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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures
Tropicalization is a term used to describe the transformation of temperate ecosystems by poleward‐moving tropical organisms in response to warming temperatures. In North America, decreases in the frequency and intensity of extreme winter cold events are expected to allow the poleward range expansion of many cold‐sensitive tropical organisms, sometimes at the expense of temperate...
Authors
Michael Osland, Philip Stevens, Margaret Lamont, Richard Brusca, Kristen Hart, Hardin Waddle, Catherine Langtimm, Caroline Williams, Barry Keim, Adam Terando, Eric Reyier, Katie Marshall, Michael Loik, Ross Boucek, Amanda Lewis, Jeffrey Seminoff
Environmental contamination and unusual snake mortality in an urban national wildlife refuge Environmental contamination and unusual snake mortality in an urban national wildlife refuge
The National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System protects ~150 million acres of land and water in the United States and provides habitat for >2,000 native vertebrates species. Although legally protected, wildlife populations within these refuges can be threatened by anthropogenic activities. The lack of knowledge about such threats has the potential to undermine biodiversity conservation. We
Authors
Kimberly Terrell, Anne Ballmann, Ashli Brown, Christina Childers, Susan Knowles, Ashley Meredith, Darrell Sparks
Biological and habitat assessment of the Lower Rouge River, Michigan 2018 Biological and habitat assessment of the Lower Rouge River, Michigan 2018
A key component of evaluating the success of habitat remediation projects is determining preremediation conditions, biotic and abiotic, to establish a baseline and compare with postproject conditions. The Rouge River, Michigan, is a Great Lakes Area of Concern with a listed Beneficial Use Impairment related to loss of fish and wildlife habitat. A biological and habitat assessment was...
Authors
Edward F. Roseman, Jason Fischer, Robin DeBruyne, Scott Jackson
Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data
Acoustic telemetry technologies are being increasingly deployed to study a variety of aquatic taxa including fishes, reptiles, and marine mammals. Large cooperative telemetry networks produce vast quantities of data useful in the study of movement, resource selection and species distribution. Efficient use of acoustic telemetry data requires estimation of acoustic source locations from...
Authors
Nathan J. Hostetter, Andy Royle
Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island
Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively impact native wildlife and facilitate establishment of introduced species. On islands, introduced species are a primary cause of extinction and can alter community membership through predation or competition for resources. Consequently, elucidating the distribution of introduced and native species can improve understanding of the potential...
Authors
Eric Hileman, Bradley Eichelberger, Jill Liske-Clark, Patrick Barnhart, Robert Reed, Amy Yackel Adams, Melia Nafus
Herpetofauna occupancy and community composition along a tidal swamp salinity gradient Herpetofauna occupancy and community composition along a tidal swamp salinity gradient
Occupancy patterns of herpetofauna in most tidal freshwater swamps are unknown. Tidal freshwater swamps currently face multiple threats, including salinization, which can influence their associated plant and animal communities. The impacts of salinization to herpetofauna communities in tidal freshwater swamps have not been assessed. To improve predictions regarding these herpetofauna, we...
Authors
Sidney T Godfrey, J. Waddle, Robert F Baldwin, William Conner, William C Bridges, Jamie A. Duberstein
Introgression obscures lineage boundaries and phylogeographic history in the western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus (Squamata: Eublepharidae) Introgression obscures lineage boundaries and phylogeographic history in the western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus (Squamata: Eublepharidae)
The geomorphological formation of the Baja California peninsula and the Gulf of California is a principal driver of diversification for the reptiles of North America’s warm deserts. The western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus, is distributed throughout the Mojave, Sonoran and Peninsular deserts. In this study we use multilocus sequence data to address deep phylogeographic structure...
Authors
Dean Leavitt, Bradford Hollingsworth, Robert Fisher, Tod Reeder
Shifts in hatching date of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in southern Florida Shifts in hatching date of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in southern Florida
Globally temperature of marine environments is on the rise and temperature plays an important role in the life-history of reptiles. In this study, we examined the relationship between sea surface temperature and average date of hatching for American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) over a 37-year period at two nesting sites, Everglades National Park and Florida Power and Light Turkey Point...
Authors
Michael Cherkiss, James Watling, Laura Brandt, Frank J. Mazzotti, Jim Linsay, Jeffrey Beauchamp, Jerome J. Lorenz, Joseph Wasilewski, Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen Hart
Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
Transect surveys are frequently used to estimate distribution and abundance of species across a landscape, yet a proportion of individuals present will be missed because either they were out of view and unavailable for detection or they were available but not detected because the surveyors missed them. These situations lead to availability and perception bias, respectively, and can...
Authors
SM Boback, Melia Nafus, Amy Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse
In conservation paradigms, management actions for umbrella species also benefit co‐occurring species because of overlapping ranges and similar habitat associations. The greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is an umbrella species because it occurs across vast sagebrush ecosystems of western North America and is the recipient of extensive habitat conservation and restoration...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Michelle Jeffries, Robert Arkle, Deanna H. Olson
Pilot inventory of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, 1990-1997 Pilot inventory of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, 1990-1997
The United States Geological Survey Golden Gate Field Station conducted a baseline inventory of terrestrial vertebrates within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties, California between 1990 and 1997. We established 456 permanent study plots in 6 major park habitats, including grassland, coastal scrub, riparian woodland, coastal...
