Iowa Wildlife Series - Iowa Reptiles And Amphibians

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansBlanchard’s cricket frogs are about the same sizeas chorus frogs but look stronger and sturdier.Their skin is granular, almost as if it is coveredwith coarse sand. When threatened, they jumpinto the water and jump back out on the bank afew feet away. They seem to disappear as theyblend into the bank.Highly aquatic frogWhile treefrogs are very small and live much oftheir adult lives in wooded areas, there are manyfrogs that spend most of their lives in the rivers,streams, and lakes of Iowa.While several treefrogs would fit on your teaspoon,the bullfrog would be longer than your dinnerplate. And, in fact, many people do enjoy frog’slegs for dinner!Bullfrogs jumpusing theirpowerful legs.The bullfrog gets its name because of its deep,single note call that sounds like a bass or bullfiddle. It is Iowa’s largest frog and can grow up toeight inches long. Bullfrogs need two years todevelop from an egg to adult frog. So they arefound in water that’s deep enough to not freezecompletely to the bottom. Once found mainly inthe southern and eastern parts of the state,bullfrogs have been stocked in ponds and now arefound statewide. They are aggressive hunters andeat insects, small fish, and even small birds,snakes, and mammals. BARUUP!Green frogs seem to compete with bullfrogs forhabitat. Where larger bullfrogs are found, greenfrogs are absent. Green frogs can grow to be fourinches long. They are sometimes nicknamed"banjo frogs" because the male’s call sounds like alow-pitched banjo string plucked several times in arow. A chorus of these frogs sounds like a group ofbanjo players warming up for a concert!Iowa Association of Naturalists7

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansLeopard frogThe leopard frog is one ofthe most common andwidely-distributed frogs in allof North America. Today, mostscientists agree that Iowa has threedistinct species: the northern, plains,and southern leopard frogs.However, they all share a commonname because they have spots likea leopard.The northern leopard frog is found throughout thestate. Its oval spots tend to be outlined in yellowor white, unlike the other leopard frogs found inIowa. The plains leopard frog is more gray in colorand is found in the southwestern half of the state.Both the northern and plains leopard frog may befound in the same areas and occasionally in thesame pond or lake. The southern leopard frog isfound only in extreme southeastern Iowa.The call of the leopard frog sounds like a longsnore followed by a series of short grunts.Distinguishing between the different speciesrequires an expert - or a female leopard frog!8Iowa Association of Naturalists

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansFroggy facts! Toads and frogs are closely related. In fact, many experts call toadsfrogs. If you're not sure if it's a toad or a frog, call it a frog. You'll beright! Frogs are amazing jumpers because of their strong hind legs. Tinycricket frogs have been known to jump up to 40 times their own length! Frogs have tricky tongues. Rather than being attached at the back ofthe mouth like your tongue, it’s attached at the front. The stickytongue flips out against its food and flips back in against its throat.Gulp! No need to chew. This suits the frog just fine as a frog has tinyteeth that aren't useful for chewing. Your parent may ask you to eat with your mouth closed,but if you were a frog you'd eat with mouth closed - andyour eyes closed, too! Frogs close their bulging eyes andpush down with them to help force food down their throats. Speaking of eyes, many frogs have special clear eyelidsthat close over their eyes to protect the eyes under water. It's likebuilt-in swimming goggles! The skin of pickerel frogs secretes a toxin that makes other animalsill. In fact, if you place a pickerel frog in a collection bag with otherfrogs, the toxic secretion may kill the others. While frogs like water, they can't drink it! They must absorb bodymoisture through their skin.ToadsWhile most frogs have smooth, moist skin, toadshave drier skin that is full of warts. Toads arestockier than frogs and have shorter legs. Insteadof jumping, they move with more of a walk andplodding hop.Since frogs and toads are a favorite meal forsnakes, birds, and small mammals, they have tohave a good defense. Toads are not good jumpers,Iowa Association of Naturalists9

