Reptiles on the SMESLReptiles on the SMESL

Environmental Education I

Mr. Wright

Spring 2008

Some of the snakes, turtles & lizards commonly seen on the SMESL.

• Snakes– Black Rat Snake– Prairie Ringnake– Prairie Kingsnake– Northern Water Snake– Gardner Snake– Yellow Belly Racer

• Turtles– Ornate Box Turtle– Three Toed Box Turtle– Red Eared Slider Turtle– Western Painted Turtle– Common Snapping Turtle

• Lizards– Five-lined Skink

• Others You Should Know– Copperhead– Rattle Snake

Black Rat Snake (Elpahe obsoleta)

Black Rat Snake in defensive posture ready to strike.

Its tail had been vibrating against leaf litter producing a buzzing sound similar to the sound of a Rattlesnake.

Black upper bodyBlack upper bodyWhitish bellyWhitish belly

Prairie Ringneck Snake(Diadophis punctatus)

• Small snake, usually 12 inches at the most

• Almost impossible to keep in captivity– Hard to feed

• Find in wooded and Grassy areas

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia Sipedon )

This snake is often misidentified as the venomous cottonmouth or copperhead. Why?

*Does not have a triangular head, colors not as bright as copperhead & thinner white bands

Prairie Kingsnake(Lampropeltis calligaster)

• 30 to 40 inches in length

• Found in grassy areas• If alarmed will vibrate

its tail. • Often mistaken for a

Great Plains rattlesnake.

• Back is patterned with brown to reddish circular blotches with black borders

• No bands or stripes • Found in Grassy areas

Eastern Yellowbelly Racer(Coluber constrictor )

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

The Eastern Garter Snake is one of our most common snakes. It grows up to four feet long.

It's color patterns can vary, but it almost always has three yellow stripes. Usually there is a checkerboard pattern of dark spots between the stripes.

Ornate Box Turtle(Terrapene ornata ornata)

Three-toed Box Turtle(Terrapene carolina triunguis)

Q: What’s the big difference?A: Lines on the shell for the Ornate Box Turtle and hind toes.

Prefers the grassy areas Prefers the wooded areas

Three-Toed Box Turtle Ornate Box Turtle

The word "ornate" means elaborately decorated. 

Male (♂) Ornate Box Turtle

Female (♀) Ornate Box Turtle

Red eyesRed eyes

Kansas State Reptile - 1986

Brown or yellow eyesBrown or yellow eyes

Q: What’s the difference?Q: What’s the difference?

Red-Eared Slider(Trachemys scripta )

Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Catching some rays.

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

The biggest turtle in Kansas. Common snapping turtles average 10 to 12 inches in upper shell length and weigh from 15 to 25 pounds.

The snapping turtles long neck

Snapping turtles will eat just about anything (alive or dead) they can find including fish, frogs, drowned animals,

crayfish and aquatic plants.

Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus)

Q: What happens to the tail if you grab it?

A: It falls off (to distract predators). Short term good thing but long term bad thing since the tail isn’t the same & takes a lot of energy to grow.

So don’t try it.So don’t try it.

Males (Males (♂) have blue tail♂) have blue tail

Some other natives we have not seen but you should be aware of.

Copperhead Snake Rattle Snake

Both venomousBoth venomous

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/eastern_garter_snake.htm

http://www.gpnc.org/ornate.htm

Snapping Turtles - http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/1996/06/50.html