Herps of
River Bend
Nature Center

page originally created
by Brianna Sander,
Naturalist Educator Intern 2006-2007

Useful Terms to Know

Reptile: usually scaly, dry-skinned, cold-blooded animals (in species class Reptilia). Most are hatched from leathery eggs, although young of some species are born live.
Amphibian: smooth-skinned, cold-blooded animals (class Amphibia). Most start life in water and later metamorphose in a land-dwelling (terrestrial) adult
Carapace: upper section of shell on a turtle
Plastron: lower section of shell on a turtle
Scute: the individual segments on the carapace of the turtle

Reptiles

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) Minnesota's largest turtle

• Habitat: Lakes or rivers with muddy bottoms and lots of vegetation. Highly aquatic and not likely to be seen on land except in June for egg laying
• Food: Omnivorous...not very picky, will eat almost anything, alive or dead
• Appearance: Very large turtle! (Carapace averages 8-14 inches and can be larger)
  Carapace is rough and dark colored, often covered with algae or mud. While their upper shell is very solid, the plastron is much smaller, and provides very little protection
• HOTSPOTS: Upper or Prairie Pond, near the river. Also, during June they may be seen on roads and wandering in search of a place to nest

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) Minnesota's most prevalent turtle species

• Habitat: Any body of freshwater where there are soft bottoms, lots of aquatic vegetation and good basking spots
• Food: Forages in water along bottom, and among surface vegetation. Eats snails, crayfish, insects, tadpoles, cattail, duckweed, etc
• Appearance: Small to medium in size (Carapace averages 3.5 - 7 inches)
  Carapace relatively smooth, dark colored
  Plastron is orange or red with a design of black, gray, tan and yellow
  Head and legs are striped with black and yellow
• HOTSPOTS: Turtle Pond, basking on logs

Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera)

• Habitat: Primarily a river turtle but may inhabit large lakes if conditions are right. Likes mud or sand bottoms, with gravel or sandbars/beaches without lots of emergent vegetation or rocky bottoms
• Food: Distinctly carnivorous—primarily eats crayfish and aquatic insects, but also fish, frogs, etc
• Appearance: Oval-shaped, olive green to tan, flat leathery shell with black markings. Long, pointy snout has a yellow stripe. Carapace may be up to 17 inches in females but males are generally no more than half that.
• HOTSPOTS: the Straight River

Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) Minnesota's most terrestrial turtle

• Habitat: Rivers with a narrow floodplain and a distinct rise to mostly wooded uplands
• Food: Finds most of its food on land, unlike the more aquatic turtles
  They eat many things including succulent forbs, mushrooms, earthworms, slugs and insects
• Appearance: Carapace varies in color from a light to dark brown. Each scute (section) on its shell has a slightly domed shape, formed by distinctive growth rings
  The plastron is yellow with large black blotches
  The skin closer to the shell is yellow, while the extremities are a dark brown with some occasional flecks of yellow. Carapace is between 5.5 and 8 inches long. Males are larger overall than females, have a concave plastron and longer, thicker tail.
• HOTSPOTS: This turtle is a Threatened Species! And its quite rare here, so your chances of seeing them are slim. But they are said to prefer being within 100 meters of their river.

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Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) Most commonly encountered snake in Minnesota

• Habitat: Lives in a variety of habitats
• Food: Eats amphibians, earthworms, fish, and nestling birds
• Appearance: Dark brown, gray or black with 2 stripes running down sides and 1
  down the middle of the back
• HOTSPOTS: the rock amphitheater (near Honor Point), anywhere sunny

Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi)

• Habitat: Found in moist environments like woodland edges and forests
• Food: Eat earthworms, slugs, snails, and small fish
• Appearance: Fairly small snake. Generally not longer than 14”
  Grayish to reddish brown with light stripe down its back
• HOTSPOTS: sunny patches on rocks or trails

Redbelly Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) Minnesota's Smallest Snake

• Habitat: Woodland areas, often near marshes or water sources
• Food: Eats slugs and earthworms
• Appearance: Very small! Not more than 7-10 inches long (not much larger than a very big worm). Gray, brown or black back with a crimson belly.
• HOTSPOTS: Not seen very often so you may just need to search! They like to hide under rocks and rotted logs. You may sometimes see them come out in the evening on the trails.

