Amphibians and reptiles of Mount Rainier National Park

There are 14 species of amphibians [1] and 5 species of reptiles [2] known to occur in Mount Rainier National Park.[3]

Cascades Frog

Amphibians

Reptiles

  • Family: Lizards Anguidae
  • Family: Boas Boidae
    • Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) are the most northerly of boa species. The distribution of Rubber Boas covers a large portion of the western United States, stretching from the Pacific Coast east to western Utah and Montana, as far south as the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles in California, and as far north as southern British Columbia. Rubber Boas have been known to inhabit a wide variety of habitat types from grassland, meadows and chaparral to deciduous and conifer forests, to high alpine settings. They can be found at elevations anywhere from sea level to over 10,000 feet (3,000 m).[18]
  • Family: Garter Snakes Colubridae
    • Northwestern garter snake, (Thamnophis ordinoides), is a species of colubrid snake endemic to North America. In the United States it is found in Oregon, Washington, and California; in Canada it is found in British Columbia. It is the most common snake in the park. The northwestern garter snake is small, with adults averaging around 36–53 cm (14–21 inches) in total length. It is most commonly found on the edge of meadows, surrounded by forest.
    • Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans vagrans) is a subspecies of the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake, a species of colubrid snake residing only in Southwestern Canada, and Western United States. Seven subspecies are currently recognized. Most snakes have a yellow, light orange, or white dorsal stripe, accompanied by two stripes on its side of the same color. Some varieties have red or black spots between the dorsal stripe and the side stripes. This snake often inhabits coniferous forests, and is relatively aquatic.
    • Valley Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi) is a subspecies of the common garter snake. It is a snake indigenous to North America. Most garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a brown background and their average length is about 1 metre (3.3 ft) to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). The common garter snake is a diurnal snake. In summer, it is most active in the morning and late afternoon; in cooler seasons or climates, it restricts its activity to the warm afternoons.


Further reading

  • Ronald A. Nussbaum; Edmund D. Brodie (1983). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Idaho Research Foundation. ISBN 9780893010867.
  • Lawrence L. C. Jones; William P. Leonard; Deanna H. Olson, eds. (2005). Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society. ISBN 9780914516163.
  • Corkran, Charlotte C.; Thoms, Chris (2006). Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. ISBN 9781551055664.

Notes

  1. "Mount Rainier National Park-Amphibians". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  2. "Mount Rainier National Park-Reptiles". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  3. "Amphibians and Reptiles of Mount Rainier" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  4. "Taricha granulosa granulosa – Rough-Skinned Newt". California Herps. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  5. Originally described as Ambystoma macrodactyla.
  6. Stebbins, Robert C. (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Peterson Field Guide Series) (3rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-98272-3.
  7. Ferguson DE (1961). "The geographic variation of Ambystoma macrodactylum Baird, with the description of two new subspecies". The American Midland Naturalist. 65 (2): 311–338. doi:10.2307/2422958. JSTOR 2422958.
  8. Graham KL, Powell GL (1999). Status of the Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) in Alberta. Alberta Environmental Protection, Fisheries and Wildlife Management Division, and Alberta Conservation Association, Wildlife Status Report No. 22 (PDF). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Alberta Environmental Protection, Fisheries and Wildlife Management Division, and Alberta Conservation Association. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  9. "Dicamptodon tenebrosus". Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  10. John L. Behler and F. Wayne King. 1979
  11. Wake, D. (1997) Incipient species formation in salamanders of the Ensatina complex Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 94:7761-7767
  12. Monterey Ensatina San Diego Field Station, United States Geological Survey Viewed: April 24, 2005, Last updated: March 05, 2003
  13. Hammerson, G. 2004. Plethodon vehiculum
  14. Stebbins, R.C. 1951. Amphibians of western North America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press
  15. Kricher, John C. 1993. A field guide to the ecology of western forests. The Peterson Field Guide Series No. 45. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company
  16. Nash, Pat (February 2005). "The RRRRRRRRiveting Life of Tree Frogs". Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  17. California Wildlife, Volume I: Amphibians and Reptiles, ed. by D.C. Zeiner et al., published by the California State Department of Fish and Game, May 2, 1988
  18. "All About The Rubber Boa Charina bottae, Natural History (and other info) of the Rubber Boa". All About The Rubber Boa Charina bottae. October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
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