Snakes
A farmer's best friend and one of the largest and most common snakes in the region, known for being an excellent climber.
Rat Snake
Also called "Blue-tailed skink"
Five-Lined Skink
Name refers to their quick retreat into the water
Pond Slider
How many native frog species are present in East Tennessee?
15
How uncreative! This well-camoflaged arboreal snake gets its name from its striking and obvious pigmentation
Rough Greensnake
Largest skink in Tennessee
Broad-headed Skink
Males of this species typically have red eyes
Eastern Box Turtle
This frog is famous for its croak that signals springtime
Spring Peeper
How are snakes able to swallow prey larger than themselves?
Unfused mandible/stretching jaw/kinetic skull
These lizards love to bask in the sun
Eastern Fence Lizard
Stack on top of each other to sunbathe when space is limited
Eastern River Cooter
This East Tennessee frog is commonly identified by a lone ranger mark
Wood Frog
While they may share similarly wet habitats, do not mistake this harmless snake with its venomous counterpart, the cottonmouth, which is not present in East TN
Common/Northern Watersnake
Can change colors, but it is not a true chameleon
Green Anole
known as the “Stinkpot” because of the unpleasant odor released from musk glands
Eastern Musk Turtle
Despite sharing their monarchal and wedded common names, these two colubrids are relatively unrelated to one another genetically
Kingsnake(s) and Queen Snake(s)
Also known as “sandlappers”
Six-lined Racerunner
Their upper shell does not have any scales or plates
(Eastern) Spiny Softshell
Name the native frog that lives underground and has evolved a spade like body part to burrow itself
Eastern spadefoot