Common Reptiles of the Bruce Peninsula What does

Common Reptiles of the Bruce Peninsula

What does it take to be a reptile? • Four legged vertebrates • Are amniotes; whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane • Most are egg-laying • Ectothermic (body heat regulated by external environment) • Spend most of their time on land • Breathe using lungs

Five-Lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) • Black body with five light coloured stripes extending the length of the body • Juveniles have a bright blue tail • Length: 15 – 20 cm • Habitat: Woods, sandy areas and crevasses in bedrock • Carnivorous animals that eats mostly insects, including crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. • Of five lizards that inhabit Canada, the Five-Lined Skink is the only one in Ontario.

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) • Black with three yellow stripes, with red or orange bars between the back and lateral stripes • Length: 48 – 70 cm • Habitat: Found in marshes, along streams, fields, woodlands and urban parks and yards • Commonly seen in gardens, giving rise to its "garden snake" nickname. • They are harmless: do in fact produce a mild neurotoxic venom

Northern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus) • Black with three bright yellow stripes • Whitish half moon shaped spot in front of each eye • Length: 45 – 65 cm (smaller than the Redsided Garter) • Habitat: Wet meadows, marshes, bogs, ponds, weedy shorelines and swamps • Prey includes salamanders and frogs

Northern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardsi) • Bluish-black a golden ring around the neck (yellow or orange). • Yellow or orange underside • Smooth scales (no keels) • Length: 25 – 35 cm • Habitat: Moist, rich forests and along edges of woodlands under rocks or logs • Conservation Threats: Loss of habitat

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) • Can be brown, gray, reddish, brown or black. • They have dark crossbands on their necks and dark patches on the rest of their bodies (usually reddish outlined in black). • The older the snake, the darker it gets • Length: 60 – 100 cm (can reach 4 feet) • Active at day and night. • Absent from highly urbanized and agricultural areas

Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) • The main colour of the snake is tan with darker brown patches outlines in black. • The tail has five to seven dark rings and is tipped by a grayishyellow rattle. • Length: 2 – 3 feet • Ontario's only venomous snake • Conservation Status: Threatened Provincially and Nationally

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) • Carapace (upper shell) is dark brown to black, plastron (under shell) is yellow to tan. • Tails include large row of scales • Hooked jaw • Largest turtle in Ontario • Length: 20 – 40 cm • Habitat: Lakes, ponds, steams with muddy bottoms

Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) • The plastron has a design that looks like it is painted (yellow and orange) • Head and limbs has yellow or red lines • Skin is olive green to black • Ontario's most common turtle species • Survive without oxygen at 3° C five months (longer than any other known air-breathing vertebrate)

Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) • Black carapace and bright yellow spots on head, neck, and legs • Males have tan chin and brown eyes; females have yellow chin and orange eyes • Length: 8 - 12 cm (one of Ontario's smallest turtles) • Habitat: Shallow marshes, bogs, beaver ponds and wet woodlands • SPECIAL CONCERN (COSEWIC)