By Hayley Urbanek
The past weeks of cooler weather and rain have kept some Prairie rattlesnakes from moving around, while others have certainly taken advantage of the seldom warmth to move anyway. Nearly all of our snakes with radio-transmitters are hanging out near rocks, while some we encounter are moving across the grasses. CAUTION: Just east of the quarry on the North Table Loop, there is one rattlesnake with a transmitter (and there could be others) that continually resides near rocks close to the trail. Please look carefully, and then carefully again, before sitting to rest and/ or allowing your dog to sniff around.
Over the past month and a half, we’ve been fortunate to meet many of you who regularly use North Table Mountain as your escape from the metro-area rush, a place to exercise, or simply checking out local wildlife and wildflowers yourself. We appreciate all of you who have shouted to us where a snake may be, sharing your stories, and other observations. Regarding reptiles and amphibians, we thought we’d share some information on a few more…sure we’re there for Prairie rattlesnakes and safety, but we enjoy finding everything. Thanks so much for meeting us and helping us along the way!
The past weeks of cooler weather and rain have kept some Prairie rattlesnakes from moving around, while others have certainly taken advantage of the seldom warmth to move anyway. Nearly all of our snakes with radio-transmitters are hanging out near rocks, while some we encounter are moving across the grasses. CAUTION: Just east of the quarry on the North Table Loop, there is one rattlesnake with a transmitter (and there could be others) that continually resides near rocks close to the trail. Please look carefully, and then carefully again, before sitting to rest and/ or allowing your dog to sniff around.
Over the past month and a half, we’ve been fortunate to meet many of you who regularly use North Table Mountain as your escape from the metro-area rush, a place to exercise, or simply checking out local wildlife and wildflowers yourself. We appreciate all of you who have shouted to us where a snake may be, sharing your stories, and other observations. Regarding reptiles and amphibians, we thought we’d share some information on a few more…sure we’re there for Prairie rattlesnakes and safety, but we enjoy finding everything. Thanks so much for meeting us and helping us along the way!
Along with Prairie rattlesnakes, North Table Mountain is a great home for many species of reptiles and amphibians including:
Snakes
 | Bullsnake Bullsnakes are commonly confused with rattlesnakes due to their similar patterns and the Bullsnake’s defense mechanisms, including vibrating their tail, flattening their head, and making hissing noises. Unlike rattlesnakes, Bullsnakes snakes are harmless to humans. Bullsnakes feed off of rodents. |
 | Yellow-bellied Racer Yellow-bellied Racers spend time basking in the sun or searching for food, including small rodents, frogs, toads, insects, and birds. |
 | Plains Garter Snake The Plains Garter Snake prefers to live near areas with water where it can access its diet of earthworms, fish, frogs, toads, and small rodents. |
 | Central Plains Milk Snake While prevalent, milk snakes prefer to stay hidden, spending most of their time under cover, occasionally found out and about in search of food, including smaller snakes, rodents, or lizards. |
Lizards
 | Prairie Lizard Prairie Lizards are the only known species of lizard found on North Table Mountain, and are commonly found on rocks. Their primary diet consists of bugs and insects. |
Frogs
 | Boreal Chorus Frog Chorus frogs are more commonly heard than observed. Chorus frogs live along bodies water and feed off of insects, bugs, or spiders. |
Toads
 | Woodhouse’s Toad Woodhouse’s toads occur near water and feed off of various insects and bugs. |
Salamanders
 | Tiger Salamander The Tiger Salamander is the only species of salamander in Colorado, and our official state amphibian. Tiger salamanders live underground for the majority of their life, occasionally surfacing to find food such as insects and worms. |
Though some species have not yet been found during this survey at North Table Mountain, it is likely they occur there. These species include:
Snakes
 | Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Like Plains Garter Snakes, Western Terrestrial garters are found near water to access their diet of fish, frogs, toads, earthworms, and small rodents. |
 | Lined Snake Lined snakes live under rocks and feed primarily off of earthworms. |
 | Plains Black-headed Snake Though venomous, the Plains Black-headed snake is not dangerous to humans. Black-headed snakes live underground or under cover and feed off of centipedes. |
 | Western Hognose Snake While the Western Hognose Snake may be found at North Table Mountain, it is highly unlikely. Hognose snakes are similar in pattern to the prairie rattlesnake, but not dangerous to humans. They feed off of toads, lizards, and rodents. |
Lizards
 | Six-Lined Racerunner Six-lined Racerunners live in open, sunny areas and eat insects and spiders. |
Frogs
 | American Bullfrog Bullfrogs are invasive in Colorado. Bullfrogs eat snakes, other frogs, toads, insects, fish, etc. Bullfrogs spend most of their life in or near water. |
 | Northern Leopard Frog Northern leopard frogs live near aquatic areas and eat insects or other small animals. These are a sensitive species in Colorado, and known populations are carefully monitored. While largely remaining near water sources, they may move across drier habitats for considerable distances to get to another water body. |
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