deso park Appearence: Long and slender, mostly black except for their belly, juveniles can appear more like a garter or corn snake. They are very quick which is why they have the name racer. Size: Could be up to 60 inches in length Lifespan: Up to 10 years Habitat: In our park they are found in the grass along the visitor center or parking lot. Moreover Black racers are found throughout the eastern U.S., from southern Maine to the Florida Keys. Diet: Racers hunt by sight and are often observed actively foraging during the day. They eat a wide variety of prey including insects, lizards, snakes, birds, rodents, and amphibians. In turn, they are preyed upon by a variety of predatory birds, mammals and other larger snakes. Reproduction: Racers mate in the spring, and females lay up to 36 eggs in early summer. Eggs hatch in late summer or early fall. Habits: Black racers are only active during the daytime and are most active in warm weather. At night and during cool weather they take refuge in burrows or under cover such as boards or tin. Racers are faster than most other snakes, very agile, and generally flee when approached, often climbing into small trees or shrubs. 
NPSGallery Appeareance: The Florida box turtle is different in appearance from the other subspecies. Its carapace has a distinct pattern of yellow stripes that make it easily identifiable. The coloring of the plastron (the flat underside of the shell) can vary anywhere from solid yellow to solid black, with any number of variations in between. This turtle has sharp claws as well as a sharp beak. Size: On average, males are larger (length and width) than females. The carapace length of females ranges from 4.7 - 6.2 inches while the average male carapace can be anywhere from 5 - 6.8 inches long. However, female carapaces tend to be taller than those of males. This is most likely to allow more space to accommodate eggs inside the body cavity. Lifespan: 25-35 years but have been known to survive to over 100 years old! Habitat: They are found in damp environments such as wetlands, marshlands, and near swamps but usually don't enter water deep enough to swim. Behavior: Like many other box turtle species, the Florida box turtle spends an extreme majority of its life (80-90%) buried in the underbrush or underground, and their activity varies significantly at different times of the year. During the dry, cool parts of the year (November - February) they enter a dormant stage and are inactive and difficult to find. They exhibit higher levels of activity during the warm, wet months (April - October). However, unlike other species of box turtle, the Florida box turtle does not actually enter a complete state of brumation (period of inactivity like hibernation in mammals) during this time of year. This is most likely due to the warm and stable temperatures throughout its Florida range. As a result, it exhibits longer annual activity than other box turtle species. Diet: They are generalist omnivore eaters. Its most common food sources include gastropods and fleshy, low-hanging fruits. They also consume leafy vegetation (shrubs, herb, grasses, etc.), insects, crustaceans, and fungi. Reproduction: They reach sexual maturity around 12–13 years of age. While some species can produce only one clutch in a breeding season, these box turtles have been observed laying as many as four separate clutches in a single year. The egg laying season occurs in the Spring and generally lasts from April to early June. On average, each clutch can contain 1 - 9 eggs that range in size from 11 x 7 inches to 15 x 8 inches. 
Wikipedia Commons Appearence: Their color ranges from brown to gray with the backs marked with yellowish or pale white patterns. The females have a light-colored line running down their dorsal sides. Throat: They have red or orange extensible throat fans or dewlaps with a distinct white border. It is one of the principal distinguishing features of this species. Size: They can grow anywhere between 5 inches and 8.5 inches in length. The males are generally larger than the females. Additionally, males weigh between 6 g and 8 g, while the females are generally 3 g to 4 g in weight. Lifespan: Between 4 to 5 years Habitat: They are considered semi-arboreal, living both on trees and on ground, with warm and sunny climates being ideal for them. Diet: They are insectivores and feed on small arthropods such as crickets, moths, ants, grasshoppers, cockroaches, mealworms, spiders, and waxworms. Reproduction: Mating takes place during the warmer months, between late spring and early summer. They become reproductively mature at 1 year of age. The male lizards display their dewlaps to attract females. The females lay eggs several times within a single year with each clutch containing 1 to 2 eggs. The eggs may be laid among heaps of decaying leaves or on large tree branches or they can be kept buried in moist soil. The changing summer and winter temperatures are important for their reproduction. The white, hard-shelled eggs take 40 to 60 days to hatch. Brown anole hatchlings start eating 3 days after their birth. The young lizards leave their parents’ nest to establish their own territory shortly after hatching. Fun Fact: Brown Anole is a Lizard species indigenous to the Bahamas and Cuba. 
