The reptiles comprise one of the largest parts of the entire Indian wildlife and are found all over the country. The Indian reptiles mainly inhabit in the numerous rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps or the other water bodies and they include the snakes, crocodiles, tortoise, turtle etc. India is home to numerous reptile species and they constitute 6.2 percent of the total population of reptiles in the world. Out of all the Indian reptiles, about 30 have been listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2006).

The snakes are one of the most common Indian reptiles. They belong to the order of Squamata or scaled reptiles, which is the largest order of reptiles, including both the lizards and the snakes. Snakes are the carnivorous reptiles that have an acute sense of sight and smell and they are also scaly, limbless and elongate reptiles. The skin of the snakes is covered with smooth and dry scales and they use specialised belly scales in travelling. Snakes shed their skin periodically by rubbing its nose against a rock and it is believed that snakes descend from the lizard like ancestors. The main differences between snakes and lizards are that, the snakes do not have eyelids, external ear openings, and limbs, like the lizards.

The snakes have the poison glands that are actually some modified salivary glands. They secrete poison and it`s their principal weapon for capturing prey. The snakes mainly inhabit in paddy fields and open sandy areas and they adapt to the environments in the tropical and temperate regions. Snakes smell the presence of food by their forked tongue and as they do not have external ears, they can only feel vibrations. The locomotion of the snakes is known as serpentine locomotion and they usually move through the lateral undulations of their body. Most of the snakes incubate their eggs. In order to accelerate hatching, the female snake usually coils herself on the eggs. The snakes usually mate during the winter and the eggs are laid some 3-4 months later. The eggs hatch about 6 weeks after being laid. The climatic condition of India appears to be ideal for the snakes.

Apart from the snakes, there are several other types of Indian reptiles that inhabit all over the country. The Dhaman is one of the prominent Indian reptiles and it is commonly found in the plains. The Dhamans swallow their prey at once and they reach its stomach alive and then, they kill the prey by pressing it against the ground with its body. The Dhaman is the only snake that performs a `combat dance`, which takes place between rival males. The Fasciolated Ratsnake is considered as a harmless snake and is a notable one among the Indian reptiles. It is capable of flattening its fore body like a cobra. It can stick firmly to the floor and also has the ability to travel swiftly avoiding human eyes. It erects its hood like a cobra, when excited and it strikes only if further challenged. It is most commonly found in the state of West Bengal in India.

The Gray`s Rat Snake, which is also known as glossy bellied racer, is another notable species among the Indian reptiles. It belongs to the species of rat snake or racer and is a fast and active snake. Hence, it is given the name, racer. It mainly inhabits in stony hillsides, open or cultivated lands and is commonly found in Pokaran district in the Thar Desert. The Diadem Snake has the distinction of being named as the prettiest of all snakes. It is also known as the royal snake. Though it has similarity in shape to a cat snake, it has an oval head. The Common Kukri Snake is another species of Indian reptiles. This is quite a muscular snake and is capable of inflating itself to a remarkable degree when disturbed. The main reason behind this ability is that, its lung can expand backward into its chest cavity.

Among the Indian reptiles, the Variegated Kukri snake is another notable one. It is a slender snake and its colour varies considerably. This snake prefers to live in a place where frogs spawn and it rests on leaf litter. The snake is commonly found in both India and Sri Lanka. The Indian varieties of this snake have a darker or buff base coloured with black or yellowish markings. There are several strange beliefs regarding this snake in different parts of India. The Painted Bronze Back is a common species of Indian reptiles. It can be found in a variety of habitats like shrubs, forests, back-beach habitats and also in parks and gardens. It is a nervous kind of snake and usually flees swiftly when threatened or disturbed. Its bronze head, black eye-stripe and cream lateral stripes along the length of the body help a lot to identify it easily.

Another common type of snake among the Indian reptiles is the Golden Tree. It is described as a handsome snake and though it is named as Golden Tree, it has an attractive green or greenish-yellow on a black background. It has the ability to glide through the air and is most commonly found in forests, plantations, agricultural areas and rural gardens. The Common Wolf Snake is also a common nocturnal snake that has light to dark mud brown body with light coloured bands. The snake is not poisonous and is often mistaken as Kraits. As it has an enlarged upper tooth, it is called as the Common Wolf Snake. These teethes help the snake to grip lizards and geckos and hence, it is commonly found in tiled roof of houses.

Among the huge variety of Indian reptiles, the Shaws Wolf Snake is one of the common ones. This snake has close resemblance to its relative, the Common Wolf Snake, as it also has a glossy dark brown colour with yellow transverse stripes. It has a broad and flat snout and its muscular body becomes active by nightfall. The snake is capable of lighting fast movements; however, it remains sluggish during the day. It is quite timid and usually does not make any attempt to attack, even if it is harassed. It will at the most timidly attempt to escape if stumbled upon and if cornered, it will coil it up and hide its head amidst its thick coils to protect itself. Another common snake in India is the Travancore Wood Snake. It is a harmless snake that is purplish or black in colour and has the presence of yellow crossbars on it. This snake is commonly found on the hilly areas of Southern India.

