Inventory of reptiles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Description

From April 2000 to November 2004 (44 months), various field methods were used to capture of encounter reptiles in GSMNP, including placement of metal roofing tin cover, visual encounter searches, drift fences with funnel traps, baited aquatic turtle traps, and searches for road kills. Over the course of the survey, 1,355 individuals of 33 species were encountered. Two new reptile occurrences were confirmed for the park--the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) and the Cumberland slider turtle (Trachemys scripta troostii)--bringing the total number of reptile species historically recorded from the park to 38. The five most commonly encountered species in our survey were the Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor), Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus), and the Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon). Five species historically recorded from the park were not encountered during the survey: the Northern Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea), Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus), Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata), Eastern Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus), and the Coal Skink (Eumeces anthracinus).

Resources

Name Format Description Link
53 Sensitive species have been removed from this data set. Contact the park for the full data set. https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/580804?Reference=2225430

Tags

  • nerodia-sipedon
  • coluber-constrictor
  • slider-turtle
  • northern-black-racer
  • appalachian-highlands-network
  • thamnophis-sirtalis
  • ringneck-snake
  • diadophis-punctatus
  • studyid-grsm-00042
  • southeast-region
  • bdb
  • aphn
  • great-smoky-mountains-national-park
  • agkistrodon-contortrix
  • eastern-garter-snake
  • reptiles
  • trachemys-scripta-troostii
  • ecological-framework-biological-integrity-focal-species-or-communities-amphibians-and-reptiles
  • northern-water-snake
  • musk-turtle
  • sternotherus-odoratus
  • cumberland
  • copperhead
  • biodiversity-db
  • ser

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