In addition to the recommended sources listed below, you may find the print resources listed on our Additional Reading page helpful.
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Identification | Natural History | Calls | Websites | Management
A few good field guides to reptiles and amphibians exist. These help you identify herptiles but do not give you life history information. One that is easy to find and up-to-date is:
Conant, R., and J.T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Third Edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
CARC-NET also has online identification keys (see Websites, below)
These guides focus less on identification and more on natural history, local distribution, and conservation.
Gibbs, J.P., A.R. Breisch, P.K. Ducey, G. Johnson, J.L. Behler, and R.C. Bothner. 2007. The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State: Identification, Natural History, and Conservation. Oxford University Press, New York. 422 pp.
Harding, J.H. 1997. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 378 pp.
All our species are included.
Hulse, A., C. J. McCoy, and E. Censky. 2001. Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. 419 pp.
Most of our species are included.
Hunter, M.L., A. Calhoun, and M. McCullough (eds.). 1999. Maine Amphibians and Reptiles. University of Maine Press, Orono, Maine. 272 pp.
This edition includes a CD of local frog calls. Call 207-581-1408 to order.
Klemens, M.K. 1993. Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent Regions. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut, Bulletin No. 112. 318 pp.
Unfortunately this is currently out of print. You may be able to obtain it from libraries or used book sellers.
Krulikowski, L. 2007. Snakes of New England: a Photographic and Natural History Study. self-published. 320 pp.
For more information, or to order, see the author's website: http://www.snakesofnewengland.com
Tyning, T.F. 1990. A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 400 pp.
A very useful tool to help you learn the calls of frogs and toads is:
Eliot, L. 2004. The Calls of Frogs and Toads. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Call 1-800-732-3669 to order.
Many useful sites exist. Some provide more reliable information than others. A few reliable sites, some with many links to other resources are listed below. Links should open in a new window or tab.
Amphibiaweb (an excellent source of information on amphibians)
http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/aw/
CARC-NET's Identification Key to Amphibians
http://www.carcnet.ca/english/amphibians/key/AmphKey.html
Their site updated in 2008, so if you find some lost links, let them know.
CARC-NET's Identification Key to Reptiles
http://www.carcnet.ca/english/reptiles/key/rkey1.html
FrogWeb
http://frogweb.nbii.gov/
Includes examples of frog calls in real1One player format in their species information section.
New York State Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project (1990-1999)
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7140.html
and more about Herps from NYS Department of Conservation
North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP)
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp
North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations (NARCAM) http://frogweb.nbii.gov/narcam/
Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC)
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/neparc/
Nova Scotia Herpetofaunal Atlas
http://landscape.acadiau.ca/herpatlas/idguide.htm
Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University: Online Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Connecticut
http://www.yale.edu/peabody/collections/vz/her_guide.html
Includes examples of frog calls in Apple Quicktime format.
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)
http://www.ssarherps.org/
The Snakes of Massachusetts
http://www.umass.edu/nrec/snake_pit/index.html
A downloadable guide that includes all our local snakes is also available from their publication list.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/
Or jump straight to their Reptile or Amphibian sections. The amphibian section includes examples of frog calls in several formats.
Management guides are just beginning to be available. All of these include reptile- and amphibian-related information.
Biebighauser, T. 2002. A guide to creating vernal ponds. USDA Forest Service in cooperation with the Izaak Walton League of America. Morehead, Kentucky. 33 pp.
Call 606-784-6428 to order or download from http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/VernalPonds/VernalPondGuide.pdf (2.9 MB PDF).
Calhoun, A.J.K. and M.W. Klemens. 2002. Best Development Practices: Conserving pool-breeding amphibians in residential and commercial developments in the Northeastern United States. MCA Technical Paper No. 5, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York. 57 pp.
Call 924-925-9175 to order, or search with google.
Calhoun, A.J.K. and P. deMaynadier. 2004. Forestry habitat management guidelines for vernal pool wildlife. MCA Technical Paper No. 6, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York. 32 pp.
Call 924-925-9175 to order.
Evink, G. 2002. National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis 305, Interaction between roadways and wildlife ecology, a synthesis of highway practice. Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C. 78 pp.
Impacts of roads on herptiles and some conservation strategies. A big problem, good information. Order at 202-334-3213 or download from http://trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_syn_305.pdf (5.1 MB PDF). See also our bibliography about road effects on herptiles.
Flatebo, G., C. Foss, and S. Pelletier. 1999. Biodiversity in the forests of Maine: Guidelines for land management. University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin #7147. C. Elliot editor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Orono, Maine. 168 pp.
Contact UME Extension Office at 207-581-3188 or view online at http://www.ume.maine.edu/~MIAL/maine_cd/tertiary_page/frontiers/bfm.htm.
Kingsbury, B. and J. Gibson. 2002. Habitat management guidelines for amphibians and reptiles of the Midwest. Midwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (Midwest PARC). 57 pp.
Visit the PARC website for more information or download from http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/MWHabitatGuide/index.htm.
Mitchell, J.C., A.R. Breisch, and K.A. Buhlmann, 2006. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Northeastern United States. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Technical Publication HMG-3, Montgomery,Alabama. 108 pp.
Visit the PARC website at http://www.parcplace.org/habitat_management_guide.html for more information, or to order for a suggested donation of $10.