Wikipedia:Today's featured list/December 31, 2021

Eastern massasauga
Eastern massasauga

Reptiles are found throughout Michigan, although the only venomous species, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (example pictured), is seen only in the Lower Peninsula. The U.S. state of Michigan is home to two types of lizards, nineteen types of snakes and eleven types of turtles, all members of the class Reptilia. Reptiles are cold-blooded, and so usually pass the cold winters of Michigan in frost-free areas, such as burrows (for snakes and land-dwelling turtles) or the bottoms of lakes and streams (for water-dwelling turtles). Reptile habitats in Michigan are generally split into four regions: the northern and southern Lower Peninsula and the eastern and western Upper Peninsula, with differentiations based on climate, soils, underlying bedrock and glacially derived landforms. Three species of reptiles are considered to be threatened and two species are endangered – these are protected under the Endangered Species Act of the State of Michigan. (Full list...)

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