Alabama Reptiles

Three orders of reptiles occur in Alabama: 1. Testudinata – the turtles.

2. Crocodilia – the alligators 3. Squamata – the snakes and lizards.

Order Testudinata The turtles have the body enclosed in a bony case of dermal plates with a dorsal carapace and a ventral plastron. Their jaws have no teeth, but do have a horny sheath. The vertebra and ribs are fused to the shell. The anus is a longitudinal slit.

Family Chelydridae The snapping turtles are among the largest freshwater turtles. They are characterized by massive heads with powerful hooked jaws, long tails, relatively small, cross-shaped plastrons, and carapaces with 12 marginal scutes on each side.

Chelydra serpentina – common snapping turtle

Macroclemmys temmincki – Alligator snapping turtle

Family Emydidae The emydids are the world’s largest family of turtles. They have a large plastron and a short tail. The plastron has twelve marginal scutes, with the pectoral scutes touching the marginals.

Chrysemys picta – the southern painted turtle

Deirochelys reticularia – eastern chicken turtle

Graptemys pulchra – Alabama map turtle

Graptemys nigrinoda – black-knobbed sawback

Pseudomys concinna – river cooter

Trachemys scripta – pond slider

Terrapene carolina – box turtle

Family Kinosternidae The mud and musk turtles. The kinosternids have a large plastron with ten or eleven scutes. The pectorals of the plastron are not in contact with the marginals.

Kinosternon subrubrum

– eastern mud turtle

Sternotherus minor – loggerhead musk turtle

Sternotherus odoratus – common musk turtle (stinkpot)

Family Testudinae The tortoises are terrestrial, with elephantine hind feet. Their forelimbs are shovel-like and are adapted for digging.

Gopherus polyphemus – gopher tortoise

A gopher tortoise burrow. Gopher tortoises can serve as keystone species in longleaf pine habitats.

Family Trionychidae The soft-shelled turtles have a shell covered with a leathery skin. The snout ends in a tubular proboscis. They are highly aquatic.

Apalone spiniferus – spiny softshell

The only sea turtle that commonly nexts along Alabama’s beaches is the loggerhead, Caretta caretta , which belongs to the family Cheloniidae.

Order Crocodilia Large and well-armored, with sculptured heads, protruding nostrils, and well-muscled, compressed tails. Front feet have five toes, while webbed hind feet have four toes. Ear is covered with a movable flap. All are aquatic carnivores. Males tend to grow larger than females.

Alligator mississippiensis – American alligator

In much of their range, alligators serve as a keystone species much like the gopher tortoise.

Distribution of Alligator mississipiensis

Spectacled caiman Caiman crocodilus

Natural distribution of spectacled caimans

American crocodile – Crocodylus acutus

American crocodile distribution

Alligators are dangerous animals.

FOXNews.com - Florida Woman Loses Part of Arm to Alligator Attack Ananova - Alligator suspected of killing toddler http://www.ecofloridamag.com/alligatorattacks.pdf

Tampabay: Gator attack ends protection on island The Daily Beacon Online - Alligator attacks woman

Order Squamata Suborder Lacertilia The Lizards Two pairs of relatively equal legs, long tail. Superficially resemble salamanders, but have dry, scaly skin, toothed jaws, and external ear openings. Some 3,000 species worldwide.

Family Anguidae Eleven general of about 80 species. Anguid lizards have elongate, shiny, stiff bodies and tails. Tiny or absent legs. Stiffness results from abundance of body armor in skin. Many species are so stiff that they could not breathe if not for flexible lengthwise groove of soft, granular scales along sides. Most are terrestrial and burrowing. In some species, the tail vertebrae have fracture planes.

Ophisaurus attenuatus – slender glass lizard

Ophisaurus ventralis – eastern glass lizard

Family Iguanidae A large family of moderately sized lizards. Have five clawed toes on each of four legs, and a long tail. Most species either arboreal or terrestrial. Highly visually oriented.

Anolis carolinensis – green anole

A green anole displays its dewlap.

An exotic – the Caribbean brown anole, Anolis sagrei

Sceloporus undulatus – eastern fence lizard

While I’m thinking about it, here’s another exotic that is becoming increasingly common. It’s in the Family Gekkonidae.

