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A Few Reptiles
of the Tennessee ValleyTurtle: Eastern Mud Turtle Kinosternon subrudrum. Smooth, light brown shell. Lives in shallow water. |
Turtle: Loggerhead Musk Turtle Sternotherus minor. Dark brown above, yellow below, unmarked. Found in mud bottomed, shallow water. |
Softshell Turtles: Smooth Softshell Trionyx muticus and Spiny Softshell Trionyx spiniferus. Both are found in the Tennessee Valley. The Smooth shell is a brownish yellow color. The Spiny shell is light green with darker spots. |
Snapping Turtle: Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina. Has a rough, pointed, brown and tan shell. The Snapping Turtle has a "lure" on the tip of it's tongue the aids in catching fish. |
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina. The shell is brown with orange and yellow designs. It is about twice as tall as it is wide. These Turtles are primarily found in the open woods. |
Snakes When a person comes across a snake, most of the time he/she automatically feels scared. Here are the only snakes of the Tennessee Valley that you should really be scared of. |
Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix. Has bright pattern of brown cross bands on a bright colored background. |
Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus. Found near the water. Dark colored with white in the interior mouth. |
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Crotalus adamanteus. Makes a rattling sound when it feels pressured, and uses this as a warning device. It has a diamond shape design on its back that is made up of tan, brown and light brown. |
Timber Rattlesnake Crotalus horridus. It grows a bit larger that the Eastern Diamondback and is mostly found in the woods. |
Created by Amy Barrier Nov. 1998 - Revised July 29, 1999 KMM.