Missouri is home to 13 kinds of lizards.  All lizards native to the Show-Me-State are harmless and non-venomous. Like other reptiles, lizards are ectodermic or "cold-blooded."  They are closely related to snakes, and some even look and "act" just like snakes.

Most Missouri lizards are long, slender reptiles with scales, a long tail and four legs with claws on their toes.  They are different from snakes because they have legs, ear openings and eyelids.  However, as with other animals, there are exceptions:  the western slender glass lizard, which lives in many Missouri counties, is legless but has eyelids and ear openings, which snakes lack.

Adapted from:  MDC, http://www.conservation.mo.gov/nathis/herpetol/

All turtles lay eggs on land. Females are particular about where they lay and bury their eggs and may travel long distances overland to find a suitable location. Most turtles select well drained, sandy or loose soil to deposit their eggs, and the site usually faces south or southeast.

The Common Snapping Turtle [Chelydra serpentina serpentina]  is a common turtle of Missouri and one of the most abundant turtles in the eastern half of the United States.  Adult common snapping turtles range in upper shell length from 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm), and weigh from 10 to 35 pounds (4.5 to 17 kg).

The species is normally gray-brown in color, but the upper shell is often covered with mud or algae.  Common snapping turtles inhabit a wide variety of aquatic habitats: farm ponds, streams, rivers, swamps and lakes.  Contrary to popular belief, this turtle is more a scavenger than a predator and feeds on both animal matter and aquatic plants. This turtle is economically important because large numbers are captured and eaten by people. In Missouri, the common snapping turtle is considered a game species; check the Wildlife Code of Missouri for current regulations concerning this turtle.

Adapted from:  MDC, http://www.conservation.mo.gov/nathis/herpetol/-turtles/

Venomous Snakes

Missouri, with its wide variety of wildlife habitats prairies, Ozark hills and valleys, swamps, marshes, has a total of 52 species and subspecies of snakes. (A subspecies is a geographic race of a species.)  Most of our snakes are harmless. Although many may bite in self-defense, their bite usually produces nothing more than harmless scratches.  There are only five species of venomous snakes in all of Missouri.

All of Missouri's venomous snakes are pit vipers, which means they have an opening on each side of the head, called a sensory pit. A pair of hollow fangs are located on the front of the upper jaw.  In daylight these snakes have eyes with vertical pupils like a cat while all harmless snakes have round pupils.  This characteristic is not reliable for identification at night.  Even the underside of the tail is helpful in distinguishing the two types of snakes: venomous species have a single row of scales, while harmless snakes have two rows of scales.

The venomous snakes common in the North Fork Basin are listed below:

OSAGE COPPERHEAD [Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster]:  The most common venomous snake, its color varies from grayish-brown to pinkish-tan, with hourglass-shaped crossbands of dark gray, brown or reddish-brown.  The head may have some pink or orange color, hence the name "copperhead."  The tail may be yellow or greenish-yellow, especially in young specimens, and the belly usually is a dusky mixture of gray, tan and black.  Its length averages from 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm).  Copperheads make their homes on rocky hillsides and along the edges of forests.  They also spend time among trees and in brush along prairie streams.  Copperheads are often found near abandoned farm buildings. Copperheads will vibrate their tail when alarmed.  There is no record of a human death caused by a copperhead bite in this state, but medical treatment for such bites is necessary.  Copperheads eat mice, lizards, frogs and sometimes, small snakes.   The Osage copperhead is found over the northern two-thirds of the state and is replaced by the southern copperhead, a subspecies, in the southern third of the state.

EASTERN MASSASAUGA RATTLESNAKE [Sistrurus catenatus catenatus]:  Local Name: swamp rattler.  This snake is gray to dark gray with numerous brown or gray-brown blotches. The belly is dark gray or black, and there is usually a dark brown band extending backward from the eye onto the side of the neck.  The end of the tail has a small rattle.  Length averages from 20 to 30 inches (51-76 cm).  This snake lives in marshy areas or wet prairies and may take shelter in burrows of crayfish or other animals.  Massasaugas have become rare in Missouri because of habitat destruction and are on the state's Rare and Endangered Species list.  Human deaths caused by its bite are rare, but tests show that the massasauga's venom is highly toxic so it must be respected and classified as dangerous.  Massasaugas eat mice, shrews, frogs and lizards.  Missouri Distribution:  This species is found in the northeastern quarter of the state and gradually integrates with the light-colored western massasauga rattlesnake, a subspecies in the northwestern corner.

TIMBER RATTLESNAKE [Crotalus horridus]:  This is Missouri's largest venomous snake.  Generally tan or yellowish-tan, the timber rattlesnake has markings along the back, which are dark brown and change from blotches on the neck to bands near the tail.   Often, a dark line extends from the eye along the angle of the jaw and there is a rust-colored stripe down the back.  It has a large rattle at the end of its tail.  Length averages from 36 to 54 inches (91-137 cm).  This rattlesnake lives on rocky, wooded hillsides.  In the northern half of Missouri, it tends to congregate in selected south-facing rocky areas where it overwinters.  This habit is not widespread in southern Missouri.  Timber rattlesnakes eat a variety of rodents and also small rabbits.  It is dangerously venomous, but there are few cases of rattlesnake bites in this state.  Missouri Distribution: Statewide.

Adapted from:  Missouri Department of Conservation, http://www.conservation.mo.gov/nathis/herpetol/