Michigan Reptiles Flashcards
Serrate rear margin of carapace
Chelydra serpentina (snapping turtle)
2 yellowish stripes on side of head, barbels on throat
Kinosternon odoratus (musk turtle or stinkpot)
Red + yellow stripes on head, carapace with red lines along edge
Chrysemys picta (painted turtle)
Red/orange stripe behind eye
Trichemys scripta (red-eared slider)
Smooth black carapace with yellow spots
Clemmys guttata (spotted turtle)
Rough, brownish carapace (looks like wood)
Clemmys insculpta (wood turtle)
Brown with yellow or orange pattern
Terrapene carolina (eastern box turtle)
Black carapace with yellowish spots + streaks, yellow chin
Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding’s turtle)
Green-olive carapace like topo map
Graptemys geographica (map turtle)
Flat, smooth shell
Apalone spinifera (spiny softshell)
Skink (smooth scales)
Eumeces fasciatus (five-lined skink)
Teiidae (rough scales on tail)
Cnemidophorus sexlineatus (six-lined racerunner)
Rattle, facial pit
Sistrurus catenatus (massasauga rattlesnake)
Black, yellow stripes, thicker
Thamnophis sirtalis (eastern garter snake)
Black, yellow stripes, thinner
Thamnophis sauritas (northern ribbon snake)
Upturned snout
Heterodon platyrhinos (eastern hognose snake)
Half-moon shaped red, orange or black spots on belly
Nerodia sipedon (northern water snake)
Yellowish belly with 4 dark brown stripes
Regina septemvittata (queen snake)
Dark blue/greenish/grey back, lighter blue underside
Coluber constrictor (blue racer)
Large, black, shiny
Elaphe obsoleta (black rat snake)
Brown, reddish brown blotches, Y- or V-shaped mark on top of head
Lampropeltis triangulatum (milk snake)
2 rows of parallel dark dots down back bordering lighter middle stripe
Storeria dekayi (brown snake)
