US states adopt official reptiles, including lizards, snakes, alligators, turtles, and tortoises. Only half of the states have a reptilian symbol, with some sharing species such as the eastern box turtle and painted turtle. The Blanding’s tortoise is Minnesota’s unofficial state reptile, while the desert tortoise is the official state reptile of California and Nevada. Some states have chosen snakes, while others have opted for lizards like the horned toad. Adoption requires a bill to be passed by the legislature.
A state reptile is a species of lizard, snake, alligator, turtle, tortoise, or tortoise officially adopted by one of the US states. The reptile is found in the state, though not necessarily in abundance or all of it. Only about half of U.S. states have a reptilian state symbol, though most have an official motto, nickname, flower, and bug. All 50 states have adopted a state bird and tree. For a reptile to be considered by a state, it must first be proposed in a bill before it can be passed by the legislature and officially adopted.
Minnesota’s unofficial state reptile is the Blanding’s tortoise, which is considered an endangered species. Minnesota makes conservation and protection efforts to keep the species from being eliminated. Although Blanding’s tortoise was proposed in 1998 as a state reptile, it has not been officially adopted.
States that have officially chosen turtles include Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Like Louisiana, the American alligator is the official state reptile of Florida; sea turtle, which is also South Carolina’s pick, is its saltwater selection. North Carolina and Tennessee share the eastern box turtle as their states’ official reptile. Colorado and Michigan share the painted turtle. The Alabama state turtle is the red-bellied variety, while Kansas supports the ornate box turtle and New York has the snapping turtle.
The tortoiseshell is a species of tortoise that tends to prefer drier habitats. While many tortoises like to live in wetlands but are versatile, most US tortoises prefer dry, warm, sandy soils. The desert tortoise, which is the state reptile of California and Nevada, is one such tortoise. Another is Georgia’s official reptile, the gopher tortoise, which prefers sunny weather and dry, sandy soil.
Tortoise is another species of tortoise that typically prefers a different environment. Maryland’s state reptile is the terrapin. This type of turtle spends most of its life in coastal swampy waters.
Snakes are the state reptiles for four states. Two species of rattlesnake, crest nose for Arizona and timber for West Virginia, are state reptiles. Ohio has officially adopted the black race snake as a reptile, while the state reptile of Massachusetts is the garter snake.
Both Texas and Wyoming have the horned toad, which is actually a lizard, as their state reptile. The “horned” part of the name refers to the spines on the reptile’s back. The “toad” refers to the round midsection of this lizard which is a member of the iguana family. New Mexico’s state reptile is the whip-tailed lizard, while the eastern collared lizard is Oklahoma’s official choice.
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