Pelophylax bedriagae (Camerano, 1882).

Length up to 90 mm. A large, robust, slim-waisted frog with a pointed snout, fairly long legs, and large prominent eyes with horizontal pupils. The dorsal color is green marbled with yellow, brown, and black. The Marsh Frog inhabits small ponds, ditches, swamps, and riversides. It is gregarious, diurnal, aquatic, active, and agile. It feeds on flies, spiders, worms, young fish, and the larvae of water beetles. In Egypt, it is found in the lower Nile Valley and northeast Sinai, while elsewhere it is distributed in the eastern Mediterranean. It is common and localized.

Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758).

Carapace length up to 2130 mm. This turtle is distinguished by its massive head with powerful jaws; the carapace is elongated with margins that are serrated in adolescents; less but still distinct in adults. The color is dark brown sometimes with green or darker blotches. The Loggerhead Turtle is a marine turtle, but may also be found in estuaries, lagoons, and creeks. It is mainly carnivorous feeding on sponges, jellyfish, crabs and fish, and occasionally seaweeds and seagrasses. Typically, 4-5 clutches of eggs are laid per season at 2-3 year intervals; each clutch consists of 64-200 round parchment-shelled eggs, which takes an incubation period of 49-71 days. In Egyptian waters, it is found in the Mediterranean and rarely in the Red Sea. Globally, it is distributed through the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, sometimes far north and south. In common with other marine turtles, it is endangered due to the loss of nesting habitat, hunting, and being caught in fishing nets.

Cerastes cerastes (Linnaeus, 1758).

Length up to 750 mm. A short, stout viper with strongly keeled dorsal scales. The head is broad, more or less triangular, flat, and markedly distinct from the neck. Many but not all vipers of this species possess a horn-like scale above each eye. The color is variable, more or less depending on the sand on which the population lives, with regular brownish blotches. The Horned Viper inhabits rocky, gravelly, and sandy areas, but not areas of extensive sand dunes. It is a strictly nocturnal sidewinder; feeds on lizards, small rodents, and small birds. It is venomous and dangerous but rather slow moving. It is oviparous; 10-20 soft-shelled eggs are laid and the incubation takes 6-8 weeks. In Egypt, it is found throughout the Western, Eastern, and Sinai Deserts. It is common and widespread also throughout the Sahara and its bordering areas from Morocco to Egypt.

Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766).

Carapace length is up to 910 mm. The carapace is depressed with serrated edges; the snout is elongated and forms the prominent, rather tapered, unnotched bird-like ‘beak’ that gives it its common name. The forelimbs have two claws; carapace color is dark greenish-brown. The Hawksbill Turtle feeds mainly on sponges, which account for about 95% of its diet; it also eats sea anemones, soft corals, crustaceans and mollusks, and some seagrasses and algae. The female comes ashore at night to dig the nest and lay 53-206 eggs, which she covers carefully before returning to the sea and leaving the eggs to incubate for 47-74 days. This turtle, like all sea turtles, is a critically endangered species, largely because of the demand for tortoiseshell and stuffed turtles, which has caused a major decline in its number worldwide. In Egypt, coastal development is threatening its nesting beaches. It is found in the Egyptian Red Sea, Gulf of Suez, and the Gulf of Aqaba. Globally, it is distributed in all tropical and temperate seas and erratically in the Mediterranean.

Ptyodactylus hasselquistii (Donndorff, 1798).

Length up to 98 mm. A medium-sized, slender gecko with slender free digits that are strongly dilated only at the tips forming its characteristic triangular terminal pads. The lamellae on the underside of the terminal pad are divided and radiate, in a fan-like manner, outwards from the digit. The head is narrow and relatively flat; the snout is elongated. Color varies greatly according to the surroundings, but is generally a light pinkish-grey; the pattern is composed of fairly well defined, dark, transverse bands on dorsum and tail. The Fan-toed Gecko lives in a wide variety of habitats. In the Nile Valley and on the Red Sea coast, it is associated with man and is found on and in buildings. In the wadis of the Eastern Desert and South Sinai, it is found on boulders, vertical rock faces, under ledges, and in caves. Two eggs are laid and are glued to rocks in secure localities; sometimes the eggs are laid communally. Vocalization consists of a series of loud clicks. In Egypt, this common gecko is found in the Nile Valley, Eastern Desert, and South Sinai. Its range also extends from northern Sudan, east of the Nile, through Egypt to southern Israel and Jordan to Arabia.

Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758).

Carapace length is up to 1530 mm. The carapace is smooth and round; in adults, the carapace color is predominantly brown. This is the only marine turtle that is largely herbivorous; the adult feeds on seagrasses, green, brown, and red algae, and occasionally sponges, jellyfish, and crustaceans; the juvenile is more carnivorous. The Green Turtle is endangered due to the destruction of the nesting beaches caused by coastal development, including filling of shallow coastal waters and also due to the contamination of seawater with oil and other pollutants. In Egypt, this turtle is found in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Its global range is mainly in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans where it is now uncommon and endangered.

Stenodactylus sthenodactylus (Lichtenstein, 1823).

Length up to 60 mm. A medium-sized gecko with a short body, large head, and tapering tail; limbs are long and slender; toes are slender and not divided. The color is sandy with darker transverse bands and white spots. The Elegant Gecko lives in open flat gravel desert with or without vegetation; found under stones. It is nocturnal and active at dusk feeding on small insects. Two eggs are laid per clutch and the incubation lasts for 70-80 days. In Egypt, it is distributed throughout the Western and Eastern Deserts, Sinai, and margins of the Nile Valley. It is common and widespread throughout its range from North Africa to Senegal, northern Nigeria and Eritrea, and east to Israel and Jordan.

Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883.

Carapace length is up to 140 mm. A small tortoise with a smooth, domed carapace and forelimbs with three rows of large, imbricate, horny scales. The shell is generally yellowish with dark margins to each scute. The Egyptian Tortoise inhabits well-vegetated sandy and stony desert areas along the Mediterranean Coast; it is diurnal; feeds on leaves, stems, and flowers and is most active during winter and spring. During the hot dry summer, it aestivates (ceases all activity). Two or three clutches of 1-3 eggs are laid each year and the incubation lasts for 70-119 days. In Egypt, it is found on the Mediterranean Coastal Desert. Its world range is limited to northeastern Libya, northern Egypt, Sinai, and southern Israel. It is a critically endangered species that has suffered greatly from habitat destruction and rampant collection for the pet trade.

Sclerophrys regularis (Reuss, 1833).

Length up to 130 mm. A medium-sized toad with a distinct tympanum and parotoid glands. Warts on the back are flat and irregularly distributed; the ventral skin is granulated. The color is olive-brown or olive-grey with more or less contrasting brown spots that are usually symmetrically arranged; the underparts are uniformly white. The Square-marked Toad lives along the rivers and canals, as well as in gardens, even urban ones, and among cultivation. It is nocturnal and feeds on insects, worms, and snails. It is able to withstand periods of several days out of the water. In Egypt, it is found in the Nile Valley and Delta and in Faiyum, while its global distribution covers all of Africa except the northwest. It is common and widespread.

Tarentola annularis (Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, 1827).

Length up to 140 mm. A very sturdy gecko with regular rows of medium-sized tubercles on the back; the head is large and broad; the toe pads are not divided. It is brownish-grey in color with four contrasting black-ringed white spots in the shoulder region. The Egyptian Gecko inhabits rocky wadis, ruins, and old buildings. It is nocturnal in habit and feeds on insects and small lizards; this aggressive animal is known to have cannibalistic tendencies. Two eggs are laid per clutch and the incubation lasts for 120 days; they are often found in small colonies. The Egyptian range of this species covers the Western and Eastern Deserts and the Nile Valley, but not Sinai. The global range extends to Africa south of the Sahara. It is common and widespread.