Content tagged with "Reptiles and Amphibians"

Northern Rough Greensnake

Opheodrys aestivus aestivus

This long, slender snake is common in the Ozarks. It is light green above with a white or yellowish belly, and the scales on the back have small ridges or keels that feel rough to the touch. Its beautiful green color helps this mild-mannered insectivore blend in with the trees that are its home.

Northern Scarletsnake

Cemophora coccinea copei

One of Missouri's most brilliantly colored snakes is extremely rare to find. It is similar in pattern and color to the red milksnake, but instead has a red or orange color snout and a spotless, white belly. It is named for the red or crimson colored blotches along the back.

Northern Watersnake

Nerodia sipedon sipedon

Missouri's most common species of watersnake is gray to reddish-brown, with dark brown crossbands. The belly is cream-colored with numerous black and reddish half-moon markings. Although watersnakes will bite to defend themselves, their bites are harmless.

Orange-Striped Ribbonsnake

Thamnophis proximus proximus

Our subspecies of western ribbonsnake is the orange-striped ribbonsnake, named, naturally, for the attractive orange (or yellowish) stripes running down the length of its body. A member of the gartersnake group, this species is found statewide, but seldom far from water.

Ornate Box Turtle

Terrapene ornata ornata

This box turtle usually has four hind toes. Its high-domed shell is usually smooth on top, lacks a ridge, and is brown with yellow lines. Look for it in grassy habitats.

Osage Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster

Copperheads are pit vipers, with an opening on each side of the head and (in daylight) eyes with catlike, vertical pupils (our nonvenomous snakes have round pupils).

Ouachita Map Turtle

Graptemys ouachitensis ouachitensis

This is a small- to medium-sized, semi-aquatic turtle with a prominent ridge down the center of the upper shell and bright yellow lines on the head and limbs.

Pickerel Frog

Lithobates palustris

This medium-sized tan frog has square or rectangular-shaped markings in two parallel rows down the back. There is a wide ridge of skin along each side of the back.

Plains Gartersnake

Thamnophis radix

A medium-sized snake of wet meadows and marshes, this attractive species spends warm summer days basking in the sun or searching for food. Winters are spent underground, probably in abandoned rodent tunnels.

Plains Hog-Nosed Snake

Heterodon nasicus

The plains hog-nosed snake differs from the eastern hog-nosed snake by having a sharply upturned snout and black pigment on the underside of the tail. This species has always been quite rare in the state and has not been seen for many years; it has probably been extirpated.

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Content tagged with "Reptiles and Amphibians"

Northern Rough Greensnake

Northern Scarletsnake

Northern Watersnake

Orange-Striped Ribbonsnake

Ornate Box Turtle

Osage Copperhead

Ouachita Map Turtle

Pickerel Frog

Plains Gartersnake

Plains Hog-Nosed Snake

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