![Collared lizard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Collared_lizard.jpg)
Twenty-eight
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s have named an official state reptile. As with other
state symbols, states compare admirable aspects of the reptile and of the state, within designating statutes. Schoolchildren often start campaigns promoting their favorite reptile to encourage state legislators to enact it as a state symbol. Many
secretaries of state maintain educational web pages that describe the state reptile.
Oklahoma was the first state to name an official
reptile, the
common collared lizard, in 1969. Only two states followed in the 1970s, but the ensuing decades saw nominations at a rate of almost one per year.
State birds are more common, with all 50 states naming one, and they were adopted earlier, with the first one selected in 1927.
Before their formal designation as state reptiles, Florida's
alligator
An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
, Maryland's
terrapin
Terrapins are one of several small species of turtle (order Testudines) living in fresh or brackish water. Terrapins do not form a taxonomic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae.
The name ...
, and Texas's
horned lizard
Horned lizards (''Phrynosoma''), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, ...
were all mascots of a major in-state university. West Virginia's
timber rattlesnake
The timber rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, or banded rattlesnake (''Crotalus horridus'') Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of ...
was an early American flag element dating back to 1775.
Because of their cold-blooded nature, reptiles are more common in warmer climates, and 19 of the 28 state reptiles represent southern states. Six states chose a species named after the state. A
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
was chosen by more than half of the states. In all, the most frequently chosen species, with four states naming it, is the
painted turtle. One state reptile, the
bog turtle
The bog turtle (''Glyptemys muhlenbergii'') is a critically endangered species of semiaquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the eastern United States. It was first scientifically described in 1801 after an 18th-century ...
, is
Critically endangered. The
Alabama red-bellied turtle is legally designated as an
endangered species in the United States, and several others, also turtles, are threatened at some lesser level.
State reptiles
Governmental aspects
Legislation
![Common-snapping-turtle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Common-snapping-turtle.jpg)
A reptile becomes the official state symbol after it is voted in by the
state legislature. Although many states require the bill to be signed by the governor, in some the enabling act is a
resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
(legislature vote only). In 2004, Illinois held a popular vote to pick the painted turtle, but legislation was still required in 2005 to make the choice official.
Schoolchildren often start the campaigns for state reptiles.
Three of the four states choosing the painted turtle credit school classes with initiating the process.
The process may require students to be knowledgeable of their selection, as was the case in Florida when students advocated for the
loggerhead sea turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when fully ...
; "Working with State Representative Curtis Richardson (D-Tallahassee), the students provided information and answered questions regarding the symbols."
In New York, students statewide voted to pick one of four turtles; the
common snapping turtle edged the painted turtle 5,048 to 5,005. Assemblyman
Joel Miller had sponsored the turtle election to interest students in politics and said of the results, "as with every election, every vote is important".
Candidate state reptiles are not assured of making it through the legislative process. In Minnesota, 1998 and 1999 bills proposing the
Blanding's turtle
Blanding's turtle (''Emydoidea blandingii'') is a semi-aquatic turtle of the family Emydidae. This species is native to central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of ...
were unsuccessful.
In Pennsylvania in 2009, the
House passed an
eastern box turtle
The eastern box turtle (''Terrapene carolina carolina'') is a subspecies within a group of hinge-shelled turtles normally called box turtles. ''T. c. carolina'' is native to the eastern part of the United States.
The eastern box turtl ...
bill which died in the
Senate without a vote.
Virginia proponents of the eastern box turtle have seen 1999 and 2009 bids fail. For the most recent attempt, a legislative opponent of the turtle said it was too cowardly for the state because of its defensive shell, and suggested the
rattlesnake would be a better representative. The turtle also drew scorn for often perishing on roads, but its most serious problem was a too-close association with bordering state, North Carolina.
Justification
Like other state symbols, a state reptile is intended to show state pride. The designation has no economic or wildlife protection effect.
States justify their choice of state reptiles, with differing rationales, in designating legislation and on websites:
* North Carolina selected the eastern box turtle because its behavior reflects admirable human ideals: "The turtle watches undisturbed as countless generations of faster 'hares' run by to quick oblivion, and is thus a model of patience for mankind, and a symbol of our State's unrelenting pursuit of great and lofty goals."