Iowa Reptiles and Amphibiansso they bluff predators by puffing themselves upwith air and stretching out their legs so they lookbiiiiGGG!Toads puff up their bodiesto make themselves appearlarger to predators.If that doesn't work, toads have poison glandslocated behind their eyes. While the toxin isn'tpoisonous to people, it tastes bad and irritatessensitive areas. It acts as a deterrent to anyanimal that tries to pick up a toad in its mouth.If you pick up a toad, you may be in for a wetsurprise. While the toad's skin is dry, it willprobably pee in your hand and leave a wet mess.So wash your hands with soap and water afterhandling a toad.While the adult spends nearly all its life on land, itmust return to water to lay eggs. The Americantoad lays from 4,000 to 20,000 eggs in a long stringrather than a mass like most frogs. After the eggshatch, the tadpoles mature quickly, taking onlyfive or six weeks to become a toad. A mature adultgrows to about four inches long.The most common toads in Iowa are the Americantoad and Woodhouse’s toad. They can be found inmany kinds of habitat ranging from cultivatedfields and gardens to grassy fields and woodlandsall across Iowa. The Woodhouse's toad does nothave a spotted chest and it’s not quite as large.American toadWoodhouse’s toadThese toads hunt for insects primarily in theevening and nighttime hours and spend the day10Iowa Association of Naturalists

Iowa Reptiles and Amphibianshiding under boards, rocks, or othercover. Because toads eat so many insects, gardeners love them. To helpattract a toad to your garden, find a spotthat is often moist, like around a waterfaucet, and partially bury a large flowerpot on its side in a shady area to providecover.Two other toads live in the western two tiers ofcounties in Iowa. Great plains toads and spadefoottoads are mainly found in the loess hills areabordering the Missouri River.SalamandersMany people think salamanders and lizards arethe same, but they are really quite different.Salamanders are amphibians with smooth, moistskin, while lizards are reptiles with dry, scaly skin.Salamanders are stockier, with heavy tails and noclaws.While lizards and reptiles may be found in verydry and sunny areas, salamanders and otheramphibians prefer moist areas near water.Salamanders lay their eggs in the water. Theyoung use gills to obtain oxygen from the water.Larval salamanders grow quite large, nearly aslarge as some adults, and they have frilly, externalgills along their necks. The young will eat almostanything they can get into their mouth such asinsects, spiders, small fish, and other salamanders.Adults eat worms, insects, and other smallanimals.The tiger salamander is the largest salamanderfound on land and grows to be nearly a foot long.It looks like a stocky dark lizard, but with wetskin, a long, heavy tail, and a very large,frog-like mouth.Iowa Association of Naturalists11

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansTiger salamanders are found in nearly anynon-flowing body of water in Iowa. They are foundin persistent ponds in roadside ditches, farmponds, and lakes. They prefer ponds without fishsince they are a favorite food for some fish species.This is one animal that may have increasedbecause of people. Shallow farm ponds are goodhabitat for salamanders. Other salamandersfound in Iowa include the blue-spottedsalamander, mudpuppies and the central newt.Secrets about salamanders Salamanders are quiet, secretive animals. They keep tothemselves and generally come out at night when peoplearen't around. You might be surprised at how manysalamanders there are! In some moist woods, scientistsestimate that there are more salamanders than there arebirds and mammals combined! Since they hide under leaves,logs, and rocks, you'd never know unless you really searched. Unlike their noisy relatives the frogs, salamanders arequiet. In fact, they are voiceless, although they sometimesmake a small squeak when handled. Young salamanders are important to scientists. If a youngsalamander loses an arm or a leg, it grows a new one. Doctorsare studying how they do it to see if people can regeneratelimbs, too!Tiger salamander12Iowa Association of Naturalists

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansIowa reptilesReptiles are evolutionary more advancedthan amphibians and are no longertied to the water. Unlike amphibiansthat lay eggs in water, reptiles have developedamniote eggs with tough, leathery skins to keepthem from drying out. The young generally looklike miniature copies of the adult with no larvalstage or metamorphosis.Part of the ability of reptiles toinvade dry-land environments wasthe development of a dry skin thatreduces the loss of body water. The reptileskin has scales on its outer surface thatincrease the skin's resistance to water,further reducing moisture loss. Scalesmay be small and overlapping, as insnakes and lizards, or they may be large andadjoining, as in turtles.Young snakes hatchfrom amniotic eggs.With lizards and snakes, the scales can't increasein size as the animal grows. These reptiles shedtheir skin and scales and replace them with a newset of larger scales. In the shedding process, calledmolting, the older upper layer of skin with itsattached scales loosens and breaks away from anewer layer that has already developed beneath it.With turtles, the large scalesdon’t molt. They are enlargedand thickened by additionallayers growing beneath. Insome turtles, this results inpyramid-shaped humps toform the shell.Iowa Association of Naturalists13

