Reptiles

Animals and Plants of the Region

Species Spotlight: Rough Green Snake

Rough Green Snake
Big Thicket Association

Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys aestivus

Description: Plain light green, slender snake with white, cream or yellow belly. Adult length is 22-32 in. (56-81 cm). Juvenile coloration is similar to adults, but not as brightly colored. The females lay up to a dozen eggs in rotting logs or stumps during June or July. The eggs hatch in late summer. It is docile and will not bite.

Habitat: This snake is distinctly arboreal and is found in trees, low bushes, tangles of vines, or tall grass. Often found in lush green vegetation overhanging streams and ponds and in gardens. It escapes from predators by climbing into dense vegetation for camouflage.

Distribution: Ranges from northern Florida to southern New Jersey and west to eastern Texas, Nebraska, and Missouri.

Resources:

Florida Museum of Natural History

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Reptiles

American alligator [Image courtesy of James Henderson, Gulf South Research Corporation, www.insectimages.org]

Reptiles belong to the class Reptilia. They are ectotherms (cold-blooded), vertebrates, and have skin that is covered with hard overlapping scales. Many lay their eggs on land, usually buried in the ground. The young look like miniature versions of their parents. Reptiles include alligators, lizards, snakes, and turtles.

Several reptiles found in the Central Southwest/Gulf Coast region are on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Threatened and Endangered Species list. This list includes the American alligator, the American crocodile, the Gopher Tortoise, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the Green Sea Turtle, the hawksbill sea turtle, the leatherback sea turtle, the loggerhead sea turtle, the bluetail mole skink, the Concho Water Snake, the Alabama red-belly turtle, and the Ringed Map Turtle among others.

Below are additional resources and information from the NBII Catalog pertaining to reptiles of the Central Southwest/Gulf Coast region. To limit your search to a particular state, type the name into the search box.

Reptile Resources

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Ecology of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in northwestern Florida An evaluation of three aquatic sampling techniques for amphibians: implications for inventory and monitoring project design
Description: Web version of a poster presenting researc regarding baseline ecological data for C. serpentina from the southern portion of its range, in the Florida panhandle. Chelydra serpentina, the common snapping turtle, is one of the largest and most widely distributed turtles in North America. Life-history and demography of C. serpentina are relatively well-studied in some areas in the northern portion of its range, and research indicates that this species has a typical life history of a long-lived ectothermic vertebrate: slow growth rate to maturity, low egg and juvenile survivorship, low recruitment, and high adult survivorship.
Resource Type: Life Histories and Species Profiles
Resource Format: URL
Publisher: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC)