Family Colubridae is represented in Louisiana by 18 genera composed of 32 species. The Acadiana Park Nature Station is represented by 11 genera composed of 9 species and 6 subspecies.

Black-masked racer

Coluber constrictor latrunculus - subspecies of the racer; a long, slim slate-gray snake with a broad black stripe behind the eye; maximum length is 75 1/4 inches, 1911mm.; primary diet consists of rodents, lizards, frogs, and birds; relatively common in the park. Referred to as the fastest snake, but if a person were to walk fast, her or she could outrun this or any snake in North America.

Mississippi ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus stictogenys

A black or slate gray thin bodied snake with a bright yellow neck band. Maximum length is 30 inches, 762mm.; found under rotting debris or beneath tree bark; primary diet consists of earthworms and insect larvae; fairly common in the park.

Texas rat snake

(Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) - subspecies of the rat snake; long gray-brown or yellowish-brown arboreal snake with dark blothches; maximum length is 101 inches, 2565mm.; primary diet consists of rodents and birds; common in the park. Commonly found in barns and house attics searching for rats and mice. When threatened it sometimes vibrates its tail. And, if it is in leaves, will sound like the buzz of a rattlesnake.

Western mud snake

(Farancia abacura reinwardtii) - subspecies of the mud snake; a long medium bodied black snake with a bright red belly; Maximum length is 81 inches, 2057mm.; aquatic, rarely seen out of water; primary diet consists of amphiuma and siren; rare in park.

Eastern hog-nosed snake

(Heterodon Platyrhinos) - a medium sized, heavy bodied snake with a variable dark pattern on a lighter background; has an upturned snout used for digging toads; maximum length is 45½ inches, 1156mm.; primary diet consists of toads but it will also eat frogs and salamanders; fairly common in park. This snake will flatten its neck like a cobra and hiss loudly when disturbed. If this doesn't intimidate the intruder the hog-nose will flip on its back and writhe around with its tongue hanging out and finally lay still as if dead.

Speckled kingsnake

(Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki) - subspecies of the common kingsnake; a medium sized shiny, black snake with small light colored (yellow) spots; maximum length is 82 inches, 2083mm.; common in park; primary diet consists of mice, snakes, birds, lizards, and eggs. They can eat venomous snakes because they are immune to the venom. They also eat non-venomous snakes including other kingsnakes.

Louisiana Milk Snake - (Lampropeltis triangulum amaura)

Western green water snake

(Nerodia cyclopion) - A heavy-bodied olive brown snake with an indistinct pattern of narrow dark crossbars; maximum length is 50 inches, 1270mm.; prefers still or slow-moving water and is seldom away from water; common in park. Primarily a diurnal basking snake during the colder months and a nocturnal aqautic snake during the warmer months. Primary food is fish, and it is especially fond of mosquito fish.

Yellow-bellied water snake - (Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster)

subspecies of the Plain-bellied water snake; a long, heavy-bodied, gray or dark-brown snake with a yellow belly; maximum length is 62 inches, 1575mm.; rarely bask and are primarily nocturnal in the summer; primary diet consists of fish, crawfish, and leopard frogs; common in park.

Broad-banded water snake

(Nerodia fasciata confluens) - subspecies of southern water snake;a long, tan, heavy-bodied snake with broad dark bands; maximum length is 62½ inches, 1588mm.; frequently bask; nocturnal in the summer; feeds on fishes, anurans, and frogs; common in park.

Diamond-backed water snake - (Nerodia rhombifera)

A long, heavy-bodied tan to gray-brown snake with a pattern of dark brown to black chainlike markings; maximum length is 63 inches, 1600mm.; often bask in low hanging branches over water; predominantly nocturnal from April through October; the most abundant water snake in the Atchafalaya, often mistaken for the Water Moccassin; primary diet consists of fishes and frogs; common in the park.

Rough green snake

(Opheodrys aestivus) - a green extremely slender snake with a white or yellow belly; maximum length is 45 5/8 inches, 1159mm.; primary diet consists of grasshoppers, katydids, spiders and crickets; fairly common in the park. They are excellent climbers often found in vines, bushes, or small trees, frequently near streams or lakes.

