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Especially with the addition of new morphs all the time, reptiles can come in what feels like every single color in the rainbow. In fact – many of them even include the rainbow (naturally!). Some have an iridescent rainbow sheen to them that gives them a rainbow glow, and some just naturally contain almost all the colors of the rainbow. Keep scrolling to learn a little bit about each rainbow reptile that we’ve included in our list!
Top 10 List – Rainbow Reptiles
1. Common Flat Lizard
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Scientific Name: Platysaurus intermedius
Geographic Range: Southern Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
The common flat lizard has 9 different subspecies, all found in Africa. They are found in moderately moist savannas and rock outcrops and can be found under or around rocks. Female and juvenile common flat lizards are black with lighter stripes going down their back. Males will have bright rainbow colors in various patterns, depending on the subspecies they are. We have two of the different subspecies pictured above. It is thought that they feed on arthropods, flowers, leaves, and various fruits.
2. Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Scientific Name: Epicrates cenchria
Geographic Range: Central and South America
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Learn More About The Brazilian Rainbow Boa Here.
Unsurprisingly the rainbow boa is named for its iridescent scales that make the snake look like it’s covered in rainbows. Tiny ridges on their scales refract light and create a rainbow-colored effect on the snake. Underneath the iridescence, the snake is brown or red-brown with three parallel black stripes on their head and black blotchy rings down their body. They range from 4 – 6 feet (1.2 – 1.8 meters) in length, with females generally being larger than males. Sexual maturity for the rainbow boa is determined by how large the boa has grown, instead of its age. They are primarily terrestrial, meaning they spend most of their time on the ground. They can be found in humid woodland forests as well as occasionally open savannas.
3. Asian Sunbeam Snake
Scientific Name: Xenopeltis unicolor
Geographic Range: Southeast Asia and Some Regions of Indonesia
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Next on our list of rainbow reptiles is the beautiful Asian sunbeam snake. They are non-venomous, nocturnal, highly iridescent snakes. Sunbeam snakes are fully terrestrial, spending all their time on the ground, never climbing trees. They are also fossorial, which means they spend a good chunk of time below ground digging and hanging out. They have a wedge-shaped head that is narrow, and not wider than their body, as well as rounded snout and small eyes, most of which help them with digging underground. Under normal light, sunbeam snakes are brown on top, paler on their bellies, and average a length of 3 ft 3 inches (1 meter). They are constrictors, constricting their prey such as frogs, reptiles, and small mammals.
4. Reticulated Python – Motley Golden Child Morph
Scientific Name: Malayopython reticulatus
Geographic Range: South and Southeast Asia
Conservation Status: Least Concern
See More Reticulated Python Morphs Here, And Learn More About Them Here.
Reticulated Pythons are the world’s longest snakes. Their average length is 10 feet long, however, some snakes have been recorded and 30+ feet (9.1 m) long! Their weight can range from 150 pounds, all the way up to 320 pounds. Despite their massive size, reticulated pythons are a fairly common pet in the pet trade, with many people choosing to own these massive reptiles. They are regarded as one of the most intelligent snakes, and one of the many ways they show their intelligence is by being able to recognize their keepers, as well as remember bad experiences they’ve had with people. Since they are popular in the exotic pet trade, many morphs have become available, including the one pictured above – the motley golden child morph, which gives the retic a beautiful iridescent sheen.
In the wild reticulated pythons can be found in tropical rainforests, wetlands, and grasslands. They tend to live/stick close to the water as they are great swimmers and will use the water for camouflaging and hunting. They feed on various-sized mammals and the occasional bird. Female reticulated pythons are oviparous, which means they lay eggs. They can lay up to 107 eggs at a time, which is a lot! However, 15 – 20 eggs are the average amount they will lay.
5. Brown Lightbulb Lizard
Scientific Name: Riama meleagris
Geographic Range: Central Ecuador
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Thank you to Reptiles of Ecuador for some of the only info we could find on these stunning lizards!
Brown lightbulb lizards are beautiful lizards that under normal lighting are brown, but under bright light show a beautiful iridescent rainbow along their body. Another fossorial species on this list, these lizards spend most of their time in tunnels they dig in areas of soft soil, under rocks, rotten logs, and various other debris they find. They inhabit old growth to evergreen forests and humid high shrublands. Brown lightbulb lizards are threatened by human activity and habitat loss, as well as volcanic eruptions that threaten the long-term survival of populations along the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano. These lizards range in size from 6 inches (15.2 cm) to 7.4 inches (18.9 cm) with males generally being larger than females and having broader heads. Males also have yellow spots down their bodies.