Authors
Marcia Semenoff-Irving, Judd Howell
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures
Tropicalization is a term used to describe the transformation of temperate ecosystems by poleward‐moving tropical organisms in response to warming temperatures. In North America, decreases in the frequency and intensity of extreme winter cold events are expected to allow the poleward range expansion of many cold‐sensitive tropical organisms, sometimes at the expense of temperate...
Authors
Michael Osland, Philip Stevens, Margaret Lamont, Richard Brusca, Kristen Hart, Hardin Waddle, Catherine Langtimm, Caroline Williams, Barry Keim, Adam Terando, Eric Reyier, Katie Marshall, Michael Loik, Ross Boucek, Amanda Lewis, Jeffrey Seminoff
Environmental contamination and unusual snake mortality in an urban national wildlife refuge Environmental contamination and unusual snake mortality in an urban national wildlife refuge
The National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System protects ~150 million acres of land and water in the United States and provides habitat for >2,000 native vertebrates species. Although legally protected, wildlife populations within these refuges can be threatened by anthropogenic activities. The lack of knowledge about such threats has the potential to undermine biodiversity conservation. We
Authors
Kimberly Terrell, Anne Ballmann, Ashli Brown, Christina Childers, Susan Knowles, Ashley Meredith, Darrell Sparks
Biological and habitat assessment of the Lower Rouge River, Michigan 2018 Biological and habitat assessment of the Lower Rouge River, Michigan 2018
A key component of evaluating the success of habitat remediation projects is determining preremediation conditions, biotic and abiotic, to establish a baseline and compare with postproject conditions. The Rouge River, Michigan, is a Great Lakes Area of Concern with a listed Beneficial Use Impairment related to loss of fish and wildlife habitat. A biological and habitat assessment was...
Authors
Edward F. Roseman, Jason Fischer, Robin DeBruyne, Scott Jackson
Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data
Acoustic telemetry technologies are being increasingly deployed to study a variety of aquatic taxa including fishes, reptiles, and marine mammals. Large cooperative telemetry networks produce vast quantities of data useful in the study of movement, resource selection and species distribution. Efficient use of acoustic telemetry data requires estimation of acoustic source locations from...
Authors
Nathan J. Hostetter, Andy Royle
Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island
Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively impact native wildlife and facilitate establishment of introduced species. On islands, introduced species are a primary cause of extinction and can alter community membership through predation or competition for resources. Consequently, elucidating the distribution of introduced and native species can improve understanding of the potential...
Authors
Eric Hileman, Bradley Eichelberger, Jill Liske-Clark, Patrick Barnhart, Robert Reed, Amy Yackel Adams, Melia Nafus
Herpetofauna occupancy and community composition along a tidal swamp salinity gradient Herpetofauna occupancy and community composition along a tidal swamp salinity gradient
Occupancy patterns of herpetofauna in most tidal freshwater swamps are unknown. Tidal freshwater swamps currently face multiple threats, including salinization, which can influence their associated plant and animal communities. The impacts of salinization to herpetofauna communities in tidal freshwater swamps have not been assessed. To improve predictions regarding these herpetofauna, we...
Authors
Sidney T Godfrey, J. Waddle, Robert F Baldwin, William Conner, William C Bridges, Jamie A. Duberstein
Introgression obscures lineage boundaries and phylogeographic history in the western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus (Squamata: Eublepharidae) Introgression obscures lineage boundaries and phylogeographic history in the western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus (Squamata: Eublepharidae)
The geomorphological formation of the Baja California peninsula and the Gulf of California is a principal driver of diversification for the reptiles of North America’s warm deserts. The western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus, is distributed throughout the Mojave, Sonoran and Peninsular deserts. In this study we use multilocus sequence data to address deep phylogeographic structure...
Authors
Dean Leavitt, Bradford Hollingsworth, Robert Fisher, Tod Reeder
Shifts in hatching date of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in southern Florida Shifts in hatching date of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in southern Florida
Globally temperature of marine environments is on the rise and temperature plays an important role in the life-history of reptiles. In this study, we examined the relationship between sea surface temperature and average date of hatching for American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) over a 37-year period at two nesting sites, Everglades National Park and Florida Power and Light Turkey Point...
Authors
Michael Cherkiss, James Watling, Laura Brandt, Frank J. Mazzotti, Jim Linsay, Jeffrey Beauchamp, Jerome J. Lorenz, Joseph Wasilewski, Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen Hart
Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
Transect surveys are frequently used to estimate distribution and abundance of species across a landscape, yet a proportion of individuals present will be missed because either they were out of view and unavailable for detection or they were available but not detected because the surveyors missed them. These situations lead to availability and perception bias, respectively, and can...
Authors
SM Boback, Melia Nafus, Amy Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse
In conservation paradigms, management actions for umbrella species also benefit co‐occurring species because of overlapping ranges and similar habitat associations. The greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is an umbrella species because it occurs across vast sagebrush ecosystems of western North America and is the recipient of extensive habitat conservation and restoration...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Michelle Jeffries, Robert Arkle, Deanna H. Olson
Pilot inventory of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, 1990-1997 Pilot inventory of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, 1990-1997
The United States Geological Survey Golden Gate Field Station conducted a baseline inventory of terrestrial vertebrates within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties, California between 1990 and 1997. We established 456 permanent study plots in 6 major park habitats, including grassland, coastal scrub, riparian woodland, coastal...
Authors
Marcia Semenoff-Irving, Judd Howell