Reptile intro
Reptiles Research
Reptiles Research
Filter Total Items: 30
Turtle Ecology
Turtles are among the most recognizable and iconic of animals. Any animal with a shell and a backbone is a turtle whether they are called turtles, tortoises, or terrapins. In fact, terrapin is an Algonquian Native American name for turtle. Worldwide there are 356 turtle species on all continents except for Antarctica. The United States has more species than any other country with about 62...
Giant Constrictor Snakes in Florida: A Sizeable Research Challenge
Since the mid-1990s, several species of non-native, giant constrictor snakes, such as Burmese pythons and boa constrictors, have surfaced in localities throughout southern Florida. Several are known or suspected to be breeding and appear to be spreading northward. Increasingly, media and other reports of sightings or encounters with these animals have emphasized the dangers they could impose on...
Population Biology and Ecology of Diamondback Terrapins in Mangrove Forested Ecosystems in the Greater Everglades
Long-term capture-recapture research in the Everglades National Park provides baseline information on the Diamondback Terrapin, a species that may be threatened by human disturbances.
Benthic Habitat Characterization and Habitat Use of Endangered Sea Turtles in Marine Protected Areas of the Greater Everglades
USGS assesses how federally endangered sea turtles use the habitat in and around a no-take area in the Dry Tortugas National Park.
Evaluation of Tegu Movements and Habitat Use in Relation to Location and Habitat
Tegus are breeding, they have a diverse diet, and they are established in areas throughout South Florida. USGS is tracking this problematic reptile species to better understand their movements and habitat use to help managers prevent dispersal into new areas.
Spatial Ecology of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in the Greater Everglades
Satellite/GPS tags help USGS researchers understand the movements of American Alligators and American Crocodiles in the Greater Everglades.
Predicting Vulnerability of Southeastern Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches to Climate Change
Climate change may reduce the suitability of nesting and foraging habitat used by federally threatened and endangered species, like the Loggerhead sea turtle.
Sea Turtle Habitat Use at Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands
USGS researchers tag and track endangered and threatened sea turtles to inform adaptive management strategies in marine protected areas.
Ecology of and Control Strategies for Invasive Burmese Pythons (Python molurus bivitattus) in the Greater Everglades
Telemetry tracking of captured pythons reveals movement patterns of the invasive Burmese python in the Greater Everglades, information that managers can use to prioritize python control efforts.
Explore our science using the data below.
Occurrence locations and trait data for freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles native to the state of Oregon Occurrence locations and trait data for freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles native to the state of Oregon
These datasets include occurrence points and trait data for freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles native to Oregon State. Occurrence data were extracted from the VertNet database and include points within Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as points found within ecoregions that overlap with Oregon state (U.S. EPA Level III EcoRegions). Occurrence points include records from...
Landscape-scale wildlife species richness metrics Landscape-scale wildlife species richness metrics
These raster data represent the results of a case study in Arizona on how vertebrate richness metrics can be used with existing state and federal guidance in wind and solar energy facility siting. Each of the four geodatabases (see Cross References) contain eight native terrestrial wildlife group models in Arizona: 1) all vertebrates, 2) amphibians, 3) reptiles, 4) birds, 5) mammals, 6)...
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS reptile research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS reptile publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 23
New amphibian and reptile parish records from Louisiana, USA New amphibian and reptile parish records from Louisiana, USA
Dundee and Rossman (1989) published distribution maps of Louisiana herpetofaunal species in The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana over 30 years ago. Since then many records have been published, mostly in Herpetological Review, documenting additions to these original maps. Though many are single species additions, several compilations of new Louisiana records have been published...
Authors
Brad Glorioso
Reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance in an urban landscape: Impacts of fragmentation and the conservation value of small patches Reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance in an urban landscape: Impacts of fragmentation and the conservation value of small patches
Urbanization is a major contributor to habitat loss and fragmentation and is considered a global threat to biodiversity. We studied reptile and amphibian species diversity and abundance in a highly fragmented landscape adjacent to the second largest metropolitan area in the United States. Habitat patches in our study area were made up of remnant native vegetation surrounded by roads...
Authors
Kathleen Semple Delaney, Gary Busteed, Robert N. Fisher, Seth P.D. Riley
Research to inform Caltrans best management practices for reptile and amphibian road crossings Research to inform Caltrans best management practices for reptile and amphibian road crossings
In October of 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a 5-year project to conduct research to inform Best Management Practices (BMPs) for amphibian and reptile crossing and barrier systems in California. To inform future conservation and transportation planning, this project involved identification of species at highest risk of negative road impacts, creation of geodatabase and...
