1. Alabama Reptiles

2. Three orders of reptiles occur in Alabama:
Testudinata – the turtles.
Crocodilia – the alligators
Squamata – the snakes and lizards.

3. 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.

5. 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.

6. Chelydra serpentina – common snapping turtle

7. Macroclemmys temmincki –
Alligator snapping turtle

8. 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.

9. Chrysemys picta – the southern painted turtle

10. Deirochelys reticularia – eastern chicken turtle

11. Graptemys pulchra – Alabama map turtle

12. Graptemys nigrinoda – black-knobbed sawback

13. Pseudomys concinna – river cooter

14. Trachemys scripta – pond slider

15. Terrapene carolina – box turtle

16. 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.

17. Kinosternon subrubrum – eastern mud turtle

18. Sternotherus minor – loggerhead musk turtle

19. Sternotherus odoratus – common musk turtle (stinkpot)

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

21. Gopherus polyphemus – gopher tortoise

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

23. 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.

24. Apalone spiniferus – spiny softshell

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

26. 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.

27. Alligator mississippiensis – American alligator

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

29. Distribution of Alligator mississipiensis

33. Spectacled caiman
Caiman crocodilus

34. Natural distribution of spectacled caimans

35. American crocodile – Crocodylus acutus

36. American crocodile distribution

37. Alligators are dangerous animals.
FOXNews.com - Florida Woman Loses Part of Arm to Alligator Attack
Ananova - Alligator suspected of killing toddler
Tampabay: Gator attack ends protection on island
The Daily Beacon Online - Alligator attacks woman

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. Ophisaurus attenuatus – slender glass lizard

41. Ophisaurus ventralis – eastern glass lizard

42. 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.

43. Anolis carolinensis – green anole

44. A green anole displays its dewlap.

45. An exotic – the Caribbean brown anole, Anolis sagrei

46. Sceloporus undulatus – eastern fence lizard

47. 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

48. 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.

49. Eumeces fasciatus
Five-lined skink

50. Eumeces inexpectans – southeastern five-lined skink

51. Eumeces laticeps – broad-headed skink

52. Scincella laterale – ground skink

53. 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.

54. Cnemidophorus sexlineatus – six-lined racerunner

55. 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.

56. 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.

57. Carphophis amoenus – worm snake

58. Cemophora coccinea – northern scarlet snake

59. Coluber constrictor – black racer

60. Diadophis punctatus – southern ringneck snake

61. Elaphe guttata – corn snake

62. Elaphe obsoleta spiloides – grey rat snake

63. Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta – black rat snake

64. Farancia abacura
Western mud snake

67. Farancia erytrogramma – rainbow snake

68. Heterodon platyrhinos
Eastern hognose snake

70. Lampropeltis getula getula – eastern kingsnake

71. Lampropeltis getula holbrooki – speckled kingsnake

72. Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum – eastern milk snake

73. Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides – scarlet king snake

74. Masticophis flagellum – eastern coachwhip

75. Nerodia erythrogaster flavipes
Yellow-bellied water snake

76. Nerodia rhombifer – diamond-backed water snake

77. Note the pattern of alternating lateral and dorsal blotches

78. Nerodia sipedon – midland water snake

79. Brown water snake
Nerodia taxispilota

80. Opheodrys aestivus – rough green snake

81. Regina rigida – glossy crawfish snake

82. Regina septemvitatta
Queen snake

83. Storeria dekayi - brown snake

84. Storeria occipitomaculatus - red-bellied snake

85. Tantilla coronata – southeastern crowned snake

86. Thamnophis sauritus – eastern ribbon snake

87. Thamnophis sirtalis – eastern garter snake

88. 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.

89. Micrurus fulvius
Coral snake

90. 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.

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

93. Agkistrodon contortrix - copperhead

94. Agkistrodon piscivorus – eastern cottonmouth

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

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

100. Crotalus horridus – timber rattlesnake

103. Crotalus adamanteus – eastern diamondback rattlesnake

105. Sistrurus miliarius – pigmy rattlesnake

106. The top of the diamondback’s head is covered by small scales….
While the pigmy rattlesnake has large plates.

107. Try this snake quiz.
Florida Snake Quiz