Missouri
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If links or information are out of date, please let us know!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
Missouri's state reptile is the Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) and the state frog is the American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus).
Field guides and species accounts
Missouri Herpetological Atlas Project. A collection of species maps and a printable atlas for species in the state.
Missouri Herpetological Association. Portal where you can submit records for observations of herps that will be added to the Missouri Herpetological Atlas Project.
Field guides published by the Missouri Department of Conservation
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A Guide to Missouri's Turtles. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and Tom R. Johnson (PDF)
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A Guide to Missouri's Lizards. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler (PDF)
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A Guide to Missouri's Snakes. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and Tom R. Johnson (PDF)
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A Guide to Missouri's Toads and Frogs. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and Tom R. Johnson (PDF)
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A Guide to MIssouri's Salamanders. Written by Jeffrey T. Briggler (PDF)
The Missouri Department of Conservation also maintains online field guides for amphibians and reptiles that contain detailed species accounts, as well as pages of quick facts for major groups.
Washington University in St. Louis maintains online field guides for frogs and toads, venomous snakes, and more!
Conservation and management
The Missouri Comprehensive Conservation Strategy. This Missouri Comprehensive Conservation Strategy combines, for the first time in the nation, a State Wildlife Action Plan, a State Forest Action Plan, Priority Watersheds, private lands, community conservation, public use, and other conservation partner priorities into a single document.
MOFEP | MDC Research. The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) is a long-term, landscape-level experiment measuring the living (e.g., birds, herps, plants, trees) and non-living (e.g., soil, water, weather) parts of a forested ecosystem. The goal of the MOFEP Herpetofauna Project is to evaluate the impacts of forest management on abundance and species composition of amphibian and reptile populations.
Species Impact: Best Practices | Missouri Department of Conservation. Use these Best Management Practices (BMP) to help avoid harming threatened and endangered species during construction.
Regulations
Missouri Code of State Regulations: Title 3 - Department of Conservation. The state regulations detail legislation surrounding wildlife, including its take and sale.
Wildlife Collector Permits | Missouri Department of Conservation. If you are a student, educator, or researcher and need to collect or possess wildlife (including body parts, eggs, nests, or tissue) for scientific purposes, you need a Wildlife Collector's Permit.
Commercial and Confined Wildlife Permits | Missouri Department of Conservation. Includes permit applications and forms for confined wildlife, wildlife breeders, and exhibitors.
Community science and local organizations
Missouri Herpetological Association. This organization began in 1988. Their goal is to connect students, researchers, and the public with research and conservation involving herpetofauna.