Photo courtesy of Noah Mueller Appearance: This species is variable in coloration, but juveniles are gray with dark blotches. In the Panhandle, juveniles and adults look alike. However, adults in the Florida peninsula can be yellow, orange, tan, or gray with four dark longitudinal stripes, while sometimes retaining the dark dorsal blotches found in juveniles. Size: Most adult are about 42-72 inches in length. Lifespan: Approx. 10 to 15 years Habitat: They are commonly found in pinelands, hardwood hammocks, cypress strands, swamps, marshes, prairies, and agricultural fields. Adults and juveniles of this species are often found in suburban neighborhoods where development encroaches into favorable habitats. Diet: They commonly feed on lizards, frogs, rodents, and birds and their eggs. These snakes constrict larger prey with coils of their body, but they often swallow smaller prey alive. Reproduction: In Florida, females lay around 4 - 44 white, elongate eggs with a leather-like shell, which typically hatch between July and September. The eggs are often laid in moist areas such as rotting vegetation and rotting logs. 
deso park Appearance: They are usually tan, brown, or greenish, often with dark lengthwise stripes on their backs, and have pale yellow-tan bodies. Glass lizards are legless, and their long tails give them a very snake-like appearance. Unlike snakes, they have moveable eyelids and external ear openings. Glass lizards have very smooth, shiny scales that are reinforced by bones called 'osteoderms,' making the lizards' bodies very hard and brittle. Size: They can grow up to 4 feet in length, and 10 to 20 oz in weight Lifespan: Between 10 to 30 years Habitat: They live in wet meadows, grasslands, pine flatwoods, pine scrubs, hardwood hammocks, and other open woods, and are occasionally seen in suburban neighborhoods. They are often found under boards and other debris on the ground, and at least two species spend much of their time burrowed underground. Diet: These lizards are carnivores that primarily eat insects like crickets and beetles. However, they also hunt other small creatures, including spiders, rodents, snakes, and even other lizards. They primarily hunt underground, but they may also look for food in dark, damp areas on the surface. Reproduction: These lizards are egg-laying creatures that mate on a yearly or bi-yearly basis. Mating season typically occurs in May, although this may vary based on the speed at which warm weather arrives. 
NPSGallery Appearance: They have strong, elephant-like back legs, with front legs covered in scales and shovel-like feet specialized for digging. The shell of the adult can be tan, brown or grey. Hatchlings and juveniles have a yellow-orange and brown shell, which fades as they age. They are well-designed for digging deep burrows in the sandy soil. Though some gopher tortoises live in coastal dunes, they are terrestrial and cannot swim. Size: Approx. 2 feet long. Gopher Tortoise adults are usually 9 -11 inches in length, though can reach up to 15 inches, and weigh 8-15 pounds. Lifespan: 40 to 60 years Habitat: Gopher tortoises prefer well-drained, sandy soils in habitats such as longleaf pine sandhills, xeric oak hammocks, scrub, pine flatwoods, dry prairies, and coastal dunes. They are also found in a variety of disturbed habitats including pastures and urban areas. Gopher tortoises need sandy soils for digging burrows and nesting, plenty of herbaceous plants for food, and open areas with sparse canopy for nesting and basking. Diet: Gopher tortoises are herbivorous; they graze on low-growing plants like broadleaf grasses, wiregrass, prickly pear cactus, legumes, gopher apple and various berries. Tortoises will eat what is available in their environment and may alter their diet seasonally depending on availability of food. They typically forage within 160 feet of their burrow but will travel farther to find food. Gopher tortoises get adequate water from the plants they eat. Reproduction: Females begin reproducing between 9 and 21 years of age and males between 9 and 18 years of age. Females can produce one clutch of 5-8 eggs a year, though may not lay a clutch every year. The breeding season occurs between March through October or December. After mating, the female gopher tortoise digs a nest near her burrow. Nests are in open, sunny locations, frequently in the soft sand, or “apron,” around the burrow entrance. Once the clutch is laid, the eggs are covered by the female and no further care is given by the parents. It takes 80-100 days for hatchlings to emerge. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by nest temperature during incubation. With cooler temperatures more males are produced; warmer incubation temperatures produce more females. Fun Facts: Gopher tortoises share their burrows with more than 350 other species including the Eastern indigo snake, rodents, gopher frog, Florida mouse, and hundreds of invertebrates like beetles and crickets who also depend on the burrows for shelter and predator protection. This makes gopher tortoises a keystone species — one without which many other species would not survive. Speed: Their top speed of less than five miles per hour (who wins the race?) 
