REPTILES OF PENNSYLVANIA Turtles Lizards Snakes

Bog Turtle Very small, only up to 4 inches Large blotch on side of head (yellow, red or orange) Lives only in bogs Scarce and hard to find

Common Snapping Turtle Long tail with saw-tooth scales on upper edge Plastron (belly shell) very small Shell smoother with age, very distinct scutes when young

Eastern Box Turtle Bottom shell hinged and can close like a box Upper shell high dome shape with yellow or orange markings Males will have a red eye, females brown

Map Turtle Pattern on shell resembles a map with yellowish markings, but pattern my fad with age Distinctive keels along center, top of shell Legs and head are dark olive/brown with yellow or orange stripes

Midland Painted Turtle Red stripes on legs and neck and red markings around edge of shell Upper jaw notched with 2 projections Shell oval and slightly flared Lower shell reddish with patterns

Red-eared Slider Top shell smooth, with yellow stripes or bars Red or yellow patch just behind the eye

Spotted Turtle Yellow spots on shell, head and front legs on a black background Yellow/orange markings on face Bottom shell is yellow with black markings

Wood Turtle Each section of shell looks like a cross section of a tree—shell very sculpted Noticeable ridge runs down middle of shell Body with red and yellow on throat

Northern Coal Skink Brown with 4 light colored stripes from neck to tail Dark rows of scales separate stripes 4-7 inches long

Northern Fence Lizard Blurry slanting bands on back Adults have blue patches on throat

Black Rat Snake Primarily black in adults, immature may have a blotchy pattern on back Under throat white followed by grey/black blotches 4-7 feet long

Eastern Garter Snake Dark body with 3 stripes, thin on back and thicker on each side Stripes are normally yellowish

Eastern Hognose Snake Dark blotch behind eye, extending on to the neck Patterns are variable Tip of nose is turned up Will turn over and play dead if it senses danger, it also excretes a nasty secretion which smells dead

Eastern Massasauga Chocolate brown back saddles Triple rows of brownish black side patches Grayish background Tail has dark bands with a yellowish tipped rattle Small up to about 4 feet

Eastern Milk Snake Patterns vary greatly, usually with darker saddles on light background, copper to brown to black in color Alternating spots on sides Belly white with black checker board pattern Snout is usually white

Northern Copperhead Copper to brown on top of head and sides Tan, brown and rust colored bands (not saddles) around body Distinctive pits on tip of nose

Northern Water Snake Tan to brown background with a series of broad, dark bands on back and sides Light spaces between bands Cream colored or orange belly with patterns of half-moons or crescents of a different color

Northern Ringneck Snake Shiny blueish-black with an orange or yellow ring around its neck Color from neck continues down belly Very small little snake

Timber Rattlesnake Color varies but all have darker bands wrapping around body Scales are ridged, giving snake a rough appearance Triangular shaped head with small scales boardering head Pits on either side of head, below nostrils