Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) 

Size: Average weight is about 20 pounds, but in smaller rivers will commonly be just over 2 pounds

Shape & Color: Fusiform body. Color ranges from bassy brown with medium-sized spots to mostly silver with fewer spots.

Reproduction: Brown trout are closely related to Atlantic salmon, and they exhibit similar spawning behavior. Females can produce 900 eggs per pound of body weight.

Lifespan: Brown trout can live up to 20 years, but a high proportion of both male and female die after spawning.


Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)                                            

Size: Bluegills can typically grow up to 12 inches long and weigh around 4 1/2 pounds

Shape & Color: Deep, flattened body. Terminal mouth. Ctenoid scales (having many teeth-like projections). Lateral line arches upward anteriorly (towards the front)

Lifespan: Average 5-8 years



Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) 

Size: Adult males 1.25 - 2 inches in length. Females 1.5 - 2.25 inches in length

Native Habitat: Much of the Eastern U.S., from northern Florida to central Texas and north to parts of southeastern Canada. Gray tree frogs are largely arboreal (tree-dwelling) and occupy a variety of wooded habitats. Frequently found in forests, swamps, agricultural lands and in backyards.

Communication: Males emit a loud, musical call, usually after dusk, for up to 4 hours. They use this to establish breeding territory and to find a mate.

Diet: Insects, their own larvae, mites, spiders, plant lice, snails, slugs. Will occasionally eat smaller frogs, including other tree frogs.

Behavior: Gray tree frogs are nocturnal. They hide in tree holes, under bark, in rotten logs, under leaves and under tree roots when inactive. At night, they search for insects in trees. Tree frogs can climb vertically or move horizontally with specially adapted toe pads.

Lifespan: 7-9 years

Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)
 

Behavior: Diamondback terrapins are the only reptile completely dependent on the salt marsh for survival. They eat fiddler crabs and other invertebrates living in the grasses. In winter, terrapins hibernate buried in salt-marsh flats. While terrapins spend most of their time in the water, females seek dry ground in the spring.to dig a nest and lay eggs above the high tide line. Hatchlings find their own way to freshwater creeks that connect to salt marshes, where they spend the early part of their lives eating small insects while protected from predators.

Adaptations: Webbed hind feet for swimming. Strong jaws for crushing their prey (mollusks). Lachrymal salt glands to distinguish varying salinities of drinking water. Skin largely impermeable to salt.

Diet: Fish, mollusks

Habitat: They prefer intermediate salinities (brackish), although they can survive in fresh water or ocean water. They live close to shore and do not migrate long distances.

Natural Range: Coastal habitats of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.  Usually found in Spartina marshes, but also frequent mangrove swamps in Florida.

Life Span: Up to 25 years

Threats: Predation, habitat loss, cars, boat propellers, crab traps

Predators: Crows, gulls, raccoons, foxes, rats

Reproduction: Internal fertilization. Nests laid in sand dunes or near-ocean vegetation. Eggs hatch 60-85 days, depending on temperature and depth of nest.  Males mature at 2-3 years, females at 6-7 years.

Size: Average male 5 inch carapace length, 11oz.  Female 7.5 inch carapace, 18oz.


Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)

Size: They are about 4-6 inches in length.

Native Habitat: Eastern box turtles are found along the eastern United States from Maine to Florida, and west to the Great Lakes region as well as Texas.  The Eastern box turtle is mostly terrestrial and live in vegetative areas such as marshy meadows shrubby grasslands, open woodlands and forest edges.  These turtles can often be found near ponds, streams and heavy rainfall areas.

Diet: Eastern box turtles are omnivorous. They eats a wide variety of plants, mushrooms, fruits, insects, fish, amphibians, eggs and carrion. Younger box turtles tend to be carnivorous and spend more time in the water for easier hunting.  When they are about five to six years old, they spend more time on land and develop a more herbivorous diet.

Social Structure: Eastern box turtles usually stay within a home range of 750 feet.  They are often found together and do not show antagonism towards each others. Aggression between individuals is not common, though competing males will spar with by biting at each other's shells. 

Reproduction and Development: Box turtles become sexually mature at about 5 years of age. Mating season begins in the spring and continues through autumn.  After a rainfall, males become especially active in searching for mates.  The male may mate with more than one female or several times with the same female. Females do not mate every year, as they can store sperm and lay fertile eggs for up to four years are a successful mating.
Nesting season is from May to June.  Females generally lay 4 to 5 eggs, but can lay as few as 1 or as many as 11.  They use their hind legs to dig a nest in sandy soil.  The gender of box turtles is often temperature dependent, with higher temperatures (above 82 F) likely producing more females.

Sleep Habits: In order to maintain optimal body temperature, Eastern box turtles adjust their activity according to the season.  In the summer, they are more active in the morning or after a rainfall.  If it gets too hot, they will find cool areas to rest, such as under logs or piles of leaves.  In the spring and fall, they stay active throughout the day, and will lie in the sun to get warm. During a cold winter, they will  they will become lethargic and enter a hibernation-like state called brumation. 

Lifespan: They generally live between 25-35 years, but some have been known to reach 100.

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Size: Average carapace length: 8-12 inches.  Average weight: 10-35 pounds.

Native Habitat: Common snapping turtles are freshwater turtles that can be found in shallow ponds, streams, and sometimes estuaries. Found only in North America, from southern Canada to the border of Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to the Rocky Mountains.

Diet: Snapping turtles are both scavengers and hunters. In addition to consuming plant and animal matter, they prey on invertebrates, fish, frogs, small reptiles, small mammals and birds.

Behavior: Despite its fearsome name, the snapping turtle is quite shy, tending to stick to its watery habitats and stay clear of people. If you see one by the side of the road, it is most likely a female moving to or from her nesting site.

Reproduction and Development: Snapping turtles become sexually mature between 12-20 years of age. Mating season lasts from April to November, with their peak laying season in June and July. Females will often travel far from the water to find sandy soil to dig a hole and lay their eggs. They can lay 25-80 eggs a year. Incubation can last from 9-18 weeks depending on the temperature. Females can store sperm for several seasons.
Snapping turtle eggs, hatchlings and juveniles can be predated on by skunks, foxes, raccoons, snakes, large fish and many species of birds.

Fun Fact: Some snapping turtles do not hibernate during the winter. Despite the absence of oxygen, they can remain active under the ice through a process called extrapulmonary respiration, using anaerobic methods to burn sugars and fats.


Eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)

Lifespan: Up to 20 years

Size: 14-69 inches

Range: Canada to South America

Habitat: Forests, fields, rocky areas, rural areas (barns)

Fun Facts: 
There are 24 subspecies of milk snake, all exhibiting different coloration
While this animal is non-venemous, many mimic the coloration of venemous species. Milk snakes are often confused with copperheads, and some may even rattle their tails to mimic a rattlesnake.


Other species that may be found in river gallery