page_title: Wildlife of Liberia
section_title: Reptiles and amphibians
hierarchical_section_title: Wildlife of Liberia / Fauna / Reptiles and amphibians
caption_attribution_description: English: Bitis gabonica rhinoceros
context_page_description: The wildlife of Liberia consists of the flora and fauna of the Republic of Liberia. This West African nation has a long Atlantic coastline and a range of habitat types, with a corresponding diversity of plants and animals. Liberia is considered a biodiversity hotspot and has more intact forests characteristic of the Upper Guinea Massif than do neighbouring countries. There are 2000 species of vascular plants, approximately 140 species of mammals, and over 600 species of birds.
context_section_description: The Nile crocodile and the dwarf crocodile occur in the coastal mangrove swamps but are rare, while the West African crocodile occurs further inland and is relatively common. There are a wide variety of lizards, chameleons, geckos and snakes, including Bitis rhinoceros, a venomous viper endemic to West Africa, slender tree snakes that feed on birds and their eggs, and blind snakes in the genus Typhlops. Six species of turtle are found in Liberia, three marine and three freshwater, although one of the latter, the forest hinge-back tortoise is largely terrestrial.
  With the high rainfall, amphibians are plentiful in the country, and include several genera endemic to the region including Silurana, Hymenochirus and Pseudhymenochirus. Other frogs native to Liberia include the African common toad, the western clawed frog, and the crowned bullfrog. A number of species of tree frog live in the foliage of trees, and the worm-like caecilian Geotrypetes seraphini inhabits ants' nests.
caption: Bitis rhinoceros
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