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 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 Red-sided

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 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 grayish-yellow rattle.

• Length: 2 –3 feet• Ontario's only

venomous snake• Conservation

Status: Threatened Provincially and Nationally

Snakes of Ontario

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)