Reptiles of The Land Between
Backyard BioBlitz Program
The Land Between is an important stronghold for many species of reptiles. It is home to 12 species of snakes, one lizard species, and 7 species of turtles. Some of these species almost solely call the land between their homes in their Ontario range due to the unique rock barren , alvar, and lakeshore habitats that are found here; that make access to water, food, and spots to bask and find shade for thermoregulation a breeze.
PLEASE NOTE: the Summer, Autumn and Winter pages are currently unavailable because they are under construction.
How to help reptiles on my property
Here in the Land Between we have both aquatic and terrestrial reptiles. This means that there are many different ways that you can create or preserve habitat for them on your property. One good way is to ensure that you preform regular maintenance on your septic system (learn more about septic systems by clicking here) and do not use pesticides or fertilizers - any of these sources can pollute the environment and hurt reptiles. If you would like to encourage turtles to frequent your shorelands consider adding some logs into your shallows so that turtles have a place to bask! Keeping your shorelands natural and healthy can also help keep reptiles healthy. For snakes, consider constructing a hibernaculum where snakes can overwinter! Constructing a hibernaculum can be as simple as digging a hole and filling it with rocks and logs.
Spring Reptiles
Spring is an exciting time in the Land Between! Many species are waking up from their winter slumbers and are starting to get out and about. Amphibians have very interesting overwintering mechanisms, some can even freeze solid in the winter and then thaw out in the spring!
Reptile Activity Sheets
Download and print our activity sheets to have some extra fun learning about and searching for reptiles during your bioblitz!
Featured Spring Reptiles: species your are likely to find!
More information about our featured species!
Blanding's Turtle
(Emydoidea blandingii)
Appearance: The Blanding’s turtle is a mid-sized turtle generally ranging from 12-27cm long. They have a highly domed shell that is black with yellow to brownish coloured spackling or spots that sometimes form lines or streaks. Their skin colouration is also similar to this but their chin is a solid bright yellow! Their plasteron is creamy beige with dark blotches on the edges and the front of their plasteron is slightly hinged and can close to varying degrees depending on the individual turtle.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: April-June and late August-October
Habitat: Blanding's turtles spend a good bit of time on land for a semi aquatic turtle species and can have fairly large ranges. This means they can be found in a variety of habitats, though most of the time they are encountered near major bodies of water like lake rivers, and wetlands.
Fun Fact: Similar to the spotted turtle the Blanding's is also quite cold tolerant and really prefers the cooler months of spring and fall. This is especially important when they spend more time on land as in the summer heat they could dry out too quickly.
Eastern Gartersnake
(Thamnophis sirtalis)
Appearance: Eastern gartersnakes have keeled scales, a black to green brown upper usually with two yellow, orange, or red coloured stripes running down its back. Their underbelly is usually a similar colour to the stripes. Some have checkering between their stripes and some may be all black or other rare colours! Eastern gartersnakes may grow up to 66cm long and sometimes larger.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: March-October
Habitat: Eastern gartersnakes are often found under logs, rocks, and other debris, or sometimes wandering in the grass or along water's edges. They like a wide variety of habitats!
Fun Fact: Garter snakes are social and often found in groups, especially during hibernation and breeding season.
Eastern Hognose Snake
(Heterodon platirhinos)
Appearance: Eastern hognose snakes have keeled scales and a stout body, they have an upturned nose and will flatten their neck when threatened similar to a cobra. Hognose snakes can be a few colours but are mostly found in brown and grey colours with alternating black and brown blotches, with two of these black blotches generally situated directly behind the head kind of like imitation eyes. Oftentimes, they will have some rust red colouration tied in as well, and sometimes they are almost all black or grey.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: April-October
Habitat: Eastern hognose snakes can be found in rock barrens, lowland fields, sparsely treed conifer forests, and it generally prefers sandy soils. Like most snakes they are often hiding under the cover of rocks and logs or other debris, although eastern hognose snakes will sometimes be found resting in small animal burrows.
Fun Fact: Eastern hognose snakes will make quite a show when threatened, flattening their neck and making false strikes, if continually provoked they will role over and stick their tongues out and emit a foul smelling musk to play dead and try and deter anything from eating it. Read our blog post about them by clicking here!
Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake
(Sistrurus catenatus)
Appearance: Massasauga rattlesnakes have keeled scales and stout body that is light grey to brown with darker brown blotches border in black, larger blotches run down the spine and smaller blotches are on the sides. They also have dark bands below both eyes on the head with a white line below. The head is wide and has heat sensing pits like nostrils on the front. Also they have the signature rattle on their tail, although this can sometimes be missing if it has been injured so it's not a sure ID marker.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: April-October
Habitat: Massasauga rattlesnakes can be found in rock barrens, scrublands, wetland borders, and lake borders. They are often found under the cover of rocks or logs and other debris, or sitting camouflaged in shrubs, dense fallen leaves, tangles, and tall grasses.
Fun Fact: Rattlesnakes grow a new segment on their rattle regularly and it can be used to help find their age. The Massasauga rattlesnake Is now ontario's only native dangerously venomous snake (The timber rattlesnake is a species that is extirpated - It was once found in Ontario, but is no longer found, locally extinct)
Midland Painted Turtle
(Chrysemys picta)
Appearance: The midland painted turtle has a fairly flat to slightly domed shell that is smooth and generally an olive to dark brown colour. The under edges of their shells have red blotches on them.They are a small to mid sized species generally ranging from 11-15cm. Their neck, torso (and tops of legs) and tail have orange-red stripes. These stripes turn yellow once they reach the turtle's head, sometimes the tail.
Months visible: April-October
Habitat: Painted turtle like a large variety of aquatic habitats and can be found almost anywhere where there is a year round water body. This mean wetlands, rivers, creeks, lakes, and pools.
Fun Facts: The midland painted turtle is hardy through a lot of the temperature range that is found in the Land Between and can be seen coming out in early spring and in the heat of the summer. Painted turtles that hatch in late fall may even stay underground and basically freeze solid before thawing out and emerging in the spring!
Northern Red-Bellied Snake
(Storeria occipitomaculata)
Appearance: The northern red-bellied snake is a small keeled scale snake. They have a brown to grey upper body with two darker coloured stripes running down their back, they have a copper coloured head with a white dot on the back, and their belly is bright red or orange.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: April-October
Fun Fact: The favourite food of the northern red-bellied snake is slugs! So they make great garden pest managers!
Habitat: Northern red-bellied snakes are most frequently found under the cover of logs and rocks, or other debris in a wide variety of habitats. Most often they are in field or forest habitats.
Northern Ribbon Snake
(Thamnophis Sauritus septentrionalis)
Appearance: The northern ribbon snake is very similar to the eastern garter snake, its distinguishing features from the eastern garter snake are a more slender body and less keeled scales. Also, the lower part of its sides are generally a more brown colour in comparison to the black on top, and they have a more white chin with the scale in front of the eye being white as well.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: March-October
Habitat: The northern ribbon snakes can be found under logs, rocks, and other cover as well as long grass near wetlands and other bodies of water. The habitat that the northern ribbon snake prefers is similar to the eastern garter snake but they prefer to stay closer to water.
Fun Fact: The northern ribbon snake is a species of special concern, and it is one of four ribbon snake subspecies in North America.
Snapping Turtle
(Chelydra serpentina)
Appearance: The snapping turtle is a large turtle species with sizes ranging from 20-50cm benign common. Snapping turtles are tan brown to almost black in colour. Their shells are fairly flat with raised or keeled scutes and the rear of their shell is serrated. They have a small plasteron that is creamy coloured and a long spiky tail. They also have a hooked jaw and somewhat of a pointy nose.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: April-October
Habitat: Snapping turtles are mostly found in permanent water bodies such as wetlands, lakes, and rivers, although they will travel large distances over land in the spring to find nesting sites, and sometimes may be found relaxing in damp woodland and grassland pools.
Fun Fact: Snapping turtles are one of Ontario oldest living animals and can live for hundreds of years. They can bear a large range of temperatures similar to the painted turtle and can even sometimes be seen moving around under the ice on sunny arm days before the ice finally goes out.
Spotted Turtle
(Clemmys guttata)
Appearance: The Spotted turtle is tied with the eastern musk turtle for Ontario’s smallest turtle species generally ranging from 9-12 cm long. The spotted turtle has a smooth and slightly domed shell that is black with pronounced yellow to orange coloured spots. Females have a slightly yellow to orange coloured chin and under their legs, and males have darker faces with a more tan colouration and darker eyes and they tend to have more red on their legs. The plasteron is creamy white to orange with dark black splotches on either side.
Months of Most Frequent Encounter: April-June and late August-October
Habitat: Lakes marshes and especially near bogs and fens and lightly wooded wet meadows and swamps.
Fun Fact: Spotted turtles will sometimes aestivate (Kind of like hibernation) during the hottest parts of the summer. Spotted turtles prefer cooler temperatures and are one of the first to emerge in the spring.