NPSGallery Appearence: They are easily distinguished from other sea turtles because they have a single pair of prefrontal scales (scales in front of its eyes), rather than two pairs as found on other sea turtles. Head is small and blunt with a serrated jaw. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large, non-overlapping, scutes (scales) present with only 4 lateral scutes. Body is nearly oval and is more depressed (flattened) compared to Pacific green turtles. All flippers have 1 visible claw. The carapace color varies from pale to very dark green and plain to very brilliant yellow, brown and green tones with radiating stripes. The plastron varies from white, dirty white or yellowish in the Atlantic populations to dark grey-bluish-green in the Pacific populations. Hatchlings are dark-brown or nearly black with white underneath and white flipper margins. Size: Adults are 3 to 4 feet in carapace length. They weigh between 240 and 420 lbs. Lifespan: They could live for at least 70 years or more. Habitat: Mainly stay near the coastline and around islands and live in bays and protected shores, especially in areas with seagrass beds. Rarely are they observed in the open ocean. Diet: Changes significantly during its life. When less than 8 to 10 inches in length eat worms, young crustaceans, aquatic insects, grasses and algae. Once green turtles reach 8 to 10 inches in length, they mostly eat sea grass and algae, the only sea turtle that is strictly herbivorous as an adult. Their jaws are finely serrated which aids them in tearing vegetation. Reproduction: Female green turtles reach maturity at 25 to 35 years. Every 2 to 5 years they undertake reproductive migrations and return to nest on a beach in the general area where they hatched decades earlier. 
Wikipedia Commons Appearence: They have a somewhat flattened tail with a single saw-tooth row of enlarged, spine-like scales along the lateral edge of the tail. This is the only species of house gecko with a lemony yellow to orange belly. By day, it is dark grayish brown with light and dark markings, which fades to a pale, almost translucent shade at night. Sometimes called the fox gecko, a reference to its relatively long thin snout, it has a gecko's usual expanded toepads and flattened head with huge lidless eyes. Size: Adults are between 3.75 - 5.5 inches Lifespan: 10 to 20 years Habitat: As its name implies, the indo-pacific gecko is native to Southeast Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas worldwide. This species can now be found throughout much of Florida. In almost all areas, this species is associated with human development, and they are seldom found far from buildings with outdoor lights. Diet: They eat almost any insect they can capture and swallow, they're prey commonly consists of mosquitoes, spiders, beetles, moths, crickets, etc. Reproduction: Amazingly, this lizard is unisexual, they are all female. Reproduction occurs by a process known as parthenogenesis (a form of asexual reproduction): unfertilized eggs are "fertilized" by another egg. Eggs are laid in pairs under bark, in crevices, or in moist soil. Fun Fact: The Indo-Pacific Gecko is known from southern Florida from the keys to Lake Okeechobee, north along the east coast, and from a few scattered locations in northern Florida and the panhandle. The expansion of this species range across Florida is by hitchhiking along with nursery stock and building materials. The lizard probably arrived in Hawaii as a stowaway in the canoes of early Polynesians. It is known from all the large and small Hawaiian Islands. This species is found from India east through Southeast Asia, northern Australia, the Phillipines, and across Polynesia. There is a record of this species from the grounds of the Dallas Zoo. 