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansVision is the most commonly employed reptiliansense. Snakes and some lizards appear to havelidless eyes that don't blink. Actually, the lowereyelid is transparent and permanently attached tothe upper eyelid. So in fact the eyelid is alwaysclosed rather than always open!Snakes use their forkedtongues to sense theirenvironment.Reptiles have no external ear, but most have aneardrum near the surface of the skin. Their abilityto hear varies. Turtles have a well-developed earstructure but give little evidence of being able tohear. Snakes lack an eardrum but retain bonethat is positioned against the lower part of theskull at the jaw hinge. The snake can't "hear"airborne sounds in the usual sense, but the snake'sinner ear does respond to low-frequency soundsthrough vibrations to the skull bones. A snake canreadily detect vibrations through the ground.The Jacobson's organ is a chemical detectorlocated in the roof of the mouth of snakes andlizards. The rapid in-and-outflicking of a snake's tongue picks uptiny chemical particles which areplaced on the two openings of theJacobson's organ for identification.Remarkable reptiles Reptiles are old! Some turtles we see today haven’t changed muchsince the days of the dinosaurs. Reptiles have thick, scaly skins. Their scales are made ofkeratin - just like your fingernails! Just as your skin flakes off as you grow, so does a reptile’s. Withlizards, scales flake off one at a time. Snakes grow a new set of scalesunder the old ones, and the old skin comes off in one long piece. If you were a reptile, you'd stick out your tongue to smell what's forsupper! Many reptiles flick their tongues out to collect tiny moleculesto help that allow them to sense enemies, food, or a mate!14Iowa Association of Naturalists

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansSnakes of IowaSnakes may be found in every county in Iowa.They vary in size from very small brown andred-bellied snakes that are less than a foot long toblack rat snakes that grow to six feet long.Small snakes generally eat worms, slugs, andinsects. They, in turn, become dinner for largersnakes, hawks, owls, and other predators. Largersnakes help control populations of small mammalslike mice, rats, and ground squirrels. They also eatbirds and eggs if available. Some Iowa snakessuch as the fox snakes and black rat snakes aregood climbers. They climb trees and inside farmbuildings to hunt their dinner.Predators such asthe red-tailed hawkhunt snakes.Snakes hunt their prey in a variety of ways. Foreggs or slow-moving prey like slugs and worms,they simply open wide and swallow the mealwhole. Constrictors strike out at an animal, stunit, coil around it, and squeeze it tightly until itdies. Rattlesnakes strike and bite their prey,injecting poisonous venom through the largehollow fangs. They follow the prey until the poisontakes effect and then swallow the animal whole.Snakes generally are not scavengers. They usuallydon’t eat animals that they haven't caught andkilled themselves.Most snakes lay about a dozeneggs in early to mid-summer.The young hatch in late summerand early fall. Most eggs are laidin protected areas such as undera fallen log or rotting stump.The young generally look like asmall version of the adultsnake. The adults do not tendthe nest of eggs or raise the young.Iowa Association of NaturalistsSnakes swallowtheir prey whole.15

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansPrairie ringneckSnakes of Iowa woodlandsCommon nameBrown snakeCharacteristicsAbout 12”; tan with squareblotches; eats worms andinsectsInteresting factsCommonly seen basking in thesun; gentle; found in wet woodsstatewide except northwest cornerNorthern red-belliedsnakeAbout 10”; brown with palestripe and red belly; eatsworms and slugsFound in wet woods throughout Iowaexcept southwest corner; climbs treesPrairie ring-necksnakeAbout 10”; dark with brightyellow or orange ringaround neckHunts frogs and worms at night; hidesduring day; found in wooded hillsstatewide except in northwest cornerMilk snakeNorthern race is tan withOnce thought to steal milk from cows;large dark blotches; southern feeds on rodents in farm buildingsrace is tan with red blotches;appears to be bandedKing snakeBlack with white dots; looksspeckledFound in southern three tiers ofcounties in Iowa; very secretiveFox snakeLarge; 3-5 feet long; creamcolor with dark blotchesCoils and vibrates tail like arattlesnake but is not poisonous;good climberBlack rat snakeLarge black constrictor; 4-6feet long; black withcream-colored bellyFlat belly helps it climb trees; eatsbirds and rodents; found in easternand southern Iowa in thick forestsTimber rattlesnakeLarge and heavy body; tanwith chevrons on back; tailhas ring-like rattlesPoisonous; bites people only ifdisturbed; found in eastern andsouthern Iowa in thick forests; rarelyseen; venom rarely fatal if treatedTimberrattlesnakeBlue racerSnakes of Iowa fields and prairiesCommon nameRacersCharacteristicsBlue to slate colored; nostripes or marks; shy andsecretiveBullsnakeIowa’s largest snake, growing Powerful constrictors; eat largeup to six feet longnumbers of small mammals andmay eat birds and eggs; found in woodsand open areasPrairie king snakeTan to brown with largeblotches; not as banded asthe milk snake; about threefeet longFound throughout southern Iowa;prefers open areas along woodlandedgesPrairie rattlesnakeOne of Iowa’s four venomoussnakes, potent venom butrarely fatal if treatedVery rare, found only north of SiouxCity in loess hill bluffs areas;seldom seen16Interesting factsWell-adapted to prairies; eats rodents,lizards and frogs; found throughoutIowa except extreme northIowa Association of Naturalists

