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Beta Species Catalog

Every reptile, beautifully documented

Browse the beta ReptiTrack species catalog with husbandry profiles for 100 species across 1 types.

The whole species catalog is in beta. Verified profiles have been reviewed by ReptiTrack, and every profile can keep improving through sources and community corrections.
100

Species

1

Types

26

Low care

∞

Care Tips

Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boa

Corallus batesii

The Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus batesii) has a refined, almost regal version of the emerald tree boa look, often with bold white dorsal markings and a heavy arboreal build. It is prized by keepers who care about exact identity and the differences between emerald boa forms. In captivity, it is a display snake for experienced hands. Husbandry stability, perch design, and low-stress maintenance matter more than handling. For the right keeper, the Amazon Basin emerald is less a pet to hold than a living piece of natural architecture.

Snake
Boidae (Boinae)

Amazon Tree Boa

Corallus hortulana

The Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana) is a chaos artist in snake form: slender, long-tailed, and famous for wild variation in color and pattern. Individuals may be brown, orange, yellow, gray, patterned, or nearly patternless, making natural diversity part of the attraction. As a captive, this species is usually for keepers who appreciate attitude. Many Amazon tree boas are defensive, quick to posture, and better for display than casual handling. That edge is part of the appeal: a vivid, reactive arboreal snake with far more personality than its size implies.

Snake
Boidae (Boinae)

Amethystine Python

Simalia amethistina

The Amethystine Python (Simalia amethistina) is a long, athletic python named for the iridescent sheen that can flash across its scales. Its build is elegant rather than bulky, and its alertness gives it a high-performance feel compared with heavier giants. This species is for advanced keepers who understand large, fast, intelligent snakes. It is not a casual handling pet, and its enclosure needs can be substantial. For the right person, though, the appeal is immense: a radiant, active python that feels like a living ribbon of muscle and light.

Snake
Pythonidae

Angolan Python

Python anchietae

The Angolan Python (Python anchietae) has a polished, beadlike beauty that stands apart from the familiar pet-store pythons. Its warm brown pattern, smooth shine, and slightly rarefied status make it appealing to keepers who want a python that feels special without depending on a large designer morph catalog. As a pet, it is usually discussed as a species for experienced, research-minded keepers. Captive-bred animals are the ones to look for, and availability can be limited. The reward is a manageable but distinctive python with a natural elegance, best suited to someone who enjoys careful sourcing and does not need a snake that everyone else already owns.

Snake
Pythonidae

Arabian Sand Boa

Eryx jayakari

The Arabian Sand Boa (Eryx jayakari) is one of the strangest-looking snakes in the hobby, with eyes set high on the head and a body shaped for life under loose substrate. Its face has an odd, almost cartoonish quality, but the design is all function. As a pet, it is a specialist burrower for keepers who like unusual animals more than constant visibility. It is not a typical handling snake and should be approached as a display of natural behavior. The appeal is pure oddity: a sand-swimming boa that looks like evolution made a very specific bet.

Snake
Boidae (Erycinae

Atlantic Central American Milk Snake

Lampropeltis polyzona

The Atlantic Central American Milk Snake (Lampropeltis polyzona) brings a bold, tropical-feeling tri-color pattern to the Lampropeltis group. It has the red-black-pale rhythm milk snake keepers love, but with its own proportions and collector appeal. As a pet, it suits keepers who enjoy visually striking colubrids and understand that milksnakes can be secretive or food-focused. It is less about constant handling and more about a clean, vivid display animal that becomes steadier with routine.

Snake
Colubridae
Handleable

Baird's Rat Snake

Pantherophis bairdi

The Baird's Rat Snake (Pantherophis bairdi) is a polished, elegant rat snake, often admired for silvery, orange, or warm-toned animals with clean striping or subtle pattern. It feels a little more refined than the rough-and-ready rat snake stereotype. As a pet, Baird's rat snake can be a rewarding choice for keepers who like active colubrids but want something less common than a corn snake. It may be quick and alert, especially when young, yet many captive-bred individuals become steady with routine. Its beauty is sleek rather than loud.

Snake
Colubridae

Ball Python

Python regius

The Ball Python (Python regius) has become the calm center of modern snake keeping: rounded, deliberate, and famous for folding itself into a neat defensive ball when unsure. Its wild-type pattern is already handsome, but the captive-bred morph world is enormous, with pieds, bananas, clowns, lavenders, axanthics, and countless subtle combinations giving keepers a wide visual palette without changing the animal into a different species. As a pet, the ball python is usually quiet rather than busy. It tends to reward patient routines, snug hides, steady warmth, and low-stress handling, though individuals can be shy or fussy about food. It is a good fit for keepers who like a gentle, long-lived snake with plenty of visual variety and do not need constant daytime activity.

Snake
Pythonidae
Docile

Banded Water Snake

Nerodia fasciata

The Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata) is a sturdy, active water-associated colubrid with bold bands and a strong feeding response. It is often mistaken by the public for more dangerous snakes, but in captivity it is simply a robust, opinionated animal with a lot of presence. As a pet, it is not a standard beginner choice. Nerodia can be defensive, messy, and very food-driven, but they are fascinating for keepers who enjoy naturalistic setups and active behavior. Their appeal is raw, practical snake energy rather than polish.

Snake
Colubridae (Natricinae)

Beauty Snake

Elaphe taeniura

The Beauty Snake (Elaphe taeniura) lives up to its name with a long, athletic body and bold striping that can look spectacular in motion. Captive lines such as blue beauty and other locality-style forms have made the group especially popular with colubrid fans. As pets, beauty snakes are active, intelligent-feeling, and often a little intense. They need space, secure caging, and confident handling, especially when young. Their appeal is energy and elegance: a snake that uses its body like a ribbon and never feels dull.

