This information has been updated, and split into two pages, one for reptiles; the other for amphibians. Please refer to those pages instead. You should be automatically redirected to the reptile one.
These tables give a rough idea of the relative abundance and distribution of Vermont’s herptiles. The comparisons are subject to bias by the audibility, visibility, notoriety, and ease of identification of species. For example, since salamanders don’t call and are usually under cover, they are reported less often than frogs. Consequently, the species are sorted by taxonomic group so that some of these biases are alleviated. However, some other biases remain. For instance, Eastern Ribbonsnakes when observed may be assumed to be Common Gartersnakes and hence they may be under-reported. Aquatic species of turtle that bask only infrequently are probably reported less often than terrestrial or basking species.
Still, these tables help the Scientific Advisory Group decide if the state rank and/or state status of a species needs to be reevaluated. Species are listed in descending order of the number of “sites” from which they have been reported. Errors in the number of known sites and towns for the more abundant species are almost certainly included and those numbers are changing monthly. There are a total of 255 “towns” (political units including towns, cities, gores, and unincorporated areas) in the state of Vermont.
State Ranks are as of July, 2007.
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Salamanders | Frogs | Turtles | Snakes | Lizards | Notes
| Species | # of Towns | # of Sites | State Rank | State Status | Site Size | SGCN Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Newt | 221 | 1151 | S5 | 0.5km | ||
| Spotted Salamander | 218 | 861 | S5 | 0.5km | Medium | |
| Eastern Red-backed Salamander | 239 | 777 | S5 | 0.5km | ||
| Northern Two-lined Salamander | 216 | 557 | S5 | 0.5km | ||
| Northern Dusky Salamander | 191 | 413 | S5 | 0.5km | ||
| Spring Salamander | 102 | 181 | S4 | 0.5km | ||
| Blue-spotted Salamander Group | 57 | 175 | S3 | SC | 0.5km | Medium |
| Jefferson Salamander Group | 54 | 94 | S2 | SC | 0.5km | High |
| Mudpuppy | 26 | 38 | S2 | SC | 0.5km | High |
| Four-toed Salamander | 21 | 26 | S2 | SC | 0.5km | Medium |
| Species | # of Towns | # of Sites | State Rank | State Status | Site Size | SGCN Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Frog | 253 | 1373 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Wood Frog | 257 | 1170 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Spring Peeper | 234 | 1042 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| American Toad | 250 | 1002 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Gray Treefrog | 163 | 519 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Pickerel Frog | 175 | 456 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| American Bullfrog | 170 | 423 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Northern Leopard Frog | 74 | 357 | S4 | 0.5km | |||
| Mink Frog | 43 | 75 | S3 | 0.5km | |||
| Fowler's Toad | 2 | 2 | S1 | SC | 0.5km | High | Missing since 2007 |
| Boreal Chorus Frog | 1 | 1 | S1 | E | 0.5km | High | Missing since 1999 |
| Species | # of Towns | # of Sites | State Rank | State Status | Site Size | SGCN Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Painted Turtle | 173 | 506 | S5 | 2.0km | ||
| Snapping Turtle | 174 | 409 | S5 | 3.0km | ||
| Wood Turtle | 124 | 184 | S3 | SC | 4.8km | High |
| Northern Map Turtle | 19 | 39 | S3 | SC | 4.2km | |
| Eastern Musk Turtle | 13 | 14 | S2 | SC | 8.0km | Medium |
| Eastern Box Turtle | 6 | 7 | N/A | Hypothetical | 2.6km | |
| Spotted Turtle | 4 | 5 | S1 | E | 2.0km | High |
| Spiny Softshell | 8 | 2 | S1 | T | 50.0km | High |
| Species | # of Towns | # of Sites | State Rank | State Status | Site Size | SGCN Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Gartersnake | 229 | 1171 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Milksnake | 152 | 637 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Red-bellied Snake | 164 | 423 | S5 | 0.5km | |||
| Ring-necked Snake | 129 | 258 | S3 | 0.5km | |||
| DeKay's Brownsnake | 68 | 189 | S4 | 0.5km | Medium | ||
| Smooth Greensnake | 85 | 165 | S3 | 0.5km | Medium | ||
| Northern Watersnake | 39 | 98 | S3 | 1.0km | Medium | ||
| Eastern Ribbonsnake | 7 | 18 | S2 | SC | 2.6km | High | |
| Eastern Ratsnake | 11 | 17 | S2 | T | 6.4km | High | |
| North American Racer | 10 | 7 | S1 | T | 9.6km | High | Missing since 2008 |
| Timber Rattlesnake | 5 | 2 | S1 | E | 12.8km | High | |
| Eastern Hog-nosed Snake | 2 | 2 | Hyp | Hypothetical | 3.2km |
| Species | # of Towns | # of Sites | State Rank | State Status | Site Size | SGCN Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Five-lined Skink | 2 | 17 | S1 | E | 0.5km | High |
Both the reptile and amphibian charts summarize data that were gathered by volunteers and professionals using a variety of methods. Historical records (before January 1, 1981) were not included, nor were records entered after August 1, 2006. Any unverified or negative records were omitted and have not been included in these charts. In order to eliminate multiple records from the same area, we included the column entitled “Number of Sites.” We defined a minimum site as a location that is equal to or greater than one-half kilometer from the nearest reported location (2 x 0.25 km). If two or more records were gathered within a half-kilometer of each other, they were considered to be the same site.
In the column entitled “Number of Records,” the charts do not include long-term monitoring data (cover check, cover boards, drift fence, egg-mass counts, LT Drift Fence, minnow traps, radio telemetry, snake covers).
In this chart, all individuals identified as Jefferson X Blue-spotted Complex were omitted from all three columns, as they could not be placed in either group.
Rule 1: Although we know many species have a much smaller home range, we used 0.5 km as a minimum distance between two sites (0.25 km each). This allows for the possibility that two adjacent reports could each be on the outside of a considered 0.25 km home range.
Rule 2: If a species is known to travel > 0.5 km regularly over the course of a year, we determined the minimum distance between two sites to be twice the average distance traveled by an individual based on distances in the published literature.
Rule 3: If we have evidence that an animal was found in the center of a range (i.e. vernal pool or den site) we could not assume that they were outliers in their range and hence two sites may be closer than 0.5 km, or twice the determined site size of that species.