NPS-Nicki Castoro Appearence: Color patterns among and within several regions in Florida are highly variable. Adults can be gray, grayish-olive, brown, or rusty orange with faint darker bands. These snakes often have four dark stripes down the body, two on each side. However, some individuals may have dark stripes on part of the body that fade to bands or blotches, and some individuals may lack stripes entirely. Some individuals may be almost entirely black. The belly can be reddish-brown on rusty orange individuals, gray on olive-gray individuals, tan on brownish individuals, or mostly black with a central row of light spots on black-colored individuals. The belly may have one or three rows of light spots, and there may be dark stripes on the neck. The scales are keeled (each scale has a prominent raised ridge), and there are 21-23 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round. Juvenile coloration is similar to that described for adults. Size: Most adult Salt Marsh Snakes are about 15-30 inches in total length, with a record length of 36.7 inches Lifespan: 10 to 12 years Habitat: They are primarily found in coastal habitats such as tidal marshes, mangroves, and mud flats in both saltwater and estuarine areas. These snakes can frequently be found hiding in tidal wrack along the shoreline and they often inhabit crab burrows in the sand or mud. Diet: They are typically nocturnal (active at night) and feed almost exclusively on small fishes, which they catch in shallow water. However, they occasionally feed on small frogs and fiddler crabs. Salt Marsh Snakes are not constrictors and overpower their prey by simply grabbing it in their jaws and quickly swallowing it alive. Reproduction: In Florida, female Salt Marsh Snakes typically give live birth to 3-9 young between July and October. 
FWS-FWC LE Turtle Investigation-2019 Appearence: The mud turtle is a small, nondescript reptile. The carapace (upper shell) is olive to dark brown to almost black, patternless, smooth and keelless. It has only 11 marginal scutes (plates) rather than the 12 found on most turtles. Size: Approx. 3 - 4 inches Lifespan: Approx. 40 years Habitat: Within their range, mud turtles are semi-aquatic, though they often wander away from water in mid-summer. They can be found in fresh or brackish water, including marshes, small ponds, wet ditches and fields, and offshore islands. They prefer shallow, soft-bottomed, slow-moving water with abundant vegetation. Diet: These turtles eat aquatic insects, crustaceans, snails, fish, frogs, and plants. They often crawl deliberately and methodically along the bottom of pools looking for food. Reproduction: They breed for 2 months, reproduce sexually, and are oviparous (lay a hard shelled egg to protect an embryo). Egg-laying depends on the geographical region as the nesting period is shorter in northern populations. Typically nesting takes place from May to June. 
NPSGallery Appearence: Red-eared slider adults have a dark brown to olive colored carapace (top shell), with a yellow, patterned plastron (belly shell). They typically have prominent red or maroon stripes along the side of the head, to the side of each eye. Size: 6 to 12 inches Lifespan: They can live between 10 to 20 years. Determining the point when a red-eared slider is an adult isn't an exact science. However, most reptiles are considered adults at sexual maturity, which for turtles takes longer than you might think. If your female turtle is between 6 and 8 inches long, she is likely 5 to 7 years old and is considered an adult. Habitat: Red-eared sliders occupy a variety of natural freshwater habitats, including streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps, and marshes. They can also be found in manmade habitats such as ditches, canals, and park lakes/ponds. Diet: They are omnivores. In the wild, they feed on aquatic vegetation, small fish and decaying material such as dead fish and frogs. Reproduction: A female will lay up to 30 eggs in a terrestrial nest. And if the conditions are right, she may lay up to five or six clutches in a single year. 
NPSGallery Appearance: This species varies in color, but usually has a yellowish-tan to orange body color, with large red or faded blotches located on their back, a belly with dark marks, and a “V” on the top of its head Size: 2 to 6 feet in length, up to 2 lbs Lifespan: 10 to 15 years Habitat: Red rat snakes inhabit pine rocklands, rockland hammocks, mangrove forests, and a variety of disturbed habitats, including urbanized areas. This species is found in every county of Florida. Diet: The diet of the red rat snake primarily consists of small mammals (i.e. rodents), lizards, birds, and bird eggs. This species kills its prey by constriction, as they have no toxic venom or fangs. Reproduction: Breeding occurs between the months of April and June while eggs are laid in the summer. Females lay 3-40 eggs per nest, with one to two clutches being laid per year. Fun Fact: The red rat snake is the best climbing species of snake in Florida. 