• Habitat: Found on prairies, in meadows and on the edges of mixed hardwood forests
• Food: Eats spiders, slugs, crickets, and grasshoppers
• Appearance: Emerald green with yellow or white belly
  Has a red tongue with a black tip
  Can be 14-20" in length
• HOTSPOTS: not seen very often, so you may just have to hunt for them!
• Fun Fact: When green snakes die, they often turn blue, causing people to think they are seeing a different species of snake, called a Blue Racer

Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina) Often mistaken for bullsnake

• Habitat: Found in river bottom forests, upland hardwood, and prairies
• Food: Eats chipmunks, ground squirrels, and mice, killing them by constriction
• Appearance: Brown or tan with black blotches and a yellow belly
  Medium to large snake, ranging from 36-54" in length
• HOTSPOTS: The big rocks at the back of the Amphitheater
• Don't be tricked! The Fox Snake is known to shake its tail in dry leaves to mimic a rattlesnake. We don't have rattlesnakes at RBNC, so don't fall for their trick!

Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) Member of the kingsnake family

• Habitat: Rocky hillsides, grasslands bordering woodlands, especially near waterways
• Food: mice, reptiles and amphibians, reptlie and bird eggs -- they are constrictors.
• Appearance: Highly variable coloration. Blotched pattern is consistent regardless of whether they are gray, brown or rusty red colored. May reach 24-52" but are of a slender build.
• HOTSPOTS: Very secretive, rarely found in the open. Spend time under rocks, logs, or debris.

Northern Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis)

• Habitat: Prairie areas near marshes. Seem to like rocky areas.
• Food: Small invertabrates- crickets, spiders, beetles. Food is chased down
• Appearance: 5-8.5 inches long. Scales smooth and uniform making lizard appear shiny.Tan or brown on back, darker on sides.
• HOTSPOTS: They aren't seen very frequently, but if you want to search, look in their habitat...maybe you'll be lucky! And be sure to let us know if you see one!

Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) Most commonly found frog at RBNC

• Habitat: Wet meadows and open fields near ponds or lakes, with grass not more than 12 inches tall
• Food: Insects, with the occasional small frogs, worms and snails
• Appearance: Green or brownish with two to three rows of dark spots on back. Legs have dark bars. Belly is white and there is sometimes a light yellow on underside of legs. 2-3.5 inches long
• Call: A low snore sound mixed with grunts and squeaks. Best chance to hear them is April until mid-May
• HOTSPOTS: Turtle Pond and ponds on the South side.

Green Frog (Rana clamitans)

• Habitat: Wetlands with permanent water and emergent vegetation or lakes and ponds with shallow margins
• Food: Assorted insects, with the occasional frog, crayfish and small fish
• Appearance: Ranges in color from green to dark brown. White belly. Adult males often have a yellow throat. **Webbing on hind feet is incomplete, only goes to second digit of longest toe--this differentiates from a bullfrog
• Call: A single "plunk" sound . Best time to hear them is mid-June to mid-July
• HOTSPOTS: Turtle Pond, Prairie Pond, South side ponds

Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

• Habitat: Forested areas
• Food: Eat insects such as beetles and caterpillars
• Appearance: Can be gray with dark blotches that have black borders, but
  most commonly found to be green at RBNC. (They can change between the two)
  Inner legs bright yellow
• Call: a melodic trill that is made from a tree at least 10 ft. off the ground; Said that they call before thunderstorms. Best time to hear them is from mid-May to mid-June
• HOTSPOTS: found on the sides of buildings and trees

