Qué
Sapo de Fowler (Anaxyrus fowleri)Observ.
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Fowler's Toad.
I think this is a defensive "look-big" posture, possibly due to me bothering it to take this picture.
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Rana Leopardo Sureña (Lithobates sphenocephalus)Observ.
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A Southern Leopard Frog.
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Rana Mirona Primaveral (Pseudacris crucifer)Observ.
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A Spring Peeper.
Peepers can be identified by the cross-shaped pattern on the back.
Observ.
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The Black Ratsnake.
This individual was caught "red-handed" in the nest box of a wood duck.
Observ.
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A Pygmy Rattlesnake.
Notice the reduced rattle at the tip of the tail.
Qué
Serpiente de Agua del Norte (Nerodia sipedon)Observ.
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The Northern Watersnake.
This snake is commonly misidentified as a Cottonmouth, but is not venomous. (Although their musk is rather potent.)
Observ.
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The beautiful Copperhead.
These snakes are so cryptic with a forest-floor background, I've been looking right at one without seeing it before (until it moved). Simply incredible.
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Rana Toro (Lithobates catesbeianus)Observ.
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American Bullfrog.
Say hello to the Missouri state amphibian.
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Tritón Oriental (Notophthalmus viridescens)Observ.
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A juvenile of the Central Newt. Also called an eft.
Unlike most other salamanders, newts have a triphasic life cycle. This is the second stage. After metamorphosis the efts leave the pond and stay in the woods while they grow, later returning to the ponds to complete the transition into their adult phase.
They are brightly colored as a "warning sign" to predators that they are toxic.
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Salamandra de Mármol (Ambystoma opacum)Observ.
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A Marbled Salamander.
These salamanders display a rather stunning silver-on-black saddle-like pattern on their backs.
One of two fall-breeding Ambystoma in MO.
Qué
Culebra Verde Rugosa (Opheodrys aestivus)Observ.
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Rough Greensnake.
This snake is largely arboreal, spending most of it's time in the trees. The long and slender body form helps it wind from branch to branch without falling.
Observ.
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A Slender Glass Lizard.
Often mistaken for a snake, these are actually lizards that have secondarily lost their legs (well, I guess snakes did too).
If you compare the face of this lizard to another lizard versus a snake, the difference is very noticeable.
They get their name "Glass Lizard" because they can, and will, break their tails off at the slightest stress, like they're "made of glass."
Observ.
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Common Five-lined Skink.
This lizard is incredible common in MO, although most people identify with the juvenile form more than this adult.
Observ.
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A juvenile Common Five-lined Skink.
What most people call Blue-tailed Lizards. Only the juveniles have the blue tail and bright lines on the body. These colors are thought to distract predators, drawing them to the tail (which can be regenerated) instead of the main body.
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Huico (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus)Observ.
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Six-lined Racerunner.
These lizards, as their name implies, are incredibly swift.
The only Whiptail native to MO.
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Lagartija Espinosa de Las Praderas (Sceloporus consobrinus)Observ.
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Formerly S. undulatus (Eastern Fence Lizard), this has been reclassified as the Prairie Lizard.
Very common in southern MO. Only the males gain the bright blue coloration on their underbelly during the mating season.
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Eslizón de Tierra (Scincella lateralis)Observ.
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The creatively-named Little Brown Skink.
Also called a Ground Skink.
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Rana Grillo del Noreste (Acris blanchardi)Observ.
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Just a little-ol' Cricket Frog.
These are incredibly common across most of MO. The display a wide variation in coloration. This individual has a very nice red dorsal patch and striping on the hind legs.
Formerly A. crepitans.
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Culebra de Collar (Diadophis punctatus)Observ.
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A Ring-necked Snake.
These little snakes have a very colorful ventral patterning, meant to deter predators (or photographers).