There are so many awesome West African reptiles out there, that it was hard for us to narrow down the list! West Africa is an area of Africa that is made up of the countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Keep reading to see which 12 reptiles we chose for the list, as well as learn a little bit about them. Also, if you want a part 2, or you think one of the reptiles on this list deserves its own article, comment down below to let us know!
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Top 10 List – West African Reptiles
1. Home’s Hingeback Tortoise
Scientific Name: Kinixys homeana
Geographic Range: Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Home’s hingeback tortoise is a fascinating forest tortoise found throughout Africa. They are mainly found in subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests and swamps, as well as plantations. They prefer low-light areas and are often never seen in full sunlight. This is most likely why they tend to be more active in the early morning and at dusk, choosing to hide during the hottest part of the day. They are omnivorous, often foraging in the shade for things like mushrooms, possibly snails, and whatever else they can find around them. Because of habitat loss, being hunted by humans, and being taken for the pet trade, these wonderful tortoises are considered critically endangered.
The home’s hingeback turtle is a medium-sized tortoise, with its carapace (shell) being around 22cm (8.7 inches) in length. They average around 750g in weight. Females are generally larger than the males, however, males have thicker and longer tails. They have long legs and large eyes, and their shell ranges from dark brown to tan in color. Their shells are special in two different ways. The first is that it is specially shaped to channel rainwater to the tortoise’s mouth. The second is that it has a hinge on the back of the shell that allows the tortoise to completely enclose itself in their shell. It is thought that this helps protect vulnerable areas from predators.
2. Western Bush Viper
Scientific Name: Atheris chlorechis
Geographic Range: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo
Conservation Status: Least Concern
If you want to see what other bush vipers there are, check out our article on the 12 species of bush vipers.
The western bush viper is a venomous snake that is only found in the forests of western Africa. They prefer areas of dense forests and are found around 1 – 2m (3 – 6 feet) off the ground in the trees. These vipers are a light green color all over, with faint light yellow spots running down their back. They have the leaf-like keeled scales that are usual for bush vipers, a relatively slim body, and a long tail. Generally, they average a length of 50cm (20 inches), however, they can grow up to 70cm (28 inches).
It is thought that they feed on various types of rodents, lizards, and tree frogs. They are diurnal, meaning they are awake and are most active during the daytime. From March to April females will give birth to 6 – 9 young. These young are around 13.1 – 15.1 cm (5 – 6 inches) in length and are tan or brown in color. Within 24 hours they will change to a yellowy-green color with irregular dark spots and eventually will change to their adult color.
3. West African Slender-Snouted Crocodile
Scientific Name: Mecistops cataphractus
Geographic Range: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
The West African slender-snouted crocodile is 1 of 5 crocodile species found throughout Africa. It was originally thought that they were found in both West and Central Africa, but recently it was discovered that the west and central populations were actually different. The West African slender-snouted crocodile kept the scientific name, and the new species became the Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus). The West African slender-snouted crocodile generally prefers densely vegetated freshwater rivers, however, they have been occasionally spotted in lakes or salty waters.
As their name suggests, these crocs have long, slender snouts. These snouts are great for catching the fish and other aquatic invertebrates that make up the majority of their diet. Their slender nose can also fit in crevices and help them pluck out food. They have around 64 – 70 teeth, and their eyes, ears, and nostrils are located towards the tops of their heads. This allows them to be mostly submerged but still aware of their surroundings. They range between 3 – 4m (10 – 13 feet) in length and can weigh up to 230kg (500 pounds). Their body color varies from brown to grey-green, and some may have black blotches.
Crocodile mothers are actually pretty good mothers when compared to other reptiles. The mother will build a nest with vegetation that ends up decaying, which produces heat to keep the eggs she will lay warm. She will also not stray too far from the eggs, will help the babies hatch from the eggs when they are ready, and even protect them for the first little bit after they hatch.
4. Boomslang
Scientific Name: Dispholidus typus
Geographic Range: Sub-Sahara Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Next on our list of West African reptiles, we have the interesting boomslang. The boomslang is a highly venomous snake that can be found throughout many habitats in Africa. These habitats include karoo scrubs, savannas, and East African lowland forests. They tend to stay in the moister areas throughout their range, avoiding the overly-dry areas. The name boomslang is Afrikaans for ‘tree snake’, which is fitting as they are arboreal and spend their time in the trees. They are diurnal, spending the day waiting for prey to come by. Their diet is mainly made up of small arboreal frogs or lizards, however, they may occasionally eat birds, small mammals, reptile and bird eggs, and even other boomslangs. They will quickly strike at their prey injecting their toxic venom and then swallowing their food whole.
Boomslangs are long slender snakes with oval heads and large eyes. They range in length from 1.2 – 2.5m (3.9 – 8.2 feet). They are sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females of this species have different appearances. Female boomslang range from green to brown in color, while males are more colorful and can come in a variety of colors.
5. Nile Monitor
Scientific Name: Varanus niloticus
Geographic Range: Sub-Saharan Africa, Along The Nile
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Nile monitors are one of the largest lizards in the world and can reach up to 2.4m (7.9 feet) in length. Their sharp claws and muscular legs not only help them run fast but also easily climb trees. Their nostrils are high up on their snouts, which is thought to help them with swimming, which they are also quite talented at. They also have forked tongues that help them sense potential food. Their strong jaws help them eat various different types of prey, which include rodents, amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, and their eggs, crabs, beetles, slugs, earthworms, and spiders.
Nile monitors are found in a variety of habitats such as dry savanna, scrub, woodland, swamps, mangroves, and evergreen thickets. They are also usually found near water such as rivers and lakes. These large lizards are extremely solitary, and normally only come together to mate. Despite their aggressive attitudes and resistance to taming down, they are still found in the reptile pet trade. The pet trade may also be how the Nile monitor was released into Florida and able to start a new population there.
While the Nile monitor has very few predators, they are occasionally eaten by large pythons and crocodiles. When threatened they mainly try to run away, or swim away, however, they can get highly aggressive if cornered. They will arch their backs, stand tall while puffing up their bodies, hiss, and even try to whip their large strong tail at whatever they feel threatened by. As a last resort, they will try to bite their attacker, as well as emit a foul-smelling odor.
6. Peters’s Rock Agama
Scientific Name: Agama picticauda
Geographic Range: West Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Peter’s rock agama is another of the West African reptiles that display sexual dimorphism. Male peter’s rock agamas have red-orange heads, blue-black bodies, and a tail that is a mix of the body’s colors. Females, young agamas, and subordinate males are brown, greyish, or yellow-brown in color. Both sexes have wide blocky heads, thin toes, and long tails. On average these agamas are around 30.5cm (12 inches) in length, with males usually being larger than the females. They look extremely similar to rainbow agamas (Agama agama), and the two are often mistaken for each other.
Peter’s rock agamas are sit and wait predators. They will wait for prey to come by, and then quickly run over to catch it. While they are primarily insectivores, they have been observed occasionally eating small mammals, birds, small reptiles, flowers, grasses, and fruit. When females have eggs they will develop yellow or orange patches on their bodies. The sex of the hatchlings depends on the temperature of the eggs while they incubate.
This is another species that has become invasive in Florida. They were introduced in 1976, most likely due to the pet trade.
7. Four-Horned Chameleon
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Scientific Name: Trioceros quadricornis
Geographic Range: Cameroon, Nigeria
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Four-horned chameleons are unique-looking chameleons that can be found throughout western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria. They primarily live in montane forests with limited human activity. However, the loss of this habitat has made this species vulnerable, along with being collected for the pet trade despite their protected species status. As just mentioned, they are kept as pets and are sold in the pet trade. They are considered harder to keep though and are not recommended for beginners.
Like many other chameleons, four-horned chameleons have a single claw on their toes, a prehensile tail, and a long tongue which they use to snatch up the insects that they eat. They range in length from 25 – 35cm (10 – 14 inches) with males usually being larger. This species is another sexually dimorphic one. Males are green, yellow, and white, with some having various stripes and spots of red, orange, blue, turquoise, and black. Males also have large sail-like fins on their backs and tops of their tails, and some may have scales that look like a “beard” on their chins. Females are green with smaller fins, and fewer markings.
