Florida Wetland Herpetology
Below is a sample of Florida's wetland reptiles and amphibians, focusing on those found in the Panhandle region.

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) - Common in freshwater habitats throughout Florida, but may be found in estuaurine environments as well.  They continually replace between 2,000-3,000 teeth throughout their lifetime.  The largest alligator on record measured 19 feet long.


Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea) - Have large, sticky toepads that are adapted to climbing trees.  They are common throughout Florida




Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrooki) - Have spade-like projections on their hind feet that are specialized for digging burrows.  They are found throughout Florida.



Southern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus auriculatus) - Found throughout North and Central Florida. Depend on fire for availability of breeding grounds.

Upland Panhandle Herpetology

Below is a list of some of the ecologically important reptiles and amphibians found in the uplands of the Panhandle of Florida.  The listhighlights especially those species that are considered threatened or have key ecosystem roles.

Turtles

• Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) : This is a keystone species of the flatwoods. A wide variety of species depend on its' burrows for homes. However, it has become critically endangered due to habitat loss from urbanization.  Other factors contributing to its' decline include fragmentation of natural habitat and direct human activities such as rattlesnake hunting.
  

  

Snakes

• Florida Pine Snake (Pituophis melanouecus mugitus) : The pine snake is considered a species of special concern in Florida, due mostly to the fragmentation of the sandhill and longleaf pine forests that he calls home.  They are known to spend a good deal of time underground and to at time cohabitate with gopher tortoises. 
  
• Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais) : This federally threatened species is considered the longest native snake in the US.  They are usually found in xeric pine-oak sandhills, and commonly use gopher tortoises' burrows for shelter. 
  

 

Frogs

• Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) : This exotic invasive species was first introduced to south Florida, but has recently been sighted as far north as the panhandle. 
• Gopher frog (Rana capito) : This frog is listed in Florida as a species of special concern.  It lives primarily in sandy scrub habitat.  Because it depends mostly on seasonally flooded ponds to breed, a regular burning cycle is vital to their survival.  They are known to cohabitate with Florida Pine snakes as well as Gopher Tortoises within their burrows. 

Salamanders

• Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) : This is considered a species of special concern by the state of Florida. The suppression of natural growing-season fires has inhibited the salamanders' reproductive cycle due to overgrowth of their breeding ponds. They depend on long-leaf pine forest systems, which are also on the decline.
• Striped Newts (Notophthalmus perstriatus) : Considered threatened by the State of Florida.  Adults are usually found in the sandhills and long-leaf pine forests, while breeding and juveniles are generally in ephemeral ponds.  Fire suppression has decreased the availability of breeding habitat.