Amphibians and reptiles of Wyoming

It occurs in the USA throughout Montana, northwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico and southwestern Utah.

The natural habitats of the Great Basin spadefoot include pinyon-juniper, ponderosa pine, and high elevation spruce-fir forests, semidesert shrubland, sagebrush flats, temperate grasslands, and deserts.

Their range extends throughout all of Nevada and into most of Utah; they are also present in small areas in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Like other species of spadefoot toad, they get their name from a spade-like projection on their hind legs which allows them to dig into sandy soils.

The Plains spadefoot toad generally grows from 1.5 to 2.5 inches in length, has a round body, with relatively short legs.

In Wyoming, this toad is found in floodplains containing permanent water or irrigation runoff in the plains and foothills east of the Continental Divide below 6,000 feet (1,800 m).

Its color ranges from a dark, olive green to light brown with irregularly-shaped black spots on its back and legs (rendering its name).

Individuals can be distinguished from other Rana species by their shorter back legs, narrow snout and upturned eyes.

It varies from green to brown in dorsal colour with large dark circular spots on its back, sides and legs.

They are found in permanent ponds, swamps, marshes and slow moving streams throughout forest, open and urban areas.

The population decline is thought to have been caused by pollution drift from the United States falling in the form of acid rain.

In Wyoming, this frog is found in swampy cattail marshes and beaver ponds in the plains, foothills, and montane zones up to 9,000 feet (2,700 m).

In Wyoming, this frog is found in beaver ponds, small lakes, slow moving streams, wet meadows, willow thickets, in the montane zone usually at or near 9,000 feet (2,700 m).

[21] The six-lined racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) is a species of lizard found in the United States, from Wyoming across the Great Plains east to Rhode Island, south to Florida and west to southern Texas, and in northern Mexico, in Tamaulipas.

In Wyoming, the sub-species C. s. viridis is found in plains grasslands, sandhills, sandy or gravelly streambanks, and stream floodplains.

In Wyoming, the sub-species S. u. elongatus, the northern plateau lizard is found in rock outcrops and canyon walls in sagebrush communities.

[29] The gophersnake or bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) is a large non-venomous colubrid snake, widespread in the central part of the United States, northern Mexico, and southern Canada.

The sub-species Pituophis catenifer deserticola, the Great Basin Gophersnake is found in sagebrush communities and desert habitats.

The sub-species Crotalus viridis concolor, the midget faded rattlesnake is found in rock outcrops in sagebrush desert communities.

In Wyoming, this boa is found in near water and beneath logs, flat rocks, and other surface objects in the foothills and lower montane zones.

Most garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a brown background and their average length is about 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 ft).

They are primarily found throughout the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but they range north into Canada, and south into Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

Racers typically grow to around 3½ foot (107 cm) long, but some subspecies are capable of attaining lengths of 6 feet (1.8 metres).

Red-bellied snakes inhabit both fields and woods, but are most often found under boards and other objects at the edges of lumber piles or trash dumps.

In Wyoming, the sub-species S. o. pahasapae is found near water under flat rocks, logs, and other surface objects in moist woodland communities.

[41] The western hog-nosed snake (Heterodon nasicus) is a harmless colubrid species found in North America and northern Mexico.

Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the Rocky Mountains (and beyond, where introduced), throughout Mexico, and as far south as Ecuador.

[45] It is a relatively small turtle, that is currently not endangered or threatened but is of concern and protected in six Midwestern states (Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wisconsin).

It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

In Wyoming, the sub-species C. p. bellii is found in permanent ponds, reservoirs, marshes, and slow moving streams, below 6,000 feet (1,800 m).