Reptiles of Virginia

Found only in southwestern Virginia, the eastern spiny softshell turtle feeds on aquatic animals, including mollusks and tadpoles.

Virginia's diverse reptiles include 69 species of lizards, snakes, freshwater or terrestrial turtles and marine turtles, with the highest concentration being found in the far southeastern portion of the state. The evolution and distribution of these reptiles closely align to the five physiographic provinces defined within the state: the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau. Formed by ancient geologic processes dating back to the Paleozoic Era, these regions feature distinctive geologic, climatic and ecological characteristics.

Lizards

Broad-headed skinks will lose the tip of their tail if threatened by a predator, but the tail regenerates.

Of the 10 species of lizards documented in Virginia, nine are native to the state. Half of these lizards are species of skinks, a diverse group of lizards characterized by short legs and poorly defined necks. The common five-lined skink, as well as the eastern fence lizard and rough-scaled lizard, are found throughout Virginia, with the exception of the Eastern Shore. The southeastern five-lined, broad-headed, and little brown skinks are widespread in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. Also inhabiting these regions are the eastern six-lined racerunner and the eastern slender glass lizard, often confused with a snake as it has no legs. The eastern glass lizard, a related species and also legless, is isolated to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park. The species is listed as threatened in Virginia. The northern coal skink, rarely encountered, is isolated to a few counties. The only introduced species, the Mediterranean gecko, has established in a few counties in Virginia, but does not appear to impact native species.

Snakes

The venomous northern copperhead snake is widely distributed throughout Virginia.

Virginia is home to 35 snakes, four of them venomous. Except for the islands off the Eastern Shore, 10 species occur statewide: the eastern wormsnake, northern black racer, eastern hognose snake, eastern milksnake, northern rough greensnake, eastern ratsnake, eastern smooth earthsnake, northern red-bellied snake, eastern gartersnake and the venomous eastern copperhead snake. The common ribbonsnake and northern brownsnake are both fairly widespread east of the Blue Ridge. A number of species occur in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions, including the mole kingsnake, red cornsnake, southeastern crowned snake, eastern kingsnake, eastern mudsnake and northern scarletsnake. The rough earthsnake and scarlet kingsnake are restricted to the southeastern corner of the state. The queen snake is found from the Piedmont region west. The smooth greensnake and northern pinesnake occur in the Blue Ridge and Ridge and Valley regions. The timber rattlesnake, a venomous species, is found at high elevations in the Blue Ridge and western Piedmont regions. The Coastal Plain population of this rattlesnake -- the canebrake rattlesnake -- is endangered in the state. Other highly isolated populations include the mountain earthsnake, the glossy crayfish snake and the eastern black kingsnake. Five species of aquatic snakes occur in Virginia: the red-bellied watersnake, brown watersnake, northern watersnake, common rainbow snake and the semi-aquatic eastern cottonmouth, a venomous species.

Freshwater and Terrestrial Turtles

Humans are one of the few predators of eastern snapping turtles.

Most of Virginia's 20 turtle freshwater and terrestrial turtle species are omnivorous, feeding on both plants and animals. Four species occur statewide: the eastern snapping turtle, eastern painted turtle, stinkpot and eastern box turtle. The spotted turtle, a threatened species in the state, and the eastern mud turtle can be found east of the Blue Ridge. The Coastal Plain is home to the striped mud turtle and the northern red-bellied cooter, which occurs in parts of the Piedmont region as well. The eastern river cooter also occurs in the Piedmont, as well as the Valley and Ridge. The northern diamond-backed terrapin, Coastal Plain cooter and yellow-bellied slider are restricted to the southeastern portion of the state. The eastern spiny softshell, northern map turtle and stripe-necked musk turtle are found in isolated river drainages of southwestern Virginia. A state-listed endangered species, the chicken turtle, is found only in Seashore State Park. The wood turtle, red-eared slider and Cumberland slider can be found in a few isolated counties. The bog turtle, the state's only federally listed endangered freshwater turtle, is found only in the Blue Ridge plateau.

Sea Turtles

Artificial lighting near nesting sites increases mortality rates by disorienting loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings away from the ocean.

Of the seven species of sea turtles, five are found in Virginia's coastal waters. Though they spend the majority of their lives at sea, female sea turtles must return to land to lay their eggs. Only the loggerhead sea turtle, also the most abundant, nests on Virginia's beaches. The Kemp's ridley sea turtle and leatherback sea turtle, the largest marine turtle, are seen in coastal waters, particularly during warmer months. The hawksbill sea turtle is exclusive to marine environments, never entering freshwater. Green sea turtles are relatively uncommon. All of these species are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. Jurisdiction over the species is shared between NOAA, which protects the animals at sea, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which protects the animals on nesting beaches. One of the most significant threats to sea turtles is entanglement with commercial fishing operations. A unique public-private partnership between NOAA and the commercial shrimp trawl industry has led to the development of "Turtle Excluder Devices," which allow turtles and large marine animals to escape trawl nets.

References

• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries: Species Infomation - Reptiles
• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; Special Status Faunal Species in Virginia; Feb. 3, 2009
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Federally Endangered, Threatened, Proposed, and Candidate Species in Virginia; Feb. 8, 2011
• Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Virginia; J. C. Mitchell and Karen K. Reay; 1999
• NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources: Marine Turtles
• Virginia Herpetological Society: Lizards of Virginia

Resources

• ARKIVE: Images of Life on Earth
• Virginia Herpetological Society: List of Known County/City Herps
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Waterlife - Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest Game