Reptiles and Amphibians of the Florida Everglades

1
Reptiles and Amphibians of the Florida Everglades
2
American Alligator

• Native species
• Broadly rounded snout
• Usually not aggressive, unless guarding a nest
• Young have yellow stripes on tail

3
American Crocodile

• Endangered
• Approx. 500 1200 in Florida.
• Threats
• Human development and loss of habitat

4
Speckled Caiman

• Introduced.
• Common, and highly adaptable to s. fl.
• Bone ridge in front of eyes
• Young have black stripes on tail

5
(No Transcript)
6
(No Transcript)
7
Peninsula Cooter and Florida Redbelly turtle

• Both, 9 13 inches
• Freshwater marshes, ponds and solution holes.
• Cooter Shark Valley
• Hybridization occasionally

8
Striped mud turtle

• 3 - 4.75 inches
• Protected species
• freshwater marshes, sloughs, ponds and solution
  holes
• Common at Royal Palm

9
Diamondback Terrapin

• Females 6 - 9 in., males 4 - 5 in.
• Common in estuarine areas of mangroves. Rarely
  out of salt water.
• Ten thousand islands and cape sable.
• Seven subspecies, more easily identified by
  geograhic location
• FL east coast, Mangrove (southern), and Ornate
  (Gulf) are three types we may see

10
Florida Box Turtle

• 5 - 6.5 inches
• Common in pine lands and hard hammocks
• Fire-scarred and three legged specimens are not
  uncommon

11
Gopher tortoise

• 6 9.5 inches
• Sandy regions of coastal plain
• Locally common on middle and east Cape Sable

12
Florida Softshell

• 11 25 inches
• Common in freshwater marshes and ponds.
• Anhinga trail and Shark valley.

13
Anoles
14
Green Anole

• 5 8 inches
• Color varies
• Pink throat fan
• Native
• Common, but appears to be outnumbered by brown
  anoles.

15
Brown Anole

• 5 8.5 inches
• Exotic, native to Cuba.
• One of the most successful reptiles in S. Fl.

16
Knight Anole

• 13 19.5 inches
• Introduced from Cuba
• Large lizard
• Reported in Flamingo

17
Tokay gecko

• 8 14 inches
• Established species in the Miami area.
• Quite vocal at night (to-kay)

18
Indo-Pacific gecko

• 4 5.5 in
• Exotic
• Common around Flamingo
• All are self-fertilizing females

19
Florida reef gecko

• 2 2.25 in
• Native species
• Only gecko native to Florida
• Leaf litter, under small rocks
• Smallest lizard in N.A.

20
Southeastern Five-Lined Skink

• 5.5 8.5 in
• Common
• Wooded habitats, wetlands and developed sites

21
Ground Skink

• 3 5.5 inches
• Locally common
• Hardwood hammocks and pineland under leaf litter,
  rocks and logs

22
Eastern Glass Lizard

• 22 42 inches
• Native Species
• Snake like, movable eyelids
• Similar species island glass lizard

23
Common Iguana

• 30 79 inches
• Exotic from Central and South America
• Largest lizard in US
• Tall dense trees near water

24
Coral Snake

• 20 30 in
• Fairly common in Florida
• Pine woods, hammocks and edges of ponds and lakes
• Rotting logs, piles of brush and decaying
  vegetation
• Most dangerous venom in North Amer.

25
Florida Scarlet snake

• 14 20 in
• Coral snake mimic
• Pine flatwoods, dry prairies, hardwood hammocks,
  and sand hills
• Nocturnal underground, under logs, leaf litter
  and rocks
• Belly is whitish grey

26
Scarlet King Snake

• 14 - 20 in
• Uncommon in hardwood hammocks, pinelands and
  coastal prairies.
• Coral snake mimic

27
comparison
"Red and Yellow kill a fellow"
28
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

• 33 72 in
• Locally common
• Hardwood hammocks, pinelands and coastal prairies.

29
Dusky Pigmy rattlesnake

• 15 - 22 in
• Common in freshwater marshes.
• Reputation for being aggressive and quick to
  strike.
• Rattle sounds like a buzzing insect.

30
Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin)

• 30 - 48 in
• Common venomous snake
• Found near any water
• Unpredictable aggressiveness

31
Brown Water Snake

• 30 - 60 in
• Common in freshwater marshes and ponds
• Most seen along Anhinga trail

32
Florida Water Snake

• 24 42 in
• Freshwater ponds and marshes
• Abundant in canals at Shark Valley

33
Florida Green Water Snake

• 30 55 in
• Common in freshwater ponds and marshes
• Found in northern everglades
• Tamiami Trail

34
Mangrove Salt Marsh Snake

• 15 30 inches
• Chiefly of salt or brackish water
• Nocturnal

35
South Florida Black Swamp Snake

• 10 15 in
• Freshwater marshes
• Shiny black with red belly
• Abundant in water hyacinths (pull some out)
• Tamiami Trail

36
Eastern Garter Snake

• 18 26 in
• Very common from canada to Florida

37
Peninsula Ribbon Snake

• 18 25 in
• Freshwater marshes and close vicinity
• Often in low bushes over water

38
Striped Crayfish Snake

• 13 20 in
• Freshwater marshes
• Most aquatic snake in Florida
• Aquatic plants along the Tamiami Trail

39
Eastern Mud Snake

• 40 54 in
• Freshwater marshes and ponds
• Nocturnal
• Feeds chiefly on Amphiumas

40
Florida Brown Snake

• 9 13 in
• Bogs and marshes
• Often among water hyacinths

41
Southern Ringneck Snake

• 10 14 in
• Common in pinelands and hardwood hammocks under
  logs

42
Yellow Rat snake

• 42 72 in
• Forage in cypress and other trees

43
Eastern Racer

• 36 - 60 in
• All habitats
• Most abundant terrestrial snake in the Everglades

44
Eastern Indigo

• 60 84 inches
• Threatened species
• Largest snake in NA
• Found in all habitats of everglades park

45
Corn Snake

• 30 48 inches
• Pinelands, hardwood hammocks and developed sites
• Nocturnal

46
Rough Green Snake

• 22-32 inches
• Only bright green snake in Florida
• Pinelands, hardwood hammocks and bordering
  freshwater

47
Two-toed Amphiuma

• 14.5 30 in
• Common, but rarely seen
• Freshwater marshes
• Nocturnal
• Water hyacinths on the Tamiami Trail

48
Greater Siren

• 20 30 in
• Common in shallow freshwater marshes and ponds
• Nocturnal

49
Everglades Dwarf Siren

• 4 7 inches
• Known specifically from the Everglades.
• Locally common
• Freshwater marshes among dead vegetation.

50
Peninsula Newt

• 3 4 in
• Similar to eastern red-spotted newt, but the
  dorsal area is very dark
• Locally common
• Freshwater marshes and solution holes

51
Greenhouse Frog

• 5/8 1.25 in
• Exotic species from Cuba.
• Locally common
• Under logs and leaf litter.

52
Southern Toad

• 1 5/8 - 3 inches
• Common
• Hardwood hammocks, pinelands and seasonally
  inundated freshwater marshes and mangrove areas

53
Oak Toad

• .75 1.25 inches
• Common, often active during the day.
• Light mid-dorsal stripe

54
Florida Cricket Frog

• 5/8 1 inch
• Common in all freshwater habitats
• Voice sounds like marble tapping together

55
Green Treefrog

• 1.25 2.25 in
• Common in all freshwater marshes
• Light colored lateral stripe

56
Squirrel Treefrog

• 7/8 1 5/8 in
• Common in all freshwater habitats
• Highly variable coloration green is most common

57
Cuban Treefrog

• 1.5 3.5 in
• Introduced from Cuba

58
Florida Chorus Frog

• .75 1.25 in
• Common in freshwater marshes

59
Eastern Narrow-mouth Toad

• 7/8 1 ¼ in
• Common
• Under logs and litter layer in hardwood hammocks

60
Pig Frog

• 3.25 5.5 in
• Common
• Freshwater marshes
• Grunt-like call heard night and day
• Olive to blackish brown
• http//cars.er.usgs.gov/herps/Frogs_and_Toads/R_gr
  ylio/r_grylio.html

61
Southern Leopard Frog

• 2 3.5 in
• Common
• All freshwater habitats

62
Little Grass Frog

• 7/16 5/8 in
• Smallest frog in NA
• Common
• Freshwater marshes
• Cling to grass and sedges

63
References

• http//everglades.fiu.edu/education/reptilebr.html
  
• http//www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Wildlife/wildlife.html
• http//www.nps.gov/ever/ed/edherps.htm
• http//www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/marine_wild
  life/crocodile.asp
• http//www.gsmfc.org/nis/nis/Caiman_crocodilus.htm
  l
• http//www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-gui
  de/Flaherps.htm checklist to Florida Reptiles
  and Amphibians
• http//www.nsis.org/wildlife/rept/turt-mud.htmlst
  riped
• http//www.nsis.org/wildlife/rept/liz-gecko.html
• http//www.southalley.com/album_nerodia.html
• http//www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesSH.as
  p?curGroupID7shapeID1059curPageNum5recnumAR
  0060 fl. Reef geck.
• http//www.southalley.com/snakes.html - snakes
• http//www.fcsc.usgs.gov/armi/Everglades/Everglade
  s_Species_Table/everglades_species_table.html
  list of S. Fl.