Reptiles & Amphibians

Gopher snake

NPS/D. Goodman

Reptiles

Reptiles are cold-blooded, or ectothermic, animals that regulate body temperature using external sources rather than internal metabolism. Within Black Canyon, the only reptile species are snakes and lizards. Reptiles cannot endure sub-zero temperatures, so they hibernate or become inactive in the winter months.

Snakes

Black Canyon has 5 known snake species:

• Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
• Striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus)
• Smooth greensnake (Opheodrys vernalis)
• Terrestrial gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans)
• Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer)

Snakes are predators that swallow prey whole using their flexible jaws. They are solitary animals and typically are seen "sunning" on a rock or taking shelter in a crevice.

None of the snake species in the park are venomous but watch your feet regardless. They are known to slither across trail without notice!

 

Eastern collared lizard

NPS/D. Goodman

Lizards

Black Canyon has 6 known species of lizards:

• Eastern collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)
• Common sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus)
• Plateau lizard (Sceloporus tristichus)
• Tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
• Greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi)
• Plateau striped whiptail (Aspidoscelis velox)

Lizards differ from snakes by their legs, movable eyelids, and external ears. They have scaly skin, come in a variety of colors and sizes, and mostly inhabit warmer regions. Lizards can be seen on rocks when the sun is out or evening doing push-ups to attract females or defend territory. They consume insects, spiders, other reptiles, plant material, and even small mammals.

Harassing or collecting wildlife is illegal. Enjoy seeing these reptiles from a distance, as they play an important role in the park's ecosystem.

 

Tiger salamander

NPS

Amphibians

Amphibian, coming from the Greek amphibios, means "both lives." These animals are adapted to have aquatic larval phases of life, and then existing as adults on land. Adult terrestrial amphibians can either breathe through their skin or with lungs. These include frogs, toads, salamanders and newts.

Tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) are the only known amphibian species at Black Canyon. Tiger salamanders are one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America.

Tiger salamanders are smooth with a long tail and four toes on each front foot. Color pattern ranges from black with yellow spots to pale with dark spots or mottling. These salamanders have a wide habitat range from mountains to river valleys. They breed in bodies of water and prefer rodent burrows when on land. Their predators include snakes, bobcats, and owls.

 

Species List

For a complete list of reptile and amphibian species found at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, select 'Reptiles' or 'Amphibians' under species category.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.

 

Resources

Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "Species Profiles." https://cpw.state.co.us/species-profiles.

Hammerson GA. 2005. Targeted inventory of reptile and amphibian species, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area, final field report. Geoffrey Hammerson. Higganum, CT.

NPSpecies Reptile Checklist. National Park Service, Integrated Resource Management Applications.
https://irma.nps.gov/NPSpecies/Search/SpeciesList/BLCA

NPSpecies Amphibian Checklist. National Park Service, Integrated Resource Management Applications.
https://irma.nps.gov/NPSpecies/Search/SpeciesList/BLCA