* Maryland notes its historical associations with the diamondback terrapin: "Chesapeake colonists ate terrapin prepared Native-American fashion, roasted whole in live coals. Abundant and easy to catch, terrapin were so ample that landowners often fed their slaves and indentured servants a staple diet of terrapin meat. Later, in the 19th century, the turtle was appreciated as gourmet food, especially in a stew laced with cream and sherry."
* Ohio touts the ubiquity and practical benefits of its reptile: "The
black racer snake was adopted because it is native to all 88 Ohio counties and is called the 'farmer's friend' because it eats disease-carrying rodents."
* Texas stresses the conservation needs of the Texas horned lizard: "It is perhaps most appropriate for designation as an official state symbol because, like many other things truly Texan, it is a threatened species."
Use
The state reptile concept serves education. Some states offer lesson plans using the reptile for teachers to introduce children to the legislative process, discuss state geography, or develop state patriotism.
Many Secretaries of State have a "kids page" describing the reptile.
Some, such as Missouri's
Robin Carnahan
Robin Colleen Carnahan (born August 4, 1961) is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician, who previously served as the Missouri Secretary of State and currently serves as the Administrator of General Services in the Biden administra ...
, tout state-provided coloring books.
Rate of adoption and comparison to other symbols
![State-reptile-over-years](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/State-reptile-over-years.svg)
In 1969, Oklahoma designated the first state reptile when it chose the common collared lizard or "mountain boomer".
Two states followed suit in the 1970s, seven states in the 1980s, eight states in the 1990s, and eight states in the 2000s.
As of March 2019, twenty-eight of the fifty states have named a state reptile; Utah and New Jersey both adopted an official state repitile in the 2010s.
In contrast to state reptiles, state birds have been more rapidly adopted, with the first state designating one in 1927 and the fiftieth in 1973.
As of January 2011, other types of animals more popular for state symbolization were
mammals
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...
(46),
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
(45), and
insects
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...
(42).
Animal symbols less popular than reptiles were
butterflies (17),
amphibians (17),
dogs (11),
dinosaurs (5),
bats
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bir ...
(3), and
crustaceans
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...
(3).
In their almanac of U.S. state symbols, Benjamin and Barbara Shearer spend comparatively little text on state reptiles. They spend a full chapter each on state birds,
trees
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...
and
flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
; within those chapters, they take about a half page to describe the campaign to establish each state's specific symbol.
Reptiles, on the other hand, are shown only in list format in a chapter titled "Miscellaneous", where the other non-bird animals (and many non-animals) are listed. Shearer and Shearer consider the state reptiles to be part of a "last thirty years" phenomenon (written in 2003) that includes such particular items as a state's "official beverage".
Geography
![Official Reptile States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Official_Reptile_States.svg)
Perhaps owing to the greater presence of cold-blooded (
ectotherm
An ectotherm (from the Greek () "outside" and () "heat") is an organism in which internal physiological sources of heat are of relatively small or of quite negligible importance in controlling body temperature.Davenport, John. Animal Life ...
ic) reptiles in warmer climates,
the states in the southern half of the United States have more commonly designated a state reptile. From the twenty-four of the
contiguous states
The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
roughly south of the
Mason–Dixon line, only four lack a state reptile. From east to west, they are Delaware, Virginia, Kentucky, and Arkansas.
In contrast, in the north half of the central and western states, only one, Wyoming, has named a state reptile.
In the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
region, there is a cluster of three states (Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio) that named a reptile.
In the
Northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
, there is another cluster of three participating states (Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont).
Neither of the noncontiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii, have named a state reptile.
The
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
lacks a "state" reptile although it does have an official tree and flower (its only animal symbol is a bird).
None of the organized
territories of the United States
Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sove ...
have state reptiles, although all four have designated official flowers.
Six states chose reptiles named after the state. In
common names, Arizona and Texas were represented by the
Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake and Texas horned lizard.
Mississippi and North Carolina appeared in
scientific names
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
: ''Alligator mississippiensis'' and ''Terrapene carolina carolina''.
Alabama and New Mexico appeared in both common names (Alabama red-bellied turtle and
New Mexico whiptail lizard) and scientific names (''Pseudemys alabamensis'' and ''Cnemidophorus neomexicanus'').
Previous symbology
Politics
Although there is
no official reptile of the United States, some of the state reptiles have had previous appearances in American politics. In particular, the timber rattlesnake (West Virginia) has had close association with American independence.
