All of Tasmania's reptiles are squamates, the total fauna consisting of eighteen species of lizard and three species of snake.
Tasmania's cool to cold climate makes it a potentially difficult area for reptiles to inhabit, and the State's reptile fauna is modest in comparison with areas of similar size on the Australian mainland. However the fauna is of great interest precisely because of the adversity of the conditions which Tasmanian species have successfully overcome. Moreover, the island boasts a distinctive radiation of endemic lizards, seven species being restricted to the State.
Reptiles in cold climates are predominately viviparous (giving birth to fully developed young), and the Tasmanian reptile fauna is a good example, with only three typically oviparous (egg laying) species.