3.8 Reptiles
• Implement the state listing process by routinely evaluating conservation status and recommending legislative updates to revise the state species lists.
• Support citizen science and volunteer eforts to monitor species and habitat.
• Utilize partnerships and research collaborations with local universities and education programs to implement conservation, research, and management actions.
• Develop education, outreach, and technical guidance programs for the public.
Eastern Fox Squirrel (Left: gray phase. Right: black phase) (Jef Beane, NCMNS)
3.8 Reptiles 3.8.1 Introduction
Te southeastern United States, especially the Coastal Plain, has a high diversity of rep- tiles, and the state of North Carolina is no exception. North Carolina harbors more than 70 native species of reptiles, including snakes, lizards, turtles, and the American Alligator. Reptiles, like many amphibians, are often very difcult to fnd and even the best avail- able survey techniques may have limited success for detecting many species. Tis makes it essential to conduct survey and monitoring eforts over many years to collect sufcient information to understand the population status of each of the state’s native reptile species. North Carolina is also home to numerous imperiled species of reptiles, ranging from the Bog Turtle in the western part of the state to the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Southern Hognose Snake, Northern Pine Snake, and many others in the Sandhills and Coastal Plain. Some of these species, like the Bog Turtle, rely on small, interspersed, very specifc habitats, such as mountain bogs, for survival. Other species, like the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake and Northern Pine Snake, require very large tracts of intact,
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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