Florida is home to a more diverse variety of amphibians and reptiles than any other state due to its wide array of ecosystems?from pine forests to the subtropical Everglades to the tropical Keys?and its large number of established nonnative species. This volume is a comprehensive account of the 219 species known to exist in the state.
Chapters are organized into families and species of salamanders, frogs, turtles, crocodilians, lizards, and snakes, including both native and nonindigenous species. A final chapter addresses nonnative species not proven to be established in the state. Each species is presented with one or more color photographs, an up-to-date distribution map, and detailed information about its appearance, current taxonomy, geographic distribution and habitat, reproduction and development, diet, behavior, and conservation status. Many of the photographs highlight the differences between sexes, between juveniles and adults, and between larval stages.
This volume also includes a thorough discussion of the environmental impacts that are threatening the herpetofauna of the state. As parts of Florida are experiencing degradation of natural habitats at record rates, particularly large urban areas such as the southeastern Atlantic Coast, species that cannot adapt will disappear. This volume will be a touchstone for future efforts to study and protect the extraordinary biodiversity of Florida's native amphibians and reptiles.
