Reptiles

Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates. Their bodies are covered with scales. They lay eggs or give birth to live young.

Blanding's Turtle

Wildlife watching at a wetland area is a fun summer time activity.

Butler's Gartersnake

The Butler's gartersnake is very hard to tell apart from other gartersnakes.

Common Gartersnake

The common gartersnake is, well, common.

Common Watersnake

You're sitting on a dock, minding your own business, when you notice a snake swimming by in the water.

DeKay's Brownsnake

You can find this snake in oak savannas, prairies, marshes, old field, and under trash in vacant city lots.

photo of foxsnake coiled up and resting on soil

Eastern Foxsnake

Many people mistake this snake for a venomous copperhead. We don't have copperheards in Wisconsin.

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

This is one interesting snake, and not just because of its sharply upturned nose.

photo of massasauga resting on a fallen log

Eastern Massasauga

Massasaugas are one of Wisconsin's most endangered reptiles.

musk turtle perched on a stump under the large leaf of an aquatic plant

Eastern Musk Turtle

This critter is often known by its nickname, "stinkpot."

Eastern Ribbonsnake

This gartersnake resembles other gartersnakes at first glance.

False Map Turtle

Both false and southern map turtles are very wary and will flee at the slightest disturbance.

Five-lined Skink

Skinks have very shiny, smooth scales and their colors change as they age.

Gophersnake (Bullsnake)

What's that hissing sound? Well, it could be a gophersnake.

Gray (black) Ratsnake

When looking for snakes, you might not think to look up.

Lined Snake

Lined snakes spend most of their time hiding underneath things.

slender glass lizard being held by a person

Lizards of Wisconsin

Lizards in Wisconsin? Yep.

Milksnake

Legend has it that this snake sneaks into barns and sucks milk from cows.

photo of blue racer resting on a tree branch

North American (Blue) Racer

This sleek and slender snake is one of North America's fastest snakes.

Northern Map Turtle

The females of this species have large broad heads and jaws adapted for cracking mollusk and crayfish shells. Ouch!

Ornate Box Turtle

The ornate box turtle is an endangered species in Wisconsin.

Painted Turtle

The painted turtle is the most common turtle in Wisconsin.

Plains Gartersnake

There is nothing plain about this boldly-striped snake.

Prairie Skink

Don't you love saying the word, "skink"?

Queensnake

This beautiful snake calls water home.

Red-bellied Snake

Have you ever seen a red-bellied snake?

Ring-necked Snake

No other snake in Wisconsin can be mistaken for a ring-necked snake.

Six-lined Racerunner

With a name like racerunner, you'd have to be fast. And, as their name suggests, racerunners are very fast.

Slender Glass Lizard

The name for this lizard is appropriate. When it's caught sometimes its tail breaks into many pieces like glass.

photo of a bright green snake resting on a rock with its tail in the water

Smooth Greensnake

This snake is often called a grass snake because of its green color.

Smooth Softshell Turtle

Softshells are easy to recognize by their long, pointed snouts and scuteless top shells (carapaces).

eastern gartersnake being held by a person

Snakes!!

Did you know that there are as many as 21 kinds of snakes in Wisconsin? Wow, that's a lot!

Snapping Turtle

This turtle is long on tail, but short on temper.

Southern Map Turtle

Check out the carapace (top shell) on the southern map turtle.

Spiny softshell turtle

The spiny softshell looks a lot like its relative the smooth softshell.

Timber Rattlesnake

Wisconsin has two rattlesnakes. This is the big one!

spiny softshell turtles basking on fallen log

Turtles of Wisconsin

Have you ever seen a turtle sunning itself on a log on a warm summer day?

northern map turtle floating in the water

Ways You Can Help Turtles and Lizards

You and your family can help protect Wisconsin's turtles and liza

Western Ribbonsnake

There are less than a half dozen records of this endangered snake being seen in Wisconsin.

Western Wormsnake

This snake spends most of its time underground.

Wood Turtle

This medium-sized turtle is most easily recognized by its shell.

Blanding's Turtle

Wildlife watching at a wetland area is a fun summer time activity.
Butler's Gartersnake

The Butler's gartersnake is very hard to tell apart from other gartersnakes.
Common Gartersnake

The common gartersnake is, well, common.
Common Watersnake

You're sitting on a dock, minding your own business, when you notice a snake swimming by in the water.
DeKay's Brownsnake

You can find this snake in oak savannas, prairies, marshes, old field, and under trash in vacant city lots.

At a Glance