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

• Habitat: moist forests containing marshes or ponds
• Food: flies and beetles
• Appearance: light tan to dark brown in color, with a black mask on face and several dark brown lines (solid or dashed) on their back. 2-2.75 inches.
• Call: a duck-like quack. Best time to hear them is late March to early April
• HOTSPOTS: Turtle Pond in spring, under logs in the forest

Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Largest frog in Minnesota

• Habitat: Permanent bodies of water with thick emergent vegetation and open access to water
• Food: anything that fits in their mouth. insects, frogs, ducklings, snakes, small mammals
• Appearance: The brownish green skin varies in shades by the size of the frog and the air temperature. The webbing on their hind foot is complete (unlike the Green Frog)
• Call: a deep sounding call "jug-a-rum". Best time to hear them is the mid-late June
• HOTSPOTS: not common here, but they have been found in Turtle Pond
• NOTE: They are INVASIVE anywhere outside their original range! (RBNC included) Do not introduce bullfrogs or their tadpoles anywhere. They can completely disrupt the natural system of things in an area

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

• Habitat: Found in woodlands near wetlands
• Food: Feeds on small insects and invertebrates
• Appearance: Skin color is light brown to gray and dark brown. Temperature affects the color of the frog with cold making it darker, and increased warmth going lighter
  Have distinctive X on backs
  Belly is light tan
• Call: ascending "peep, peep, peep" similiar to a baby chick. Best time to hear them is late April and early May
• HOTSPOTS: marsh area, Prairie Pond

Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata) First frog to call in spring at RBNC

• Habitat: Waters that don't have a fish population
• Food: Emerging aquatic insects, beetles and other insects
• Appearance:Slender, with a pointed head. Can be found in a range of colors from light brown to various shades of red, gray or green. Three stripes run the length of its back and its belly is tan with no markings
• Call: a clicking sound, like running your finger down the teeth of a comb. Speed varies with the temperature. They will stop calling if approached. Best time to hear them is from late March until the end of April
• HOTSPOTS: Prairie Pond in spring

American Toad (Bufo americanus)

• Habitat: Uses many habitats, including bogs, coniferous forests, prairies and wooded areas.
• Food: terrestrial (not flying) insects and worms
• Appearance: Body normally a brown color, although it can vary, even appearing somewhat reddish or greenish.
  They have variable splotches of white and black, with the black often containing the "warts" that toads are known for.
• Call: High pitched, rapid trill lasting 20-30 seconds on a single note. Best time to hear them is mid-May to mid-June.
• HOTSPOTS: Prairie and Upper Ponds

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Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)

• Habitat: Live in moist areas, frequently in burrows underground
• Food: earthworms, insects, small mice and other amphibians
• Appearance: Can reach 7-13 inches in length. Sides and back are darkly colored with lots of yellowish colored spots and blotches. The belly is a lighter color.
• HOTSPOTS: only found above ground in greater numbers during heavy spring and fall rains as they migrate to and from their overwintering areas. Otherwise, the occasional one is most likely to be seen on a damp or humid night

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Tips for Finding and Identifying Reptiles and Amphibians

• Walk slowly, quietly and avoid sudden movements.
• The best time to view turtles is in spring or fall on a sunny afternoon. Too hot and they will stay in the water to regulate their body temperature. That's why summer isn't the best time to view them...it gets too hot!
  • You will ocasionally see turtles roaming about in June as they go to lay their eggs. If you see them doing that, please don't disturb them!
• If you're wanting to hear frogs or toads, spring is the prime time. Different frogs sing in different months and at different temperatures, so just pick any day in April or May and come visit, you're bound to hear something. Even later, you may hear toads and some frogs if the weather is right!
• When identifying any herp, focus on the size, color and patterns.
  • Is it itsy-bitsy or is it two feet long? Some herps never get big, so that can help.
  • Does it have stripes, spots, blotches or is it a single solid color? If it has any special patterning, note where on the body it is (i.e. mask around the eyes, stripes on its legs, etc)
• Bring a notebook along to make observations or drawings while you are observing the herp. Once the animal has left or you are at home, then you can look it up according to your descriptions.

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