widespread and abundant on Saba.

Notes edit

  1. ^ Conservation status, where available, is from the IUCN Red List and is indicative of the status of the species as a whole, not just populations on Saba.
  2. ^ Powell 2006, p. 296. Not recorded on Saba in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999.

References edit

Note: All species listed above are supported by Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, unless otherwise cited.

  • Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd., pp. 61–63, ISBN 0-333-69141-5.
  • Powell, Robert (2006), "Conservation of the herpetofauna on the Dutch Windward Islands: St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten", Applied Herpetology, 3 (4): 293–306, doi:10.1163/157075406778905090