Sandhills Region and Amphibian Viewing Tips 1. Stay quiet and calm. 2. Use binoculars to get a closer look while keeping a respectful distance from wildlife. 3. Wash your hands before handling — especially important for amphibians such as , toads and salamanders. The Sandhills region in contains 4. Be patient. and the largest area of stabilized grass covered 5. Go to where the habitat is — visit state in the western hemisphere. Of the parks and other public lands. 13 million acres, over a million of these are 6. Do your homework — learn what wetlands. There are 1,600 Sandhill lakes, live in the area. Amphibians comprising around 80,000 surface acres of 7. Leave no trace — leave wildlife in nature water. These wetland areas are important and nature the way you found it. for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl, of the providing much-needed habitat. This area also sits directly atop the , Reptiles for which the wetlands play an important role Have scales, plates or shields. in retaining and filtering the water. Nebraska This area receives 17 - 23 inches of water Born by hatching from eggs annually. The sandy soil of the area makes or through live birth. farming difficult, so this area contains one Sandhills of the largest tracts of unplowed in Lay eggs in the ground. . People primarily use the plains Breathe using lungs. garter Sandhills region for cattle grazing. With few lights from buildings and infrastructure across the Sandhills, there is low light pollution, making the area ideal for stargazing. Amphibians Identification Generally have moist, smooth skin. Guide Born as eggs and go through metamorphosis. Lay eggs near or in water.

Breathe using lungs, gills tiger or through skin. salamander OutdoorNebraska.org Western Hognose Snake © Dan Fogell Many-lined Skink © Dan Fogell Boreal Chorus Heterodon nasicus Plestiodon multivirgatus Pseudacris maculata Size: L: 15 - 25 in. Size: L: 4.0 - 7.6 in. Size: L: 0.7 - 1.5 in. Description: Stocky tan snake with Description: Alternating dark and Description: Slimy, grainy golden- darker blotches, dark underside, and light lines running down length of bronze skin with three dark lines an upturned scale on end of nose. back, long tail that can detach to down back, two more from nose Diet: Primarily toads and frogs distract predators. down sides, long legs, white belly. Habitat: Sandhills, short- to Diet: Insects Diet: Insects mixedgrass prairie Habitat: Prairie, rock outcrops Habitat: Semi to permanent Viewing: Spring-summer, west to Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide wetlands central except lower quarter Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Prairie Rattlesnake © Dan Fogell Lesser Earless Lizard © Dan Fogell Plains Spadefoot Holbrookia maculata Spea bombifrons Size: L: 31 - 57 in. Size: L: 3.9 - 5.0 in. Size: L: 1.3 - 2.5 in. Description: Venomous. Tan with Description: Gray-tan lizard with Description: Smooth dark tan skin, brown blotches, rattle on tail, cat’s gray stripe down back, light speckles 2 - 4 cream stripes from neck to eye pupils, and pits near nostrils. down back, lighter side stripes that rump, white bell. Long back legs, Diet: Mainly small mammals range from cream to orange-red. spade on each foot, only Nebraska Habitat: Short- to mixedgrass prairie Diet: Insects and small reptiles amphibian with vertical slit pupils. Viewing: Spring-summer, western half Habitat: Sandy Diet: Invertebrates, larvae, plants Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Habitat: , farmland, except very east sagebrush areas Viewing: Spring-summer, statewide Woodhouse’s Toad catenifer Anaxyrus woodhousii Blanding’s Turtle Size: L: 30 - 100 in. Size: L: 2 - 5 in. Emydoidea blandingii Description: Light yellow-tan with Description: Bumpy toad with light Size: L: 5 - 8 in. (shell) dark blotches. Acts like a rattlesnake gray-tan, variable spotting, white Description: Long tail, yellow throat when threatened by shaking tail in back stripe, and white under with and chin, shell’s high dome has dark leaf litter to create rattle sound. single dark spot on chest. blotched edges, with yellow below. Diet: Primarily rodents Diet: Insects Diet: Fish, worms, frogs, vegetation Habitat: Prairie, rocky outcrops Habitat: Variable Habitat: Sandy wetlands Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Viewing: Spring-fall, central and central-east

Prairie Lizard Northern Leopard Frog Ornate Box Turtle Sceloporus consobrinus Lithobates pipiens Terrapene ornata Size: L: 3.5 - 7.0 in. Size: L: 2.0 - 4.5 in. Size: L: 4 - 6 in. (shell) Description: Rough textured gray-tan Description: Spotted gray-brown to Description: Brown with yellow lizard with gray dorsal stripe flanked green frog with light dorsal ridges markings, rounded shell, large front on either side with light cream stripe. and white belly. claws, and males have red eyes. Diet: Insects Diet: Insects and worms Diet: Succulents, worms and Habitat: Prairie, rock outcrops Habitat: Wet , small mammals Viewing: Spring-fall, western semi-permanent pools and ponds Habitat: Prairie two-thirds Viewing: Spring-fall, north Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide three-fourths except southeast

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