Ontario's Herpetofauna

In Ontario, there are 51 species of Reptiles and Amphibians. 4 of these species are exclusively found in "North" Western Ontario on the North Western side of Lake Superior. The other 47 species can be found in Southern Ontario. I tend to not consider the Northern herp species on my Ontario herp list simply because they are a great distance away from most other species and are a long drive away for me. However I do eventually plan to travel that distance to see them (Western Painted Turtle, Central Newt, Red-sided Gartersnake, Boreal Chorus Frog). In the mean time I have been trying to complete my Southern Ontario life list. This year has been more than successful in that regard. Although I have yet to fully complete the list, I have now seen 43/47 species. Here are some of my highlight species from this year: Northern Two-lined Salamander Northern Two-lined Salamander in habitat Eastern Spiny Softshell turtle - Endangered Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtl

On my fall reading week this year I decided to take advantage of my free time to drive south to North Carolina to visit my family and do some herping. I know that this post isn't about Ontario herps but it brings in some much appreciated diversity! As most serious herpers and herpetologists know, herping while traveling is one of the most amazing and fun things you can do. You get to see new habitats and ecosystems of wherever you go and you get to observe new and unique herpetofauna within them! During my stay in NC I was only able to see a few herp species due to the time restriction of 3 days and flood damage from Hurricane Matthew that had just swept past. My first day herping started out with these species in the Croatan National Forest: Green Anole Green Anole Cottonmouth Cottonmouth Cottonmouth Cottonmouth Cottonmouth Cottonmouth American Alligator Ground Skink Ground Skink Ground Skink Southern Cricket