Authors
Cheryl S. Brehme, Robert N. Fisher, Tom E. S. Langton, Anthony P. Clevenger, Esther Adelsheim, Stephanie Barnes, Tristan Edgarian, Brittany Ewing, Stacie A. Hathaway, Michael Hobbs, Jennifer Kingston, A. Launer, Tritia A. Matsuda, Jeremy B. Sebes, C. Vaughn, Elise Watson
Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk
Our knowledge of the conservation status of reptiles, the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates, has improved dramatically over the past decade, but still lags behind that of the other tetrapod groups. Here, we conduct the first comprehensive assessment (~92% of the world’s ~1,714 described species) of the conservation status of skinks (Scincidae), the most speciose reptile...
Authors
David G. Chapple, Uri Roll, Monika Böhm, Rocio Aguilar, Andrew P. Amey, Chris C. Austin, Maureen Baling, Anthony J. Barley, Michael F. Bates, Aaron M. Bauer, Daniel G. Blackburn, Phil Bowles, Rafe M. Brown, S. R. Chandramouli, Laurent Chirio, Hal Cogger, Guarino R. Colli, Werner Conradie, Patrick J. Couper, Mark A. Cowan, Michael D. Craig, Indraneil Das, Aniruddha Datta-Roy, Chris R. Dickman, Ryan J. Ellis, Aaron L. Fenner, Stewart Ford, S. R. Ganesh, Michael G. Gardner, Peter Geissler, Graeme R. Gillespie, Frank Glaw, Matthew J. Greenlees, Oliver W. Griffith, L. Lee Grismer, Margaret L. Haines, D. James Harris, S. Blair Hedges, Rod A. Hitchmough, Conrad J. Hoskin, Mark N. Hutchinson, Ivan Ineich, Jordi Janssen, Gregory R. Johnston, Benjamin R. Karin, J. Scott Keogh, Frederick Kraus, Matthew LeBreton, Petros Lymberakis, Rafaqat Masroor, Peter J. McDonald, Sven Mecke, Jane Melville, Sabine Melzer, Damian R. Michael, Aurelien Miralles, Nicola J. Mitchell, Nicola J. Nelson, Truong Q. Nguyen, Cristiano de Campos Nogueira, Hidetoshi Ota, Panayiotis Pafilis, Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Ana Perera, Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Robert Reed, Marco A. Ribeiro-Junior, Julia L. Riley, Sara Rocha, Pamela L. Rutherford, Ross A. Sadlier, Boaz Shacham, Glenn M. Shea, Richard Shine, Alex Slavenko, Adam Stow, Joanna Sumner, Oliver J. S. Tallowin, Roy Teale, Omar Torres-Carvajal, Jean-Francois Trape, Peter Uetz, Kanishka D. B. Ukuwela, Leonie E. Valentine, James U. Van Dyke, Dylan van Winkel, Raquel Vasconcelos, Miguel Vences, Philipp Wagner, Erik Wapstra, Geoffrey M. While, Martin J. Whiting, Camilla M. Whittington, Steve Wilson, Thomas Ziegler, Reid Tingley, Shai Meiri
Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles
Reptiles utilize a variety of environmental cues to inform and drive animal behavior such as chemical scent trails produced by food or conspecifics. Decrypting the scent-trailing behavior of vertebrates, particularly invasive species, enables the discovery of cues that induce exploratory behavior and can aid in the development of valuable basic and applied biological tools. However...
Authors
M. Rockwell Parker, Andrea Faye Currylow, Eric A. Tillman, Charlotte J. Robinson, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Isabella M.G. Bukovich, Lauren A. Nazarian, Melia G. Nafus, Bryan M. Kluever, Amy A. Yackel Adams
Trophic ecology Trophic ecology
The trophic ecology of lake charr Salvelinus namaycush morphotypes from small and large lakes within their native and introduced ranges is reviewed over the past 50 years. The lake charr is an apex predator in most habitats it occupies, where it plays a significant role in defining food webs. While often considered piscivores, lake charr feed on a range of aquatic prey throughout their...
