Amphibians & Reptiles

miskwaadesi (a Painted Turtle) can sometimes be seen crossing a road.

NPS / G. Kirk

A Wet Environment

Despite all the lakes and wetlands of northern Minnesota, the southern boreal winter is a surprisingly hostile place for amphibians and reptiles. Whether they hibernate in wetland bottoms or soil below the frost line, conditions are often challenging. As a result few species call this home. While there are a dozen amphibians, like omakakii (frogs) and okaadiginebig (salamanders), there are only three reptiles – the wenda ginebig (garter snake), mikinaak (snapping turtle), and miskwaadesi (painted turtle). More often than not you will find omakakii (wood frogs) and gisiibwewed (spring peepers). The chorus created by these species is well worth the trip. One place to listen is the Meadow boardwalk on the Grand Portage trail (halfway between old highway 61 and Fort Charlotte) in the spring.

Wetlands (mashkiig) interpretive coloring page
Painted Turtle (miskwaadesi) interpretive coloring page
Dragonfly (oboodashkwaanishiinh) interpretive coloring page

 

nitaagabi omakakii (green frogs) are found in many places around Grand Portage

NPS Photo

The Importance of Monitoring

Why are declines of amphibian populations one of the most prominent conservation issues in the world? Why are they symbols of climate change? Most amphibians need both land and water during their lifetimes and are sensitive to environmental changes including temperature, precipitation, and humidity, making them excellent indicators of habitat change. Because of their unique calls, toads and frogs are easy to identify. This makes it possible to monitor their populations using remote recorders, or “frog loggers.” Learn how scientists gather information about these species.

 

Anishinaabe & Scientific Names

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Anishinaabe & Scientific Names

Anishinaabe Name	Common Name	Scientific Name

Anishinaabe Name	Common Name	Scientific Name
babiigomakakii	American Toad	Anaxyrus americanus
gegaamakade mitigo omakakiins	Gray Treefrog	Dryophytes versicolor
giziibwewed	Spring Peeper	Pseudacris crucifer
mitigowomakakiins	Boreal Chorus Frog	Pseudacris maculata
nitaagabi omakakii	Green Frog	Lithobates clamitans
dede	Northern Leopard Frog	Lithobates pipiens
omakakii	Mink Frog	Lithobates septentrionalis
ozhaawashkogidigaa okaadiginebig	Blue-spotted Salamander	Ambystoma laterale
ozaawaagidigaa okaadi ginebig	Eastern Tiger Salamander	Ambystoma tigrinum
miskwaawigan okaadiginebig	Eastern Red-backed Salamander	Plethodon cinereus
wezaawaa okaadiginebig	Central Newt	Notophthalmus viridescens
wenda ginebig	Common Garter Snake	Thamnophis sirtalis
mikinaak	Snapping Turtle	Chelydra serpentina
miskwaadesi	Painted Turtle	Chrysemys picta

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Giziibwewed (Spring Peeper) on adoop (Alder) leaf.

USFWS photo/Ken Sturm

Amphibians and reptiles are vertebrates that live on land or in water at different times in their life cycle. Amphibians breed in water, while reptiles breed on land. To see which species live at Grand Portage National Monument, explore the lists below:

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Grand Portage National Monument

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

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