Kansas

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If links or information are out of date, please let us know!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

Kansas' state amphibian is the Barred Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), and the state reptile is the Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata).

Field guides and species accounts

Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas. Managed by T. Taggart, Curator of Herpetology, Sternberg Museum of Natural History.

Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles in Kanasas. Written by Joseph T. Collins, Suzanne L. Collins, Travis W. Taggart, and Errol D. Hooper. (Available for purchase)

Pocket Guide books to amphibians and reptiles. Small field guides for snakes, amphibians, turtles, and lizards are available for this state. (PDFs)

Regulations

Laws Pertaining to Field Herping in Kansas. Take of some amphibians and reptiles in Kansas is permissible with either a fishing or a hunting license. Visit this site to read more details about those requirements.

Community science and local organizations

The Kansas Herpetological Society. This is a non-profit 501c3 organization founded in 1974. They encourage scholarship, research, and sharing of scientific information through the society. They host an annual meeting that brings together herpetologists and the public. They also maintain a checklist of species in the state (PDF).

Museum collections

Kansas University Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. This collection has 340,000 specimens from more than 5,000 species of amphibians and reptiles globally.

Sternberg Museum of Natural History. The Herpetology Collection contains more than 16,000 specimens of amphibians and reptiles.