turtles and snakes practical

Large head, long tail, and “saw-toothed” on its upper side, rough with three keels

Chelydra serpentina (snapping turtle)

Relatively large with two readily discernable hinges; pectoral scutes usually triangular

Kinosternon subrubrum

Small plastron with a single hinge between 2nd and 3rd pairs of plastral scutes; pectoral scutes square or quadrate

Sternotherus odoratus (eastern musk turtle)

Yellow or pale spots on plastron

Clemmys guttata

Smooth, unkeeled shell, olive color with red, yellow, and black markings in life'; vertebral and pleural scutes align

Chrysemys picta picta

smooth, unkeeled shell; olive color, vertebral and pleural scutes DO NOT allign

Chrysemys picta marginata

Carapace rough with each scute in the form of a pyramid; shell broad and low; red or orange on neck and limbs in life

Glyptemys insculpta

Dorsal keel with sharp projections

Graptemys sp

High, domelike carapace with extremely variable coloration and pattern

Terrapene carolina

Shell is soft and leathery and is completely devoid of scutes

Apalone spinifera

Kelled and pointed dorsal scales; dark wavy bands across back

Sceloperus undulatus

two enlarged postlabial scales; 26-30 scale rows at midbody

Plestiodon fasciatus

A large skink with 5 labial scales; no post labial scales; 30-32 scale rows at midbody

Plestiodon laticeps

Tail long;eight rows o large scales on belly; 6 light stripes on dorsum

Aspidodcelis sexlineatus

Black dorsum and undersurface with some white on chin; scales smoother; anal plate divided; rounded in cross-section

Coluber constrictor

Yellow ring just posterior to head

Diadophis punctatus

Snout upturned; dorsal color pattern variable; belly mottled; underside of tail is lighter than belly; sclaes keeled

Heterodon platirhinos

Black with white/cream bands that fork on sides just above the belly and connect to form a chain-like pattern; ventral surface and throat irregularly checkered; scales smoother;

Lampropeltis getula

A slender snake; strongly blotched on dorsum. Y or V shaped light patch

Lampropeltis triangulum

Dark cross bands on the neck and forepart of the body, alternating dorsal and lateral blotches on the res of the body

Nerodia sipedon

Smooth green snake, color is pale green, may seem blue

Opheodrys vernalis

Dorsum with irregular oval to rectangular blotches on a lighter background, sides with smaller irregular blotches on sidesl black and white checkered pattern

Pantherophis guttatus

Uniform black color with faint white pattern, maybe a checkerboard pattern

Pantherophis obsoletus

Pale background on dorsum with black or dark brown blotches from head to tip of tail; scales keeled

Pituophis melanoleucus

Pale yellow stripe along lower side of body

Regina septemvittata

2 parallel rows of dark spots along dorsum, dark vertical bars almost always present on side of head

Storeria dekayi

color (in life) brown to gray with a bright red or orange belly; scales keeled; anal plate divided

Storeria occipitomaculata

Lateral stripe on scale rows 2 and 3 color pattern extremely variable; scales keeled; anal plate single

Thamnophis sirtalis

A pit present below the eye, head reddish color, hour glass shape

Agkistrodon contortrix

A pit present below the eye, rattles usually present on tail

Crotalus horridus