Missouri
We hope this page serves as a landing pad for learning about amphibians, reptiles, and their conservation. The resources featured were compiled by members of the MW PARC Advisory Board with input from other professionals working in amphibian and reptile conservation and management.
If links or information are out of date, please let us know!
State species
Missouri's state reptile is the Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) and the state frog is the American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus).
Field guides and species accounts
Missouri Herpetological Atlas Project. A collection of species maps and a printable atlas for species in the state.
Missouri Herpetological Association. Portal where you can submit records for observations of herps that will be added to the Missouri Herpetological Atlas Project.
Field guides published by the Missouri Department of Conservation
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A Guide to Missouri's Turtles. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and Tom R. Johnson (PDF)
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A Guide to Missouri's Lizards. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler (PDF)
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A Guide to Missouri's Snakes. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and Tom R. Johnson (PDF)
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A Guide to Missouri's Toads and Frogs. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and Tom R. Johnson (PDF)
The Missouri Department of Conservation also maintains online field guides for amphibians and reptiles that contain detailed species accounts, as well as pages of quick facts for major groups.
Washington University in St. Louis maintains online field guides for frogs and toads, venomous snakes, and more!
Conservation and management
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources State Wildlife Action Plan. This is a partnership-based conservation plan that seeks to address the main causes of decline in species of native wildlife.
Natural Heritage and Non-game Research Program. This program collects, organizes, and, when permitted, shares observation information regarding native non-game animals and plants. Observations of rare animals an plants can be submitted for inclusion in the National Heritage Information System.
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources Threatened and Rare Species Information. Information about Minnesota's Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species, and species labeled as rare, can be found here. A handfull of amphibians and reptiles are included in these groups.
Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) Conservation Plan for Minnesota.
Regulations
The Missouri Secretary of State's website maintains accounts of the Code of State Regulations, which includes regulations pertaining to wildlife like amphibians and reptiles.
Community science and local organizations
St. Louis Zoo FrogWatch USA. This is a long-term community science monitoring program that collects data on breeding activities of the state's frogs and toads.
Technical literature
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources. Research reports about reptiles are available online.
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources. Research reports about amphibians are available online.
Museum collections
Bell Museum Amphibian and Reptile Collection. The collections at the Bell include species from the Upper Midwest as well as specimens from Mexico, the south Pacific Islands, and the southwestern USA. It cindlues at least 40 families of amphibians and reptiles.