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansPlains garter snakeSnakes of Iowa found in and near waterCommon nameEastern gartersnakeCharacteristicsBrown to green with creamystripe along the back andsides; red-sided and plainsgarter snakes are similarInteresting factsBare live young; Iowa’smost abundant snake; often found intowns and cities; common near waterHognose snakeShort, fat snake; has anupturned nose and flatheadWhen threatened, inflates with air andflattens neck like a cobra; if it can’tintimidate attacker, it rolls over andplays dead; found in woodlandclearings near waterMassasauga(swamp rattlesnake)Black blotches down theback with smaller blotchesalong the sides on a graybackground; distinct pitsbelow the eyesLeast dangerous poisonous snake inIowa; bites are painful but rarely fatal;lives in marshy areas but mainly seenin higher, drier areasCopperheadCopper or bronze in colorwith darker hourglassmarkingsIowa’s rarest snake; if there areany in Iowa, they live in the extremesoutheast corner of the state;poisonous but rarely fatalPsssssst. Here'sss the low-down on sssnakes. Imagine that you could swallow a pumpkin whole! Well, a snake canswallow animals and eggs bigger than its head. GULP! Snakes make good snacks. Many animals like to eat snakes includingbullfrogs, snapping turtles, badgers, skunks, foxes, hawks, owls, and evenpigs and people! Speaking of eating, if you like barbecue ribs, you'd love snakes! A largesnake can have up to 500 vertebrae holding 1,000 ribs. Of course, eachbite would be very small. Most snakes are not poisonous. There are more than 2,500 kinds ofsnakes in the world and only 400 are poisonous to people. Just 16 ofthose live in the United States. Iowa has two poisonous snakes, themassasauga and timber rattlesnake. Both are rare and found in easternand southern Iowa. Two other poisonous snakes, the prairie rattlesnakeand the copperhead are occasionally reported in Iowa but are very rare. People seldom die from snake bites if treated. In fact, more people dieeach year from honeybee and wasp stings than snake bites!Iowa Association of Naturalists17

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansTurtlesNearly every turtle in the world, and all theturtles in Iowa, share one very noticeablefeature - a tough shell that covers most of theirbody. The shell is made up of three distinct parts:a dome-shaped carapace that covers the top ofthe body; a flatter plastron that covers theunderside of the turtle; and a bridge that joinsthe two halves together. When the turtle pulls itshead and legs inside this tough armor, predatorsfind it almost impossible to harm the turtle tuckedinside its shell. Once danger is passed, the turtlepokes out its head and legs and continues on itsway.Even though most turtles in Iowa spend much oftheir life in the water, they breathe air. Theydon’t need nearly as much oxygen as people, andcan stay under water for hours before they need topop the tips of their heads through the surface ofthe water to breathe more air.Iowa turtles usually lay their eggs in June or Julyin sandy, well-drained soil in sunny locations.Depending on the type ofturtle, the young hatch inthe fall or the next spring.Turtles must be severalyears old before they mateand lay eggs. In fact, largeturtles like the snappingturtles may be seven yearsold or more before they layeggs. The number of eggslaid varies depending on thekind of turtle and its age. Amature snapping turtle maylay 50 or more eggs, while ayoung box turtle might laythree or four eggs.18Iowa Association of Naturalists

Iowa Reptiles and AmphibiansTurtle tales Turtles lived on Earth around 200 million years ago.That's about the same time the first dinosaursappeared and long before people lived. While thedinosaurs died out, the tough turtles survived. For many centuries, people have admired the toughshell of turtles. Many people used the tough shell for abowl. Some Native American legends claimed the worldrests on the back of a giant turtle shell. Turtles don't shed their shells like snakes shed theirskins. Turtles just grow a

amphibians and reptiles. Herpetology erpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles. Herps is the name given to the large group of amphibians and reptiles. They are closely related and have some shared characteristics be-cause reptiles most likely evolved from the amphibians. However, they also have distinct differences. H