Snake
Colubridae

Black Kingsnake

Lampropeltis nigra

The Black Kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra) is the minimalist of the kingsnake set, often dark, glossy, and clean-lined. The appeal is not busy pattern but that polished, almost liquid look, especially on a well-kept adult. In captivity, black kingsnakes offer the familiar kingsnake package: hardy, alert, hungry, and usually manageable with steady handling. They suit keepers who want a strong visual statement without bright color. A black kingsnake in good light can be as dramatic as any morph.

Snake
Colubridae
Handleable

Black Rat Snake

Pantherophis obsoletus

The Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) grows into a sleek, dark, athletic colubrid with a strong climbing instinct and a confident presence. Young animals may look patterned and change dramatically as they mature, which gives the species a satisfying before-and-after quality. As a pet, the black rat snake suits keepers who enjoy movement. It can be fast, curious, and food-motivated, so secure caging and calm handling matter. For someone who wants a native-style colubrid with size, gloss, and personality, it has a lot to offer.

Snake
Colubridae
Active

Black-Headed Python

Aspidites melanocephalus

The Black-Headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus) is instantly recognizable, with a dark head set against a clean, banded body. It has a confident terrestrial style and a face that gives it a calm, purposeful expression, even when it is simply cruising its enclosure. In the hobby, black-headed pythons are admired as impressive but specialist pets. They can be strong feeders and substantial snakes, and they suit keepers who want something more unusual than a carpet or ball python. Their appeal is in that bold natural design: simple, graphic, and unmistakable.

Snake
Pythonidae

Blood Python

Python brongersmai

The Blood Python (Python brongersmai) feels almost sculpted: short for a python, broad through the body, and carried with a heavy, purposeful stillness. The species is prized for deep reds, burnt oranges, dark chocolate tones, ivory-sided animals, stripes, matrix-style patterning, and other captive-bred looks that emphasize its compact power. In captivity, blood pythons are best understood as serious ambush snakes, not oversized corn snakes. Many settle into calm, predictable captives when their keeper respects security, handling limits, and body language, but they can be intense if pushed. Their appeal is that heavy presence: grounded, watchful, and surprisingly expressive for an animal that often chooses stillness.

Snake
Pythonidae

Boa Constrictor

Boa constrictor

The Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) is the classic boa: muscular, deliberate, and patterned with saddle marks that make even a normal animal look impressive. In the hobby, true boa constrictors are often discussed separately from common boas, and careful lineage matters. As pets, boas can be calm and deeply rewarding when captive-bred and handled respectfully, but they are strong animals with long-term housing and feeding needs. The appeal is their steady presence. A good boa feels less like a novelty and more like a centerpiece animal you build a routine around.

Snake
Boidae (Boinae)
Docile

Boelen's Python

Simalia boeleni

The Boelen's Python (Simalia boeleni) has near-mythic status among python keepers, with a velvety black body, pale underside, and iridescence that can look blue or oil-slick in good light. It is admired as much for its rarity and elegance as for its husbandry challenge. As a captive, Boelen's python belongs with deeply prepared keepers. Availability is limited, sourcing matters, and the species is not a casual pet-trade staple. Its draw is the privilege of keeping something extraordinary: quiet, dark, luminous, and demanding respect.

Snake
Pythonidae

Borneo Short-Tailed Python

Python breitensteini

The Borneo Short-Tailed Python (Python breitensteini) shares the dense build of the short-tailed python group, but its personality in a collection is often quieter and earthier than its flashier relatives. Browns, silvers, charcoal patterning, and reduced-pattern projects give it a rugged, understated beauty rather than a neon morph-show feel. As a pet, this is a snake for keepers who like patient work. A Borneo short-tail may spend long stretches tucked away, then emerge with surprising weight and intent. With calm handling and a secure setup, many become dependable captives, but they still suit people who appreciate a powerful, low-slung python on its own terms.

Snake
Pythonidae

Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Epicrates cenchria

The Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria) is famous for the way light breaks across its scales, turning a reddish-brown snake into an oil-slick shimmer. That iridescence is not a gimmick; it is the central magic of the species, especially on a healthy animal in good condition. As pets, Brazilian rainbow boas are usually intermediate animals. They can become beautiful, steady captives, but they are more sensitive than the easiest beginner snakes and benefit from careful environmental consistency. For keepers who enjoy a little precision, the reward is one of the most visually enchanting boas in the hobby.

Snake
Boidae (Boinae)
Docile

Bredl's Python

Morelia bredli

The Bredl's Python (Morelia bredli) has a warm desert-fire look, with oranges, reds, creams, and dark edging giving many animals a rich, sunbaked glow. It is a carpet-python relative, but it often feels heavier, steadier, and more deliberate than the quicker coastal-style carpets. Captive-bred Bredl's pythons can make impressive display snakes for intermediate keepers. They are still strong, active pythons that need room and confident handling, but their temperament is often one of their selling points. For someone who wants a large, handsome python without stepping into true giant territory, Bredl's has a devoted following.

Snake
Pythonidae

Bull Snake

Pituophis catenifer sayi

The Bull Snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) is the heavyweight character actor of the colubrid world. Large, loud when defensive, and full of bluff, it can seem intimidating until you understand that much of the drama is performance. In captivity, bull snakes can become excellent, engaging pets for keepers who like robust animals and do not mind a little attitude. They need secure enclosures and confident handling, but they reward consistency. A good bull snake is bold, visible, and never boring.

Snake
Colubridae
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