NPSGallery Appearance: Most adult Ring-necked Snakes Adults are small and slender with a black or slate gray body and a yellow to orange to red ring across the neck, which may be incomplete. The belly and underside of the tail are bright yellow, orange, or red. Size: 8 to 14 inches in total length. Lifespan: Approx. 20 years Habitat: They're generalists occurring in a wide variety of habitats, but tend to be found in moist woodlands. They spend most of their time underground or hidden under logs, rocks, leaf litter, or debris. Diet: Rather than eating insects, Ringnecks mostly prey on species smaller than mice, including salamanders and newts, slugs, earthworms, some frogs and toads, and baby snakes. In so doing, the Ringneck provides a huge service to the ecosystem. Reproduction: Ringneck snakes breed once a year, in the spring or fall. During the mating season, females release pheromones from their skin to attract males. When mating, the male will bite the female around the neck ring, line their bodies up, lock their tails, and release sperm (similar to other snakes). A female ringneck can lay between 2 to 10 oval eggs that are about the size of a penny during the months of June or July. Multiple females have been found laying their eggs together under an ideal log. 
NPSGallery Appearance: Snapping turtles are noted for their large size and aggressive nature. They are tan to black in colour and have a rough upper shell, a small cross-shaped lower shell, a long tail, and a large head with hooked jaws. Size: The common snapping turtle is a large turtle, ranging in size from 8 to 14 inches with a record length of 19.3 inches. Their average weights range from 10 to 35 lbs, with a record of 75 lbs. Lifespan: Snapping turtles generally reach maturity at 8 to 10 years and can live up to 40 years or more. Snapping turtles often live more than 100 years with a maximum theoretical life span of 170 years. Habitat: They inhabit almost any permanent or semi-permanent body of water, including marshes, creeks, swamps, bogs, pools, lakes, streams, rivers, and impoundments. Snapping turtles can tolerate brackish water (mixture of seawater and fresh water). Diet: Common snapping turtles have a diverse diet. They consume carrion, aquatic invertebrates, small vertebrates, and aquatic plants. Reproduction: Breeding Activity: These turtles mate anytime from April through October and the female may remain fertile from one insemination for up to 3 years. Nesting occurs around June in West Virginia. The female excavates a nest about 5 to 7 inches deep and deposits up to 30 white, golfball-sized eggs. 
NPSGallery Appearance: They have a leathery soft, dark brown to olive green shell that is oblong and has bumps behind the head. Florida softshells have tubular nostrils and webbed feet. Female softshells have short tails that barely extend past the shell, while male Florida softshells have longer tails (like most other turtles). Young turtles resemble adults but may be lighter in coloration and more rounded in shape. Florida softshell turtles have long necks which they can extend about halfway down their shell. If helping a softshell turtle across a road, be cautious as they can deliver a powerful bite. Size: Adult females, which average between 9 to 11 inches in length are larger than males, which are usually between 6 to 8 inches. Lifespan: Approx. 50 years Habitat: Florida softshell turtles can be found throughout Florida, southern Georgia, and southeastern South Carolina. They live in ponds, streams, marshes, and sometimes in drainage ditches. They prefer areas with muddy or sandy bottoms. This is because they like to conceal themselves in the sand or mud at the bottom of these bodies of water, especially during the winter months. Diet: They are primarily carnivorous, feeding on mollusk (snails), insects, fish. Reproduction: They typically breed in May. Females lay anywhere from 4 to 38 eggs on sandbars or in loose soil. The eggs hatch sometime in August or September. Fun Fact: There are two other species of softshell turtles in Florida, the smooth softshell (Apalone mutica) and the spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera) which are restricted to the Panhandle. 
NPSGallery Appearance: The body is generally gray, brown, or black, in background color with five white or yellowish stripes (two on each side and one down the center of the back). Young have a bright blue tail while adult males' stripes may fade and a reddish or orange coloration may develop on the head. Size: They grow between 6 - 8 inches in length Lifespan: The skinks can live for around 6 years Habitat: This species may be found on the ground or in trees and is often common in dry, wooded habitats where there are an abundance of fallen trees and stumps to hide in. Southeastern five-lined skinks prefer drier habitats than the similar five-lined skink, and are particularly common in dry pine forests and in coastal areas. Diet: Carnivores with an emphisis on insects Reproduction: Female southeastern five-lined skinks lay clutches of several eggs (3-10) in moist soil or rotten logs during the summer and attend the eggs until they hatch. |
Last updated: September 15, 2022
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