A United States flag with a timber rattlesnake predates the stars and stripes flag. In 1775,
Christopher Gadsden developed an emblem with a coiled rattlesnake with the words "Don't tread on me" on a yellow background. Versions of the
Gadsden flag
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words: " TREAD ON ME". Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe.
The f ...
were used by the Continental Navy's first commodore, early
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
, and
minutemen and regular
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
units in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
The timber rattlesnake is also famous for appearing on the
First Navy Jack
The First Navy Jack was the naval jack of the United States from 1975 to 1976 and again from 2002 to 2019. It was authorized by the U.S. Navy and was flown from the jackstaff of commissioned vessels of the U.S. Navy while moored pierside or at an ...
, a red and white striped flag. However, although traditionally believed to have been used by the
Continental Navy, recent scholarship asserts that the snake on that jack was a late 19th-century invention. Nevertheless, in 1975, the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
brought back the traditional (snake-showing) jack for the service's bicentennial. After 1980, the oldest commissioned vessel in the U.S. Navy was designated to use the traditional jack. Since 2002, in response to the
9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Navy has all its ships using the First Navy Jack.
West Virginia named the timber rattlesnake as its state reptile in 2008.
A 2009 article, "West Virginia's state reptile", in the state wildlife magazine drew a connection to the older American rattlesnake symbol:
Actually, the warning on the early flags was not meant to depict the timber rattlesnake as being ferocious or the American people as being warlike. The true message was that the citizens of the Colonies were a peaceable and freedom-loving people, but if England's King George III continued with his oppressive policies toward the Colonies, then they would respond with great wrath. This response would be much like that of a timber rattlesnake, which is peaceable and slow to anger, but will attack aggressively when provoked and will not stop fighting until the enemy retreats.
Benjamin Franklin, writing as an anonymous person, submitted the following statement concerning the disposition of the timber rattlesnake to the Pennsylvania Journal in 1775: "She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage...she never wounds ‘till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."
In contrast to the positive symbology of the rattlesnake, some political use has been for criticism. The snapping turtle (New York) was the central feature of a famous American
political cartoon
A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine ...
. Published in 1808 in
Federalist protest of the
Jeffersonian Embargo Act of 1807, the cartoon showed a snapping turtle, jaws locked fiercely to the rear of an American trader, who was attempting to carry a barrel of goods onto a British ship. The trader was seen whimsically uttering the words "Oh! this cursed Ograbme" (the backwards spelling of "embargo").
Also, during the
Great Depression, the
gopher tortoise
The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide ...
(Georgia, Florida's official tortoise) was known as the "Hoover chicken" (a sarcastic reference to President
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
) because it was eaten by poor people out of work.
Athletics
![Albert and Alberta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Albert_and_Alberta.jpg)
Three states chose reptiles that were already prominently associated with a major university in the state:
*Florida honored the American alligator in 1987, but the
Gators have titled the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
's teams since 1911. In that year, a printer made a spur-of-the-moment decision to print an alligator emblem on a shipment of the schools football pennants; the mascot stuck, perhaps because the team captain's nickname was Gator.
*Maryland honored the diamondback terrapin in 1994, but the mascot of Maryland's
main state university in College Park has been the
Terrapins or "Terps" since 1932. In that year, the football coach, who had encountered the animal as a boy near the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
, proposed it as a mascot to oppose the Wildcats, Tigers, and such of enemy teams.
*Texas honored the Texas horned lizard in 1993, but private
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...
has had the associated mascot the
Horned Frog since 1896. According to legend, the football team identified with the lizards found on the practice field as the athletes and reptiles were similarly scrappy. The college founder's son,
Addison Clark Jr., a faculty member and the initiator of the football team, had been fascinated by the creatures. By 1897, the lizard appeared as a logo on the front of the school yearbook, which Clark had also started and was managing.
Biology
![Another state reptile collage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Another_state_reptile_collage.png)
In terms of common divisions of reptiles, turtles are most popular. Fifteen of the twenty-seven states give them official status.
The rest of the state reptiles comprise four
snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
s, five
lizards, and three
crocodilians. Eighteen states name a reptile at the
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
level, two a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
, and seven a
subspecies.
The species most frequently adopted as a state reptile is the painted turtle, with four states designating it: Colorado (the western subspecies), Illinois, Michigan, and Vermont.