8. Rhinoceros Viper
Scientific Name: Bitis nasicornis
Geographic Range: West and Central Africa
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
The rhinoceros viper is often considered one of the most beautiful snakes and looking at their bright colors and unique patterns it is easy to see why. Their various patterns are made up of colors like red, yellow, blue, green, and black. These chunky snakes are short and heavy-bodied, with a triangular head and small eyes. Above their noses are 2 or 3 horn-like projections. Their length generally ranges between 60 – 90cm (23.6 – 35.4 inches), with the females usually being larger. They closely resemble gaboon vipers, except rhinoceros vipers are much more colorful.
Rhinoceros vipers tend to inhabit tropical forests and swampy environments, often near water. This is how they got the nickname river jack. They are terrestrial and nocturnal, often hiding on the ground during the day in leaf litter, holes, and around fallen trees and tree roots. They are ambush hunters, using their camouflage to hide and wait patiently for their prey to walk by so they can strike. Mainly they will hunt for small mammals, however, they are occasionally observed eating amphibians and fish
While these beautiful snakes are often considered slow-moving, placid, and not aggressive, they still aren’t to be messed with. They are highly venomous snakes and can strike at lightning speed if provoked or hungry.
9. Togo Fan-Footed Gecko
Scientific Name: Ptyodactylus togoensis
Geographic Range: Togo, Libya
Conservation Status: Not Found
Not much is known about the interesting-looking Togo fan-footed gecko. Like many geckos they are most likely arboreal, spending minimal time on the ground. They most likely also lay eggs and are insectivores, feeding on the insects that are available in their habitat. Their body color can be various colors, including greys, browns, and yellows. Their eyes also appear to be either amber or gold in color.
Fan-footed geckos are geckos that have long slender toes that end in rather large toe pads, that almost resemble a fan. This is why they got the name fan-footed. It’s thought these large toe pads help the gecko climb relatively smooth surfaces.
10. African Five-lined Skink
Scientific Name: Trachylepis quinquetaeniata
Geographic Range: Throughout A Large Portion Of Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
The African five-lined skink is a skink with a rounded body, short strong limbs, and a pointed snout. Their color can vary greatly depending on age and gender. However, they are usually olive brown or dark brown in color, with metallic scales, and golden brown eyes, and some may have pearly white spots. Some females have stripes running down their bodies that lead to a blue tail. Males tend to be more solid colored with yellow tails, and some may have blue or yellow markings on the sides of their faces. On average they are 20cm (7.9 inches) in length.
In the wild, they prefer rocky or grassland habitats. African five-lined skinks are diurnal and mostly terrestrial, however, they do sometimes like to climb on rocks and trees. They are mainly insectivores, eating things like beetles, butterflies, and ants. Occasionally they will eat other things like flowers, small lizards, and fruit.
11. West African Black Forest Turtle
Scientific Name: Pelusios niger
Geographic Range: Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
The West African black forest turtle is a cool-looking turtle that is mainly found in freshwater, like lakes and quiet rivers, in wetland forest areas. They are omnivorous, however, the main part of their diet tends to lean towards being more carnivorous. Their diet depends on the season, where they live, and how polluted the area they live in is. The population of this turtle is becoming threatened due to hunting by humans for food, as well as pollution in their native habitat, like oil spills. They are kept as pets and do fairly well in captivity if properly cared for.
West African black forest turtles have a carapace length of around 35.5cm (14 inches), with females tending to be smaller. Their shell can range from light brown to dark brown or black, with the shell usually darkening with age. Hatchlings may also be born lighter or with a pattern, which again, will fade/become darker as they age.
12. West African Banded Cobra
Scientific Name: Naja savannula
Geographic Range: Cameroon, Gambia, Senegal
Conservation Status: Least Concern
And last but not least on our list of West African reptiles, we have the West African banded cobra. The West African banded cobra is a venomous snake that can be found in the savannas and savanna woodlands of West Africa. Due to their habitat, this is where they got the specific name savannula from. Their common name is due to the fact they live in West Africa, and because of the 3 – 8 creamy yellow bands that are on their front upper body. Their lips and sides of their head are usually the same as the color of their bands, the tops of their heads and neck are dark brown, and the rest of their body is black. The maximum recorded length of one of these cobras is 2.23m (7.3 feet), which is quite large! It is most likely carnivorous like other cobras.
It was originally thought that the West African banded cobra was the same as the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca). However, recently it was found they are different, and the West African banded cobra was made into its own species.
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