6. Iridescent Snake
Scientific Name: Blythia Reticulata
Geographic Range: Asia
Conservation Status: Data Deficient
As their name suggests, iridescent snakes are indeed very iridescent in sunlight, with a beautiful rainbow sheen. They are non-venomous snakes that are thought to be rare. In normal lighting, they are a black-brown color and grow to around 16.6 inches (42.2cm) in length. They can be found in forest habitats, and are terrestrial, meaning they spend most or all of their time on the forest floors. Until 2017 they were the only snake in the Blythia genus, which is when Blythia hmuifang was added.
7. Rainbow Whiptail
Scientific Name: Cnemidophorus lemniscatus
Geographic Range: Central America, Caribbean, Northern South America, introduced to Florida.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Next on our rainbow reptile list is the very colorful rainbow whiptail. Female and juvenile rainbow whiptails are brown/dark blue with lighter spots on their sides and legs, as well as white stripes down their back. The males of this species are what gave them the name rainbow whiptail, as they develop bright colors as they mature into adulthood, which can include yellow, turquoise, green, orange, and white. Males also have larger heads and are larger in general, with an average of 3.5 inches (8.8 cm) length not including the tail length, while females are only 2.6 inches (6.5cm).
They are diurnal, terrestrial lizards and can be found spending the day in open sunny areas on sandy beaches along riverbanks. Rainbow whiptails are non-territorial and are fine with sharing space with each other. They eat mainly arthropods like termites, beetles, spiders, etc., and a small amount of plant material like flowers and seeds.
8. Uetz’s Soft-Nosed Chameleon
Scientific Name: Calumma uetzi
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Endangered
The Uetz’s soft-nosed chameleon was first discovered in 2012 and officially described in 2018. The common name Uetz and specific name uetzi is in honor of Peter Uetz who runs the Reptile Database website. When they are calm and relaxed males are generally a greenish beige color, while females are brown. Both sexes have a large, soft protruding nose, and range from 3.4 – 4 inches (8.7 – 10.1 cm) in length. The rainbow comes when males try to impress female chameleons. The male chameleon will turn bright colors to attract females, which includes teal, green, yellow, purple, and salmon. If annoyed by the advances the female will turn dark brown (almost black) with yellow spots on her head to warn him away. Uetz’s chameleons live in mostly mid-elevation rainforests, and most individuals are found hanging out in the trees. As with many other reptiles, they are threatened due to habitat loss.
9. Panther Chameleon
Scientific Name: Furcifer pardalis
Geographic Range: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Panther chameleons are another chameleon full of the colors of the rainbow. They are found in tropical forest biomes in eastern and northern Madagascar, and like to hang out in the trees. Like the last chameleon, the males of this species are the ones who are brighter in color. The color they are depends on their locality, but most, if not all, are extremely colorful! Panther chameleons range from 16 – 20 inches (40.6 – 50.8 cm) in lenth, and the females are smaller than the males.They have unique shaped feet and claws that help them hold on to branches, as well as climb them. Their eyes move independently from each other to help them see in all directions, as well as a long tongue that helps them capture their food.
Panther chameleons are solitaray and territorial reptiles, and don’e like being near each other unless its for mating. When gravid (carrying fertilized eggs) females will turn dark brown or black with orange striping to show males they aren’t open to mating any more. Females can lay between 10 – 40 eggs at a time. Their generic name furcifer is derived from the Latin root furci, which means forked and refers to the chameleons unique feet. The specific name pardalis in Latin for leopard and refers to the various leopard like markins on the chameleon.
10. Northern White Lipped Python
Scientific Name: Leiopython albertisii
Geographic Range: New Guinea
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Last but not least on our list of colorful rainbow reptiles we have the northern white lipped python. These beautiful nocturnal, non-venomous snakes are occasionally kept as pets due to their beautiful iridescent sheen to their scales. Underneath their iriescent scales they have a body that is either brown, olive green, or grey with a black head and white lips. On average they are 59 – 82.7 inches (150 – 210 cm) in length.
In the wild they live in lowland forests and rainforests, and are often found near water sources. White lipped pythons are mostly terrestrial snakes that spend their time on the ground, however they have been known to occasionally climb trees. Adult white lipped pythons eat small to medium sized mammals and birds, while juveniles will often eat small lizards.
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