Species Dive 10: Fastest snake in the west

The Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) is a species of nonvenomous snake found throughout the southeastern United States. In Mississippi, they are found in the Longleaf Pine forests of the south, and are apparently patchy in distribution today. These snakes are known for their long, slender bodies and lightning speeds. In Mississippi, they tend to have dark-brown … Read more

Species Dive 8: The Ornate Chorus Frog rediscovery in Mississippi

On a global scale, human pressures threaten the survival of amphibian species at small and large scales. Frogs in particular have suffered great declines in the tropics. Declines are not quite as prevalent for North American species in the biodiverse coastal plain, but more and more biologists are noticing blips in populations once readily accessible. … Read more

Species Dive 6 – Legless Lizards of Mississippi

While they may appear to be snakes, Glass Lizards (Genus Ophisaurus) are actually an entirely different group. They are unique from snakes in having eyelids, ear canals, an inflexible lower jaw, and distinct lateral skin folds. Snakes have scaled eyes, no ear canal, and a flexible jaw for consuming larger prey items. Mississippi specifically has … Read more

Map Updates

2021-09-23 All species now have the most up-to-date county presence information from present online database updates, museum records, and latest literature publications. Maps will also update in real time as new county observations are added. Do you want to help contribute citizen science, inform researchers, and update distribution maps? You can now submit your observations … Read more

Distribution Map Rollout

09/13/21 Range maps for all species are beginning to rollout on each species profile, and currently all frog species are updates with their respective maps. Check them out now and see what frogs you can find in your county! As you can see, maps display filled-in green county polygons; darker polygons represent recent records of … Read more

Walkthrough of Site Update

09/03/2021 New features include: Far faster speeds and load-times via encrypted connection Mobile optimization for viewing on phones and tablets Dark Mode w/ easy-to-use Light/Dark-mode toggle Improved photos as well as increased coverage of photos for lacking species via collaboration with southeastern wildlife photographers Simplified layout and image organization Minor taxonomic updates and changes based … Read more

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This site is currently under construction but please check back soon! Additions, changes, and updates will be occurring weekly.