What lives near me

Find the reptiles and amphibians around you.

Type a ZIP or postal code and get the snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs and salamanders on record for your county, parish or local area: the standard names, the names people actually use, and how sure we are about each one. Built from museum records, iNaturalist observations and published range maps, for North and Central America and the Caribbean, plus Australia, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, South Africa and the UK. Free, and in beta.

No AI-generated answers. Built from real sources and fixed rules.What this meansClose

When you use this tool, no AI writes your answer. The result comes from rules we set ahead of time, applied to information gathered from sources such as field guides, scientific records and our own courses. It is not made up on the spot.

AI did help us build it: writing code, organizing information and drafting some of the drawings.

How we build our tools

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How this works and where the data comes from

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Where it works

50 countries and territories so far, and growing.

Every shaded country has its own species lists, place by place, built from the records behind them. The darker the shade, the more records. New countries are added as their data is checked.

World map of the countries What Lives Near Me covers Covered: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Madagascar, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin and Sint Maarten, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, United States. The table below has the figures. Australia: 3,376,732 records Bahamas: 12,933 records Belize: 12,631 records Canada: 668,691 records Costa Rica: 180,250 records Cuba: 15,995 records Dominican Republic: 27,978 records El Salvador: 5,328 records Finland: 23,459 records Guatemala: 23,480 records Haiti: 22,054 records Honduras: 30,834 records Ireland: 9,820 records Jamaica: 7,785 records Japan: 46,996 records Latvia: 851 records Madagascar: 34,363 records Mexico: 734,387 records New Zealand: 7,682 records Nicaragua: 8,602 records Panama: 42,074 records Puerto Rico: 45,533 records Romania: 11,480 records Russia: 95,708 records South Africa: 263,271 records Trinidad and Tobago: 14,368 records United Kingdom: 522,448 records United States: 6,801,911 records Anguilla: 1,080 records Antigua and Barbuda: 1,176 records Aruba: 2,516 records Bahamas: 12,933 records Barbados: 932 records Belize: 12,631 records Bermuda: 1,385 records Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba: 4,934 records British Virgin Islands: 2,298 records Cayman Islands: 3,821 records Costa Rica: 180,250 records Cuba: 15,995 records Curaçao: 3,531 records Dominica: 2,329 records Dominican Republic: 27,978 records El Salvador: 5,328 records Finland: 23,459 records Grenada: 1,742 records Guadeloupe: 4,076 records Guatemala: 23,480 records Haiti: 22,054 records Honduras: 30,834 records Ireland: 9,820 records Jamaica: 7,785 records Latvia: 851 records Madagascar: 34,363 records Martinique: 4,333 records Montserrat: 407 records Nicaragua: 8,602 records Panama: 42,074 records Puerto Rico: 45,533 records Romania: 11,480 records Saint Barthélemy: 206 records Saint Kitts and Nevis: 632 records Saint Lucia: 730 records Saint Martin and Sint Maarten: 1,718 records Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 33 records Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 2,473 records Trinidad and Tobago: 14,368 records Turks and Caicos Islands: 853 records U.S. Virgin Islands: 4,941 records
  • under 50,000 records
  • 50,000 to 499,999
  • 500,000 to 999,999
  • 1 million or more
  • not covered yet
Coverage by country
CountryPlacesSpeciesRecords
Anguilla 2 islands 17 1,080
Antigua and Barbuda 3 islands 17 1,176
Aruba 1 islands 25 2,516
Australia 547 council areas 1,194 3,376,732
Bahamas 32 districts 52 12,933
Barbados 1 islands 15 932
Belize 25 constituencies and atolls 151 12,631
Bermuda 1 island groups 9 1,385
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba 3 islands 28 4,934
British Virgin Islands 4 islands 30 2,298
Canada 293 census divisions 137 668,691
Cayman Islands 3 islands 25 3,821
Costa Rica 85 cantons 403 180,250
Cuba 16 provinces 175 15,995
Curaçao 1 islands 22 3,531
Dominica 1 islands 17 2,329
Dominican Republic 155 municipalities 78 27,978
El Salvador 44 municipalities 95 5,328
Finland 308 municipalities 14 23,459
Grenada 2 islands 29 1,742
Guadeloupe 7 islands 28 4,076
Guatemala 22 departments 264 23,480
Haiti 45 arrondissements and islands 116 22,054
Honduras 20 departments and islands 308 30,834
Ireland 26 counties 13 9,820
Jamaica 14 parishes 58 7,785
Japan 1,747 municipalities 128 46,996
Latvia 42 municipalities and state cities 16 851
Madagascar 120 districts 524 34,363
Martinique 1 islands 21 4,333
Mexico 2,478 municipios 1,366 734,387
Montserrat 1 islands 9 407
New Zealand 69 districts, cities and islands 17 7,682
Nicaragua 19 departments and islands 225 8,602
Panama 84 districts 361 42,074
Puerto Rico 80 municipios 75 45,533
Romania 3,186 communes and towns 40 11,480
Russia 84 federal subjects 99 95,708
Saint Barthélemy 1 islands 13 206
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 islands 18 632
Saint Lucia 2 islands 22 730
Saint Martin and Sint Maarten 1 islands 22 1,718
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2 island groups 2 33
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 islands 25 2,473
South Africa 213 municipalities 513 263,271
Trinidad and Tobago 2 islands 124 14,368
Turks and Caicos Islands 6 districts 15 853
U.S. Virgin Islands 3 islands 27 4,941
United Kingdom 361 local authority areas 28 522,448
United States 3,144 counties 786 6,801,911
All13,3117,796*13,093,790
Records are GBIF records placed in a place (museum specimens and other datasets, plus iNaturalist research-grade observations counted by place); species are those listed as documented, expected, reported or historical somewhere in that country. *A species found in two countries counts once in each. Madagascar’s frog list is provisional: many Malagasy frogs were described only recently, so names and ranges may change. Pack of 2026-10-23. Map outlines: Natural Earth (public domain).
A Rainbow Snake seen head-on, its glossy black head marked with orange and yellow and its striped body coiled behind it. Photo by Adrian Bara-Popa.
Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma): a harmless, secretive snake of southeastern wetlands that is seldom seen above ground. Photo by Adrian Bara-Popa.

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 area), to the CNAH species account for North American species, and to AmphibiaWeb or the Reptile Database. In the United States and Canada, 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.

Found a shed instead of a snake? Whose Shed Is This? starts from this same county list and narrows it using the scales a shed keeps. The same goes for a turtle or its shell (Whose Shell Is This?), a toad (Which Toad Is This?) and a skink (Which Skink Is This?). These keys cover the United States and Canada for now.

See the Certified Herpetological Guide Hear what’s calling near you Identify a shed skin 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; two are free, and the rest are priced to stay within reach. Where a card shows an opening date, you can enroll now and start on that day.

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 · [thc_course_price product=”4398″]

View Full Details
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 · [thc_course_price product=”5243″]

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A bearded dragon with its owner. Photo by Sarah Beck.
Open for enrollment

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 · [thc_course_price product=”5003″]

View Full Details
Instructor Micha Petty with a sulcata tortoise.
Open for enrollment

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 · [thc_course_price product=”5323″]

View Full Details
A speckled kingsnake shown to a group on a guided field walk. Photo by Micha Petty.
Free

Field Ethics & Practices

For anyone joining a herping or wilderness trip

A short, free course on how to be a good field companion: respect the site, respect the animals, keep locations private, know the rules, and stay safe.

Self-paced · about 2 hours · Free

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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