Three southern states—Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi—represent themselves with the American alligator.
A species of box turtle, ''
Terrapene carolina
The common box turtle (''Terrapene carolina'') is a species of box turtle with six existing subspecies. It is found throughout the Eastern United States and Mexico. The box turtle has a distinctive hinged lowered shell (the box) that allows it ...
'' or common box turtle, has been chosen by three states, with North Carolina and Tennessee using the ''Terrapene carolina carolina'' (eastern box turtle) subspecies,
and with Missouri using the ''Terrapene carolina triungus'' (
three-toed box turtle) subspecies.
Two bordering western states, California and Nevada, chose the
desert tortoise
The desert tortoise (''Gopherus agassizii''), is a species of tortoise in the Family (biology), family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave Desert, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexic ...
.
The loggerhead sea turtle was named by South Carolina as state reptile, while Florida chose it as state ''saltwater'' reptile.
Florida also named an official tortoise, the gopher tortoise, the same animal as Georgia's state reptile.
Four
genera are represented with different species in the list. ''
Terrapene'' (box turtles) has ''
Terrapene ornata'' (Kansas) along with ''Terrapene carolina'' (Missouri, North Carolina, and Tennessee).
Under ''
Gopherus
''Gopherus'' is a genus of fossorial tortoises commonly referred to as gopher tortoises. The gopher tortoise is grouped with land tortoises that originated 60 million years ago, in North America. A genetic study has shown that their closest relat ...
'' (gopher tortoises), there are ''Gopherus polyphemus'' (Georgia's state reptile and Florida's state tortoise) and ''Gopherus agassizii'' (California and Nevada).
Under ''
Crotalus
''Crotalus'' is a genus of venomous pit vipers in the family Viperidae, known as rattlesnakes or rattlers. Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates (7t ...
'' (one of two rattlesnake genera),
Arizona named ''Crotalus willardi willardi'', while West Virginia chose ''Crotalus horridus''.
With ''
Phrynosoma
Horned lizards (''Phrynosoma''), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, ...
'' (horned lizards), Wyoming specified the entire genus, but Texas specified ''Phrynosoma cornutum''.
Conservation
General reptile declines and state reptile examples
Writing in 1988, naturalist
J. Whitfield Gibbons J. Whitfield "Whit" Gibbons (born October 5, 1939) is an American herpetologist, author, and educator. He is Professor Emeritus of Ecology, University of Georgia, and former Head of the Environmental Outreach and Education program at the Savannah R ...
asserted that awareness of the
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
needs of reptiles had lagged that of large mammals and game species.
However, comparison of different editions of the
Golden Guide
The Golden Guides, originally Golden Nature Guides, were a series of 160-page, pocket-sized books created by Western Publishing and published under their "Golden Press" line (primarily a children's book imprint) from 1949. Edited by Herbert S. Zim ...
does show increasing sensitivity to U.S. reptile conservation over the last half of the 20th century.
In their 2000 review article "The global decline of reptiles, deja vu amphibians", Gibbons and colleagues argue that while the general public is more sympathetic to
amphibians (perhaps because of their soft skin), reptile species are actually more endangered. Although populations can decline from natural causes, and it is difficult to prove the exact reason for a specific reptile's decline, human actions are behind most of the species' problems. Gibbons ''et al.'' describe six causes of reptile reductions, incidentally furnishing several examples of state reptile species impacted.
*
Overharvesting
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to replenish. The term ap ...
. Overcollection by humans has strongly hurt many reptile species, especially turtles.
[ as cited by ] The diamondback turtle (Maryland), once extremely common, dropped sharply in the beginning of the 20th century because of its popularity in
soup but is gradually recovering now that harvesting for food has mostly stopped.
[ as cited by ] Capture for the
pet trade
Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, ti ...
has been strongly implicated in the decline of box turtles (Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee).
[ as cited by ] The timber rattlesnake (West Virginia) is threatened by "
rattlesnake roundup
Rattlesnake round-ups (or roundups), also known as rattlesnake rodeos, are annual events common in the rural Midwest and Southern United States, Southern United States, where the primary attractions are captured wild rattlesnakes which are sold, di ...
s" because females take nine years to mature and only produce four young per year.
However, not all reptile usage is unsustainable. Since the late 20th century recovery of the American alligator (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi), its numbers have been successfully managed by
game restrictions and
commercial ranching.
