3.8 Reptiles
T ABLE 3.24 Reptile knowledge-gap priority species
Federal/ State Status*
Family
Scientifc Name
Common Name
Ophisaurus ventralis
Anguidae Colubridae
Eastern Glass Lizard Eastern Mud Snake Eastern Kingsnake Red-bellied Water Snake
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Farancia abacura abacura Lampropeltis getula getula
Nerodia erythrogaster Nerodia taxispilota
Brown Water Snake
Elaphe guttata [ Pantherophis guttatus ]
Corn Snake
Tantilla coronata Virginia striatula Graptemys kohnii
Southeastern Crowned Snake
Rough Earth Snake
Emydidae
Mississippi Map Turtle – High Rock Lake pop. [Exotic]
Trachemys scripta elegans Hemidactylus turcicus Sternotherus odoratus Phrynosoma cornutum
Red-eared Slider [Exotic]
Gekkonidae Kinosternidae
Mediterranean Gecko [Exotic]
Eastern Musk Turtle
Phrynosomatidae
Texas Horned Lizard [Exotic]
Anolis sagrei
Polychrotidae
Brown Anole [Exotic]
* See Table 3.2 for abbreviations.
Lack of fre, fre suppression, and the conversion of open pine habitat to industrial forests have led to the decline of many habitat specialists such as Northern Pine Snakes, Southern Hognose Snakes, and Chicken Turtles. Information on habitat management for herp spe- cies can be found in the PARC technical publication on habitat management for amphibi- ans and reptiles in the Southeast (Bailey et al. 2006) . Diverse reptile populations continue to persist in large, soundly managed tracts of Longleaf Pine forests in the Sandhills region. Working with land managers to emphasize the need for management to maintain diverse forests using prescribed fre is extremely important for maintaining diverse reptile populations. Bog Turtle conservation eforts are another example of implementing management to maintain or increase populations of reptiles. Tis species is now restricted to very small mountain bogs that are easily shaded out by thick vegetation if active management is not undertaken (Somers et al. 2000) . Tough sometimes difcult to implement, current eforts to maintain bogs in an open-canopied state are contributing to the conservation of this rare species. Tere are several species of sea turtles that use both aquatic and terrestrial habitats along North Carolina’s coast and extremely intensive management is necessary to maintain or
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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