Brown Snake

(Storeria dekayi) - light-brown or gray-brown, thin bodied snake with a pale vertebral stripe bordered by dark spots; white or pinkish belly; maximum length is 20 3/4 inches, 527mm.; often found under rotting debris and in gardens; primary diet consists of earthworms, slugs, and snails. Mistakingly referred to as a ground rattler.

Western ribbon snake

(Thamnophis proximus) - olive-brown to black thin bodied snake with a gold or orange vertebral stripe and a yellowish stripe on either side of the vertebral stripe; maximum length is 48½ inches, 1232mm.; lives near water; primary diet consists of fish and amphibians; very common in the park. Often mistaken for the Common Garter Snake.

Common garter snake

(Thamnophis sirtalis) - nearly black thin bodied snake with a yellowish or red-orange vertebral stripe and a light yellow stripe on either side of the vertebral stripe with two rows of alternating black spots between stripes; maximum length is 52 inches, 1321mm.; primary diet consists of earthworms and amphibians; lives near water; very common in the park. Most widely distributed snake in North America. Often mistaken for the Ribbon Snake.

Rough earth snake

(Virginia Striatula) - brown, very thin-bodied snake with a white or pink belly; maximum length is 12 3/4 inches, 324mm.; often found under rotting debris and in gardens; primary diet consists of earthworms and slugs; status uncertain. Mistakingly referred to as a "ground rattler".

VENOMOUS SNAKES

Family Viperidae is represented in Louisiana by three genera with five species: Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), Water Moccassin (Agkistrodon piscivorous), Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) and Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius). The Acadiana Park Nature Station is represented by one genera with two species. These are venomous snakes. They have fangs that fold down when they close their mouth and are called pit vipers.

Copperhead

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(Agkistrodon contortrix) - a tan heavy-bodied snake with brown cross bands. Maximum length is 53 inches, 1346 mm.; usually feeds at night; found during the day sunning on logs, beside logs, under logs, or sometimes on the move; common in the park.

Water moccasin (a.k.a. cottonmouth) - (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

Family Elapidae

Coral

Family Elapidae is represented in Louisiana by one genera and one species. This is a venomous snake with fangs but the fangs do no fold down like the Viperidae. This snake has to chew on its victim to inject venom. This snake does not occur at the Acadiana Park Nature Station.

Family Chelydridae - Snapping turtles

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

A large aquatic turtle with a dark carapace (shell) and a long tail. Hatchlings have ridges on shell and are often mistaken for the Alligator snapping turtle. Adults have smooth shells. The plastron (underside of shell) is cross shaped and small, smaller than any other turtle at the park. Their long neck allows them to occassionally breathe while they lie on the bottomof a shallow body of water. Maximum length is 19 2/5 inches, 494mm. Primary prey consists of sponges, worms, mollusks, insects, crustaceans, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. They also eat a large amount of aquatic vegetation. Population undetermined but probable in park.

Family Emydidae - land and freshwater turtles

Southern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta dorsalis)

An aquatic turtle with an olive brown to black carapace (shell) and a red, yellow, or orange stripe down its back. Has webbed toes, claws on each toe, and the plastron (underside of shell) is solid yellow. Maximum length is 6 1/8 inches, 156mm. This turtle likes slow moving waters and lakes. This is the most abundant species in the United States but the Red-eared Slider is the most abundant species in Louisiana. Often seen basking on logs. Population undetermined but probable in park.

Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

A terrestrial turtle with a brown, high doomed carapace (shell). Sometimes with yellow or orange markings on carapace (like a starburst) and sometimes with no markings at all. Has slightly webbed toes with three or four toes on hind feet. Maximum length is 8 ½ inches, 216mm. The plastron (underside of shell) has a hinge that enables this turtle to enclose its entire body within its shell. Louisiana has 2 subspecies: the Three-toed Box Turtle and the Gulf Coast Box Turtle. Feed mostly on plants, fungi, small animals, and carrion. Populations have declined due to highway fatalities, the pet trade, and taken as personal pets. Lifespan may be 80 years or more. Population is undetermined in the park.

Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

An aquatic turtle with an olive-green carapace (shell) with a broad red mark behind its eyes and thin yellow stripes down its neck as well as thin yellow markings on its shell. Webbed toes with claws on all feet. Maximum length is 11 inches, 279mm. Used extensively in the pet trade. By far the most abundant freshwater turtle in Louisiana and it can be seen in almost any body of water basking on logs. Often mistakenly called a snapping turtle but the slider is not even in the same family. Availability is the main factor in diet. Primary foods include aquatic and terrestrial plants, small crustaceans, and insects. Abundant in the park.

Family Kinosternidae - mud and musk turtles

Stinkpot (Sternotherus odoratus)

An aquatic turtle with an olive-brown high-doomed carapace (shell) and thin, light yellow stripes down neck. Maximum length is 5½ inches, 139mm. Appropriately called a stinkpot because this turtle will excrete a foul odor when threatened or handled. Rarely basks. An omnivore that searches the bottom of bodies of water for food. Hatchlings have a brick red plastron (underside of shell), which fades to an olive brown to black color like the carapace. Abundant in the park.

Family Trionychidae - soft-shelled turtles

Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera)

A pancake-flat, totally aquatic turtle with a smooth, leathery, olive-brown carapace (shell). Toes are extensively webbed and it has three, long claws on each foot. Maximum length is 21 1/4 inches, 540mm. They lie on the bottom (usually partially covered by substrate) in shallow water and stretch their long necks to breathe above the surface. Primary foods include worms, fishes, crawfish, insects, and aquatic plants. Common in the park.

Family Gekkonidae

Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)

A nocturnal cream to brown lizard with dark spots. Its stomach looks transluscent. It has large lidless eyes, vertical pupils, and toes with large pads. Maximum length is 5 inches, 127mm. Gecko's are indigienous to the Mediterranean and came to Louisiana via cargo ships. During the day it hides in any crack or crevice it can find. It comes out at night to feed on insects. They have the same basic diet as Green Anole Lizards but the Gecko is nocturnal not diurnal like the Green Anole Lizard. The Mediterranean Gecko has its own ecological niche and has not encroached on anothers niche. Common in the park.

Family Iguanidae

Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

A lizard that can change colors from green to brown. Often called a chameleon but it is not related to the chameleon. Maximum length is 8 3/16 inches, 208mm. Males extend a red throat pouch for display. Primarily feed on insects. Very common in the park.

Family Scincidae

Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus)

"A moderately large, shiny lizard with a pattern , in small specimens, of a blue tail and narrow yellow or white stripes on a black background (large adults with brown body and gray tail, the stripes dull); head ornage-red and swollen in jaw region of large males during breeding season," according to Dundee and Rossman. Maximum length is 8 1/16 inches, 205mm. The five-lined skink is almost identical to the broad-headed skink. The most obvious difference is size; the five-lined skink is smaller than the broad-headed skink. Often seen basking on logs. Feed on vertebrates and arthropods. Common in the park.

Broad-headed Skink (Eumeces laticeps)

"A moderately large, shiny lizard with a pattern , in small specimens, of a blue tail and narrow yellow or white stripes on a black background (large adults with brown body and gray tail, the stripes dull); head ornage-red and swollen in jaw region of large males during breeding season," according to Dundee and Rossman. Maximum length is 13 inches, 330mm. The broad-headed skink is almost identical to the five-lined skink. The most obvious difference is size; the broad-headed skink is larger than the five-lined skink. Can inflict a painful bite, but is not poisonous. Often seen basking on logs. Feed on vertebrates and arthropods. Common in the park.

Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis)

A shiny brown lizard with a dark stripe on either side. Maximum length is 5 3/4 inches, 145mm. They are frequently found in leaf litter and basking on logs. Often mistaken for snakes because they scurry away when frigthened and their legs are not very visible when they are moving. Feed on insects, spiders, and earthworms. Extremely common in the park.