Hemidactylus turcicus – Mediterranean house gecko

Family Scincidae Cosmopolitan group of 87 genera and 1280 species found on every continent except Antarctica. 15 species in U.S. Typically has a cylindrical body and tail covered by smooth, sleek scales. Terrestrial skinks have small legs. Fracture planes in tails allow the tail to break off. In such cases, the tail is usually brightly colored. Diurnal.

Eumeces fasciatus Five-lined skink

Eumeces inexpectans – southeastern five-lined skink

Eumeces laticeps – broad-headed skink

Scincella laterale – ground skink

Family Teiidae Forty genera of about 230 species confined to the New World. Long, slender lizards with long whiplike tails and well-developed leggs. Movements characteristically rapid and jerky. Typically have small, round, non-overlapping scales on the back and large, rectangular scales on the belly. Diurnal, terrestrial carnivores.

Cnemidophorus sexlineatus – six-lined racerunner

Superorder Serpentes Snakes

Some 2700 species. Found on all continents except Antarctica. Elongated scaly body with no limbs, external ear openings, or eyelids. Periodically shed outer layer of skin. Of the 115 species that may be seen north of Mexico, 17 species are venomous.

Family Colubridae Largest of all snake families. Head generally as wide as or wider than the neck, with large and regularly arranged scales. Eyes well developed with round or vertical pupils. Back scales may be smooth or keeled. Scales on underside of tail usually divided. Teeth present on both jaws, but no hollow, poison injecting fangs. Habitats highly variable. All devour whole animals. Most are egg-layers, but some have live young. Males tail usually longer and thicker at base than female.

Carphophis amoenus – worm snake

Cemophora coccinea – northern scarlet snake

Coluber constrictor – black racer

Diadophis punctatus – southern ringneck snake

Elaphe guttata – corn snake

Elaphe obsoleta spiloides – grey rat snake

Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta – black rat snake

Farancia abacura Western mud snake

Farancia erytrogramma – rainbow snake

Heterodon platyrhinos Eastern hognose snake

Lampropeltis getula getula – eastern kingsnake

Lampropeltis getula holbrooki – speckled kingsnake

Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum – eastern milk snake

Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides – scarlet king snake

Masticophis flagellum – eastern coachwhip

Nerodia erythrogaster flavipes Yellow-bellied water snake

Nerodia rhombifer – diamond-backed water snake

Note the pattern of alternating lateral and dorsal blotches

Nerodia sipedon – midland water snake

Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota

Opheodrys aestivus – rough green snake

Regina rigida – glossy crawfish snake

Regina septemvitatta Queen snake

Storeria dekayi - brown snake

Storeria occipitomaculatus - red-bellied snake

Tantilla coronata – southeastern crowned snake

Thamnophis sauritus – eastern ribbon snake

Thamnophis sirtalis – eastern garter snake

Family Elapidae Includes coral snakes, cobras, kraits, mambas and others. Enlarged grooved fangs are fixed in position on the front part of the upper jaw and cannot be folded back. Venom is strongly neurotoxic.

Micrurus fulvius Coral snake

Family Viperidae Includes many dangerously venomous snakes. Most are stout-bodied, with heads distinctly wider than the neck. Most are patterned with crossbands or blotches. Have hollow, retractable fangs situated near the front of the upper jjaw. In pit vipers, a heat-sensitive pit is present on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril. Eyes have vertical pupils and an undivided row of scales under the tail. Venom is a complex mix of proteins acting primarily on the victim’s blood tissue. Most pit vipers bear their young alive.

The pit organ is located on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril.

Agkistrodon contortrix - copperhead

Agkistrodon piscivorus – eastern cottonmouth

The common name of the cottonmouth comes from the white interior of the mouth.

Juvenile cottonmouths and copperheads have a yellow green tail that they use as a lure.

Crotalus horridus – timber rattlesnake

Crotalus adamanteus – eastern diamondback rattlesnake

Sistrurus miliarius – pigmy rattlesnake

The top of the diamondback’s head is covered by small scales….

While the pigmy rattlesnake has large plates.

Try this snake quiz.

Florida Snake Quiz