Content tagged with "Reptiles and Amphibians"

Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racer

Coluber constrictor flaviventris

Racers prefer bushy fields, grasslands and open woods. This species is active by day and will take shelter under rocks, brush or in animal burrows if pursued. As the name implies, racers can move fast, especially through tall grass or brush. As with many of our harmless snakes, a racer sometimes will vibrate its tail when alarmed.

False Map Turtle

Graptemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica

This medium-sized species has a low ridge, or keel, along the center of the upper shell. Much time is devoted to basking in the sun on logs projecting from the water.

Five-Lined Skink

Plestiodon fasciatus

Often called the "blue-tailed" skink, this is Missouri's most common skink. It has five light lines from the head to the base of the tail. Adult females have brighter stripes than adult males.

Flat-Headed Snake

Tantilla gracilus

This small snake is found in the southern half of the state except the far southeastern corner. Its general color is tan, gray-brown or reddish-brown. The head sometimes is slightly darker than the rest of the body or is black, and the belly is salmon pink.

Fowler's Toad

Anaxyrus fowleri

The common toad of gravel and sand bars along our many Ozark streams and rivers, and the most common toad in the Mississippi Lowlands. They typically have paired dark markings with three or more warts, and may have a ground color of gray, greenish-gray, tan or brown.

Graham's Crayfish Snake

Regina grahamii

This semiaquatic snake is fairly nondescript. They are brown to yellow-brown with yellowish-tan stripes along the side of the body. Like most other snakes associated with water, Graham's crayfish snakes are often misidentified as western cottonmouths and needlessly killed.