Inventory of reptiles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cash B and Ennen J. 2015. Inventory of reptiles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. National Park Service
From April 2000 to November 2004 (44 months), various field methods were used to capture of encounter reptiles in GSMNP, including placement of metal roofing tin cover, visual encounter searches, drift fences with funnel traps, baited aquatic turtle traps, and searches for road kills. Over the course of the survey, 1,355 individuals of 33 species were encountered. Two new reptile occurrences were confirmed for the park--the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) and the Cumberland slider turtle (Trachemys scripta troostii)--bringing the total number of reptile species historically recorded from the park to 38. The five most commonly encountered species in our survey were the Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor), Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus), and the Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon). Five species historically recorded from the park were not encountered during the survey: the Northern Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea), Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus), Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata), Eastern Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus), and the Coal Skink (Eumeces anthracinus).
- Type
- Generic Dataset
- Authors
- Cash, Ben; Ennen, Joshua
- Date of Issue
- 2015
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Agkistrodon contortrix, APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, BDB, Biodiversity DB, Coluber constrictor, copperhead, Cumberland, Diadophis punctatus, Eastern Garter Snake, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, musk turtle, Nerodia sipedon, Northern Black Racer, Northern Water Snake, Reptiles, Ringneck Snake, SER, slider turtle, Southeast Region, Sternotherus odoratus, StudyID:GRSM-00042, Thamnophis sirtalis, Trachemys scripta troostii
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles