What lives near me

Find the reptiles and amphibians around you.

Type a ZIP code and get the snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs and salamanders on record for your county or parish: the standard names, the names people actually use, and how sure we are about each one. Built from museum records, iNaturalist observations and USGS range maps for every county in the United States. Free, and in beta.

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How this works and where the data comes from

Something wrong?
A Diamond-backed Watersnake coiled on bare mud, its head raised and its chain-link pattern of dark bands clearly visible. Photo by Micha Petty.
Diamond-backed Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer): harmless, common, and one of the snakes most often mistaken for a cottonmouth. Photo by Micha Petty.

Why this exists

Knowing what lives near you is the first step in identifying it.

Most identification mistakes start with a list that is too long. If you know which six watersnakes and two pit vipers actually occur in your parish, a snake at the pond edge becomes a much smaller puzzle. This finder is meant to shorten that list quickly, show its work, and send you to the best places to learn more.

Every species links to iNaturalist (including sightings in your own county), to the CNAH species account, and to AmphibiaWeb or the Reptile Database. Frogs and toads also carry a Hear the call button and a note on when they call in your state; What’s Calling Near Me is the same list laid out for listening. If something looks wrong, the Something wrong? link on each species goes straight to us.

Browse all courses Hear what’s calling near you Start the free snakes course

Go deeper

Turn a list of names into understanding.

The finder tells you what lives near you. The courses teach how those animals live, how to tell them apart, how to care for them, and how to talk about them with people who are afraid of them. Every course is self-paced and grounded in science; one is free, and the rest are priced to stay within reach.

An eastern copperhead. Photo by Justin Sokol.

Free

Coexisting With Wild Snakes

For anyone who shares space with snakes

A free course on living alongside snakes: the myths, the biology, why identification rules fail, and what to actually do.

Self-paced · about 5 hours · Free

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A box turtle wading through a shallow puddle, reflected in the still water.

Open for enrollment

Certified Herpetological Guide

For adults

Covers the biology and the conservation, then pushes further: how to talk about these animals with people who are afraid of them.

Self-paced · about 50 hours · $149.00

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A smiling child holding a small snake outdoors in a pine woodland.

Open for enrollment

Certified Junior Herpetologist

For teens and tweens

The certification track written at a younger reading level, with adult-partnered fieldwork.

Self-paced · about 30 hours · $109.00

View Full Details
A bearded dragon with its owner. Photo by Sarah Beck.

Coming soon

Foundations of Herpetological Husbandry

For people who keep reptiles and amphibians

Science-based care for reptiles and amphibians in human care.

Self-paced · about 8 hours · $49.00

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Instructor Micha Petty with a sulcata tortoise.

Coming soon

Starting and Running a Reptile & Amphibian Rescue

For people starting or running a rescue

What it takes to run a reptile and amphibian rescue, including whether wildlife rehabilitation is a path you want to pursue.

Self-paced · about 6 hours · $35.00

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Browse all courses Tuition and financial access

Free, and staying that way

Help keep these tools running

This tool, the free snakes course, the Primer and everything on our Resources page will always be free. If it helped you and you would like to help keep it running (and help us build the next one), you can pitch in. Everything given goes to LEARN, the nonprofit rescue that runs The Herpetology Collective, so it also helps feed, house and care for the animals we take in.

Ways to support