- Anterior:
- Towards the front, or towards the head of the animal.
- Carapace:
The carapace is the top part of the shell.
A smooth posterior margin of the carapace.
(Photo by J. Andrews)A toothed posterior margin of the carapace.
(Photo by J. Andrews)- Dorsolateral ridges:
The presence or absence of a dorsolateral ridge can be very helpful in the identification of a frog. The ridge is a fold of skin beginning behind the eye and extending part or all of the way to the rear legs on both sides.
(Photo by E. Talmage)- Herptile:
- a reptile or amphibian.
- Plastron:
The plastron is the underside of the shell.
(Photo by C. Fichtel)- Posterior:
- Towards the back, or towards the tail of the animal.
- Scales:
- keeled or smooth
Keeled scales have a ridge along the centerline of the scale.
Smooth scales do not have a ridge.
(Photo by J. Andrews)- Scute:
A single plate or scale on a turtle’s shell.
- Tympanum:
- The tympanum is the eardrum of a frog and in some species it can be seen very clearly. In the green-faced frogs (American Bullfrog, Green Frog, and Mink Frog) the size of the tympanum relative to the eye can be used to determine the sex of the animal. The males have tympana that are noticeably larger than their eyes. The female’s tympana are about the same size as their eyes.
Male tympanum
Female tympanum
- (Photo of male frog by E. Talmage; photo of female frog by J. Andrews)
- The Atlas
- Vermont Species
- Reptiles
- Snakes
- Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
- Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)
- DeKay’s Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi)
- Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
- Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
- Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)
- Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis saurita)
- North American Racer (Coluber constrictor)
- Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)
- Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
- Smooth Greensnake (Opheodrys vernalis)
- Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
- Turtles
- Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)
- Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
- Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherous odoratus)
- Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica)
- Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
- Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
- Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera)
- Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)
- Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)
- Lizards
- Snakes
- Amphibians
- Frogs
- American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
- American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
- Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)
- Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)
- Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
- Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans)
- Mink Frog (Lithobates septentrionalis)
- Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
- Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris)
- Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
- Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
- Salamanders
- Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale)
- Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
- Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
- Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)
- Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum)
- Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum)
- Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus)
- Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus)
- Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata)
- Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus)
- Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)
- Frogs
- Species List with Conservation Status
- Vernal Pools: a video introduction
- Reptiles
- Report a Herp
- Priorities & Data Gaps
- What We’ve Learned
- The People
- Funding & Support
- Extras
- Updates (not quite a blog)
- Amphibian Crossings
- When the animal needs help
- Glossary of Herpetological Terms
- Bibliography
- Useful References & Links
- Additional Reading
- Road Mortality Bibliography & Links
- Limits to Economic Growth
- Recommended Reading List for Ecological Economics
- Population Growth and Resource Consumption
- Rattlers, Peepers, and Snappers DVD