Authors
Mark Vinson, Louise Chavarie, Caroline Lynn Rosinski, Heidi K. Swanson
Reptile intro
Reptiles Research
Reptiles Research
Filter Total Items: 30
Turtle Ecology
Turtles are among the most recognizable and iconic of animals. Any animal with a shell and a backbone is a turtle whether they are called turtles, tortoises, or terrapins. In fact, terrapin is an Algonquian Native American name for turtle. Worldwide there are 356 turtle species on all continents except for Antarctica. The United States has more species than any other country with about 62...
Giant Constrictor Snakes in Florida: A Sizeable Research Challenge
Since the mid-1990s, several species of non-native, giant constrictor snakes, such as Burmese pythons and boa constrictors, have surfaced in localities throughout southern Florida. Several are known or suspected to be breeding and appear to be spreading northward. Increasingly, media and other reports of sightings or encounters with these animals have emphasized the dangers they could impose on...
Population Biology and Ecology of Diamondback Terrapins in Mangrove Forested Ecosystems in the Greater Everglades
Long-term capture-recapture research in the Everglades National Park provides baseline information on the Diamondback Terrapin, a species that may be threatened by human disturbances.
Benthic Habitat Characterization and Habitat Use of Endangered Sea Turtles in Marine Protected Areas of the Greater Everglades
USGS assesses how federally endangered sea turtles use the habitat in and around a no-take area in the Dry Tortugas National Park.
Evaluation of Tegu Movements and Habitat Use in Relation to Location and Habitat
Tegus are breeding, they have a diverse diet, and they are established in areas throughout South Florida. USGS is tracking this problematic reptile species to better understand their movements and habitat use to help managers prevent dispersal into new areas.
Spatial Ecology of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in the Greater Everglades
Satellite/GPS tags help USGS researchers understand the movements of American Alligators and American Crocodiles in the Greater Everglades.
Predicting Vulnerability of Southeastern Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches to Climate Change
Climate change may reduce the suitability of nesting and foraging habitat used by federally threatened and endangered species, like the Loggerhead sea turtle.
Sea Turtle Habitat Use at Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands
USGS researchers tag and track endangered and threatened sea turtles to inform adaptive management strategies in marine protected areas.
Ecology of and Control Strategies for Invasive Burmese Pythons (Python molurus bivitattus) in the Greater Everglades
Telemetry tracking of captured pythons reveals movement patterns of the invasive Burmese python in the Greater Everglades, information that managers can use to prioritize python control efforts.
Explore our science using the data below.
Occurrence locations and trait data for freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles native to the state of Oregon Occurrence locations and trait data for freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles native to the state of Oregon
These datasets include occurrence points and trait data for freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles native to Oregon State. Occurrence data were extracted from the VertNet database and include points within Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as points found within ecoregions that overlap with Oregon state (U.S. EPA Level III EcoRegions). Occurrence points include records from...
Landscape-scale wildlife species richness metrics Landscape-scale wildlife species richness metrics
These raster data represent the results of a case study in Arizona on how vertebrate richness metrics can be used with existing state and federal guidance in wind and solar energy facility siting. Each of the four geodatabases (see Cross References) contain eight native terrestrial wildlife group models in Arizona: 1) all vertebrates, 2) amphibians, 3) reptiles, 4) birds, 5) mammals, 6)...
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS reptile research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS reptile publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 23
New amphibian and reptile parish records from Louisiana, USA New amphibian and reptile parish records from Louisiana, USA
Dundee and Rossman (1989) published distribution maps of Louisiana herpetofaunal species in The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana over 30 years ago. Since then many records have been published, mostly in Herpetological Review, documenting additions to these original maps. Though many are single species additions, several compilations of new Louisiana records have been published...
Authors
Brad Glorioso
Reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance in an urban landscape: Impacts of fragmentation and the conservation value of small patches Reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance in an urban landscape: Impacts of fragmentation and the conservation value of small patches
Urbanization is a major contributor to habitat loss and fragmentation and is considered a global threat to biodiversity. We studied reptile and amphibian species diversity and abundance in a highly fragmented landscape adjacent to the second largest metropolitan area in the United States. Habitat patches in our study area were made up of remnant native vegetation surrounded by roads...
Authors
Kathleen Semple Delaney, Gary Busteed, Robert N. Fisher, Seth P.D. Riley
Research to inform Caltrans best management practices for reptile and amphibian road crossings Research to inform Caltrans best management practices for reptile and amphibian road crossings
In October of 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a 5-year project to conduct research to inform Best Management Practices (BMPs) for amphibian and reptile crossing and barrier systems in California. To inform future conservation and transportation planning, this project involved identification of species at highest risk of negative road impacts, creation of geodatabase and...