The Keel Back Snake is a common one among the India reptiles and it is of different kinds. The different kids of Keel Back Snakes are named as the Olivaceous Keel Back, the Green Keel Back, etc. These snakes can again be classified into two categories like those living in waters and those living in fields. The snakes that live in water are considered as the cruelest among Indian snakes and those that live in fields considered as the gentlest ones. The Condanarous Sand Snake is also considered as one of the most poisonous snakes among the Indian reptiles. They are very dangerous and have fangs on the back of their upper jaws. They mainly inhabit in the green grasslands and in jungles. Another common snake of the Indian reptiles is the Cat Snake. The snake can be classified in two types like the Indian Gamma Cat Snake and the Ceylon Cat Snake. It is a mildly venomous snake and its fang is at the rear. The Cat Snake belongs to the family of colubridae snakes and is typically known as Cat Eyed Snake or just Cat Snake.

One of the common snakes among the Indian reptiles is the Common Green Whip Snake. As the name indicates, the snake is green in colour and the green colour is mainly produced by the interaction of a yellow pigment on its scales with the blue of the skin. The snake is considered as mildly poisonous and has the habit of striking at the eyes of the prey. It raises its fore body and coils in a zigzag manner whenever it sees a prey and then darts forward to catch the prey. The Water Snake is one of the most commonly found Indian reptiles. Most of the Water Snakes have dark spots on their body. They are generally stout and their scales are keeled. The Water Snake is an aquatic species frequenting fresh and brackish water. Another kind of Indian reptiles is the Indian Egg-Eating Snake. This snake has a close similarity with the African type of Egg Eating Snakes and it is considered to be a rare species of Egg-Eating Snake. It has great skill in eating the contents inside the egg without wasting a single drop. It can eat egg skillfully, no matter however big the egg is.

Another commonly found species of the Indian reptiles is the snake, named as Kraits. This snake is of two types like the common Indian Krait and the Banded Krait. The Kraits are the harmful variety of snakes and they are counted as one of the deadliest among the poisonous snakes of the world. The McClelland`s Coral Snake is one of the rarest kinds of Indian reptiles. They can be found up to 4000 meters in the Himalayas and they usually prefer to stay in heavy forests. They are an inoffensive and sluggish species of Indian reptiles. The Cobra is probably the most recognisable one among all the Indian reptiles. It can be easily identified for their hood. The hood is the section of its neck, which it flattens outwards, when in danger. The Cobras usually vary in colour from black or dark brown to yellow colour and they kill their prey by injecting neurotoxin through their fangs. The most common varieties of Cobras include the Indian Cobra and the King Cobra.

Apart from all the above mentioned snakes, there are also several other kinds of Indian reptiles, including the Chameleon. Only one species of Chameleons is found in the Indian subcontinent and the species is scientifically known as Chamaeleo zeylanicus. The Gharial Crocodile is another popular Indian reptile that is counted amongst the largest crocodile species in the world. Gharial is also one of the two surviving members of the Gavialidae family. The Indian Gharials have an elongated and narrow snout that becomes thinner with age and there is also bulbous growth on the tip of an adult male`s snout. The Mugger Crocodile is another kind of crocodile in India. This belongs to the Crocodylidae Family and is scientifically known as Crocodylus palustris. The adult Mugger crocodiles are bright olive in colour and the younger ones are on the paler side. The entire body of the Mugger crocodiles is spotted with black and scaled and its outer toes and fingers are webbed at the base.

One of the common one amongst the Indian reptiles, the Indian Tortoise belongs to the Testudines Order. Like the Turtles, the Tortoise also has a shell as its protective covering. It has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton and the length of a Tortoise usually varies between a few centimeters and two meters. In fact, the growth of a tortoise entirely depends upon the amount of food and water it eats. The Turtle is another common Indian reptile that belongs to the Testudines order of reptiles and the Chelonia crown group, along with the Tortoise and Terrapin. The body of a Turtle remains covered with special bony or cartilaginous shell that develops from its ribs. The Turtle is considered to be one of the oldest Indian reptile groups, as it was in existence even before lizards and snakes. Another noteworthy Indian reptile is the Water Monitor. This lizard is counted among the largest and heaviest species of lizards, second only to the Komodo Monitors. The Water Monitor has an average length of around 4 feet and its entire upper body has round and protruding scales. The abdomen of Water Monitor remains covered with smooth scales.