[ as cited by ][ as cited by ]
*
Habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
. Gopher tortoises (Georgia, Florida's official tortoise) have been impacted by the loss of 97% of the Southeast's
longleaf pine forest.
[ as cited by ]
*
Introduced invasive species. New plant species have harmed the desert tortoise (California, Nevada) and gopher tortoise (Georgia, Florida's official tortoise).
[ as cited by ] Egg-eating
fire ants
Fire ants are several species of ants in the genus ''Solenopsis'', which includes over 200 species. ''Solenopsis'' are stinging ants, and most of their common names reflect this, for example, ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Many of the name ...
have reduced the Texas horned lizard (Texas) from part of its range.
[ as cited by ]
*
Environmental pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, th ...
. Water pollution is primarily seen in turtles and crocodilians and can affect their eggs and sex characteristics.
Male American alligators (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi) have been found with lowered testosterone and altered gonads in a chemically contaminated lake.
*
Disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
. Increased disease in wild populations often follows weakening from other environmental stressors, such as habitat loss.
Upper lung infection and shell diseases have been implicated in the decline of the desert tortoise (California, Nevada) and gopher tortoise (Georgia, Florida's state tortoise).
*
Global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
represents a future threat by changing habitat. Reptiles are more unsafe than birds because they have less ability to move large distances.
Gibbons and colleagues do not describe any examples of impact on specific state reptile species, although they mention a general concern for turtles and crocodilians having their populations become imbalanced—the animals sexes are
determined by temperature of the eggs.
IUCN ratings
![Loggerhead nesting area](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Loggerhead_nesting_area.jpg)
In keeping with the general issues of reptiles, some of the U.S. state reptiles are dwindling species. The
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...
(IUCN) maintains a
system of ratings, going from Extinct to Least Concern. None of the U.S. state reptiles are in the most extreme categories of Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, or Critically Endangered. Two species are IUCN Endangered: the Alabama red-bellied turtle (Alabama) and the loggerhead sea turtle (South Carolina, also the state saltwater reptile of Florida).
However, in the United States, only the Alabama red-bellied turtle is
legally an endangered species.
The loggerhead sea turtle is only considered "threatened" under U.S. regulations.
Two species are IUCN Vulnerable: the desert tortoise (California and Nevada) and the gopher tortoise (Georgia, also the official tortoise of Florida).
Three species are Near Threatened: the diamondback terrapin (Maryland), the ornate box turtle (Kansas), and the common box turtle (Missouri with the three-toed subspecies, North Carolina and Tennessee with the eastern subspecies).
All the remaining state reptile species are Least Concern. All the non-turtle reptiles fall into this category, but the only two turtles in relative safety are the common snapping turtle (New York) and the painted turtle (Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Vermont).
The tabulated
IUCN ratings for the state reptiles all reflect species-level assessments; for most state reptiles, the IUCN does not discuss the subspecies situations. With the Arizona ridge-backed rattlesnake, the IUCN notes the subspecies has similar safety to the overall species, but does not formally rate the subspecies.
The ratings also do not reflect state-specific population conditions. For instance, for the Texas horned lizard, much of eastern Texas has lost the animal. Nevertheless, based on healthy populations in other parts of the West, especially New Mexico, the IUCN rates the animal Least Concern.
For the timber rattlesnake (West Virginia), the IUCN notes the animal as losing range in many parts of the northeastern U.S., but because the animal is numerous in the southern Appalachians, it is also Least Concern.
The IUCN status of state reptiles at the genus level is ambiguous. For Massachusetts's
garter snake
Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus ''Thamnophis'' in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus ''Thamnophis'' can be found from the ...
, the listed Least Concern represents the status of the pictured
common garter snake
The common garter snake (''Thamnophis sirtalis'') is a species of thamnophis snake, in the natricine subfamily, which is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow strip ...
, the species found throughout much of North America and residing in Massachusetts.
Within that genus, there are twenty-three species at Least Concern and two each at Vulnerable, Endangered and Data Deficient.
For Wyoming's horned lizard state reptile, the rating reflects that of the pictured
short-horned lizard, which occurs over much of the central United States and almost all of Wyoming.
Within that genus, there are ten species at Least Concern and one at Near Threatened and one at Data Deficient.
References
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Reptiles
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Reptiles in human culture