Reptiles of The Prairies

The three prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have 13 reptile species. While the arid southern grasslands are home to the Plains Spadefoot and the Great Plains toads, the other species can also be found in the northern forests.

Unlike the specialist habitats in British Columbia, most of these reptiles are found in other provinces. Some of them, however, are limited in their prairie range to one or two provinces.

• Greater short-horned lizard - Alberta, Saskatchewan only 
• Prairie skink - Manitoba only 
• Eastern yellow-bellied racer - Saskatchewan only 
• Smooth greensnake - Saskatchewan, Manitoba only 
• Bull (Gopher) snake - Alberta, Saskatchewan only 
• Red-bellied snake - Saskatchewan, Manitoba only 
• Wandering garter snake - Alberta, Saskatchewan only 
• Plains garter snake 
• Common garter snake 
• Western hognose snake 
• Prairie rattlesnake - Alberta, Saskatchewan only 
• Painted turtle 
• Snapping turtle - Saskatchewan, Manitoba only 

Short-horned lizard photo courtesy of  CARCNET

Creature Feature

Prairie Rattlesnake Crotalus viridis

The larger western counterpart to eastern species, these animals are found in grasslands and arid, open areas of the west. Their colour means they blend in well with the grassland vegetation. Much of their distribution is in sparsely settled areas.

Prairie rattlers are greenish or yellowish brown with white bordered dark blotches. Their tail has a series of connected, flattened segments which rub together and produce a buzzing sound when shaken. Newborn rattlers have just a button on their tail, with more segments being added each time the skin is shed, usually 2 to 4 times a year.

-when moving, they lift their tail off the ground to protect the rattle, which is their main method of defence

-do not always rattle before striking

-having no external ears, they cannot hear the sound of their own rattle

-newly hatched rattlers have venom as toxic as that of adults

-are not immune to their own poison

-maximum length 1.6 metres but are usually smaller

-large numbers overwinter together in the same den

-active at dawn, dusk and during the night

-shelter in abandoned mammal burrows, under rocks or in cavities

-do not share a burrow with prairie dogs; prey on these animals and other small, crop destroying rodents such as mice and rats

-mate late summer or fall; female gives birth to live born young the following spring

-females do not reproduce until six to eight years of age, and give birth every two or more years

-known lifespan up to 19 years