Authors
Cheryl S. Brehme, Robert N. Fisher, Tom E. S. Langton, Anthony P. Clevenger, Esther Adelsheim, Stephanie Barnes, Tristan Edgarian, Brittany Ewing, Stacie A. Hathaway, Michael Hobbs, Jennifer Kingston, A. Launer, Tritia A. Matsuda, Jeremy B. Sebes, C. Vaughn, Elise Watson
Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk
Our knowledge of the conservation status of reptiles, the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates, has improved dramatically over the past decade, but still lags behind that of the other tetrapod groups. Here, we conduct the first comprehensive assessment (~92% of the world’s ~1,714 described species) of the conservation status of skinks (Scincidae), the most speciose reptile...
Authors
David G. Chapple, Uri Roll, Monika Böhm, Rocio Aguilar, Andrew P. Amey, Chris C. Austin, Maureen Baling, Anthony J. Barley, Michael F. Bates, Aaron M. Bauer, Daniel G. Blackburn, Phil Bowles, Rafe M. Brown, S. R. Chandramouli, Laurent Chirio, Hal Cogger, Guarino R. Colli, Werner Conradie, Patrick J. Couper, Mark A. Cowan, Michael D. Craig, Indraneil Das, Aniruddha Datta-Roy, Chris R. Dickman, Ryan J. Ellis, Aaron L. Fenner, Stewart Ford, S. R. Ganesh, Michael G. Gardner, Peter Geissler, Graeme R. Gillespie, Frank Glaw, Matthew J. Greenlees, Oliver W. Griffith, L. Lee Grismer, Margaret L. Haines, D. James Harris, S. Blair Hedges, Rod A. Hitchmough, Conrad J. Hoskin, Mark N. Hutchinson, Ivan Ineich, Jordi Janssen, Gregory R. Johnston, Benjamin R. Karin, J. Scott Keogh, Frederick Kraus, Matthew LeBreton, Petros Lymberakis, Rafaqat Masroor, Peter J. McDonald, Sven Mecke, Jane Melville, Sabine Melzer, Damian R. Michael, Aurelien Miralles, Nicola J. Mitchell, Nicola J. Nelson, Truong Q. Nguyen, Cristiano de Campos Nogueira, Hidetoshi Ota, Panayiotis Pafilis, Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Ana Perera, Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Robert Reed, Marco A. Ribeiro-Junior, Julia L. Riley, Sara Rocha, Pamela L. Rutherford, Ross A. Sadlier, Boaz Shacham, Glenn M. Shea, Richard Shine, Alex Slavenko, Adam Stow, Joanna Sumner, Oliver J. S. Tallowin, Roy Teale, Omar Torres-Carvajal, Jean-Francois Trape, Peter Uetz, Kanishka D. B. Ukuwela, Leonie E. Valentine, James U. Van Dyke, Dylan van Winkel, Raquel Vasconcelos, Miguel Vences, Philipp Wagner, Erik Wapstra, Geoffrey M. While, Martin J. Whiting, Camilla M. Whittington, Steve Wilson, Thomas Ziegler, Reid Tingley, Shai Meiri
Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles
Reptiles utilize a variety of environmental cues to inform and drive animal behavior such as chemical scent trails produced by food or conspecifics. Decrypting the scent-trailing behavior of vertebrates, particularly invasive species, enables the discovery of cues that induce exploratory behavior and can aid in the development of valuable basic and applied biological tools. However...
Authors
M. Rockwell Parker, Andrea Faye Currylow, Eric A. Tillman, Charlotte J. Robinson, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Isabella M.G. Bukovich, Lauren A. Nazarian, Melia G. Nafus, Bryan M. Kluever, Amy A. Yackel Adams
Trophic ecology Trophic ecology
The trophic ecology of lake charr Salvelinus namaycush morphotypes from small and large lakes within their native and introduced ranges is reviewed over the past 50 years. The lake charr is an apex predator in most habitats it occupies, where it plays a significant role in defining food webs. While often considered piscivores, lake charr feed on a range of aquatic prey throughout their...
Authors
Mark Vinson, Louise Chavarie, Caroline Lynn Rosinski, Heidi K. Swanson