Western Australia FaunaBirds Insects Reptiles Spiders
Reptiles (Class Reptilia) are a diverse group of animals that include lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles. The skin of reptiles made up of scales, bony plates or a combination of both and they usually lay soft-shelled eggs, although boas and pythons give birth to live young.

Reptiles are cold-blooded and are air-breathing vertebrates, whose metabolism depend on and is influenced by the temperature of their environment. Unlike mammals and birds, they do not have fur or feathers to stay warm, nor do they have sweat glands or the ability to pant and cannot cool off on a hot day. Their only option is to move into the sun or shade as needed. You will often see lizards warming themselves in the sun or on warming road during a cold early morning. They are often very sluggish until they warm up.
Western Australia is home to many reptile species, check back as we add some of the species to be found in WA, or you can check out our section Fauna | Reptiles.



- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Clade: Sauropsida
- Class: Reptilia
Footnote & References
- Photographs © Gary Taylor
- Photographs © Paul Kay
- Photographs © Jean and Fred Hort
Western Australia FaunaBirds Insects Reptiles Spiders
Western AustraliaWestern Australia Fauna Western Australia Flora The Batavia Coast and Midwest WA Bungle Bungles – Purnululu National Park Great Southern WA South West WA Stirling Range National Park