{"wildlife/wildlife":[{"id":"copperhead","name":"Southern Copperhead","scientific":"Agkistrodon contortrix","wiki":"Agkistrodon_contortrix","group":"snake","origin":"native","danger":"venomous","dangerNote":"VENOMOUS. Hourglass-shaped dark bands (wide on the sides, narrow across the back), a copper-tan head, vertical cat-like pupils, and a heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril. Bites are rarely fatal but need medical care.","idTips":"A thick-bodied pit viper with a coppery-tan body crossed by dark, Hershey's-Kiss / hourglass-shaped bands that are widest on the sides and pinch narrow over the back. Head is unmarked copper. Young have a bright yellow tail tip. Often freezes rather than fleeing, relying on camouflage in leaf litter.","habitat":"Woodlands, {bayou} edges, suburban mulch and leaf litter, brush piles, and flower beds across {place}.","diet":"Ambush predator of mice, frogs, lizards, small birds and large insects like cicadas.","facts":["Its hourglass bands are wide on the sides and narrow over the spine, like a Hershey's Kiss seen from the side.","It is one of the most common venomous snakes in {place} suburbs, often found in leaf litter and mulched beds.","Juveniles wiggle a bright yellow tail tip to lure frogs and lizards within striking range.","It usually freezes and relies on camouflage, so most bites happen when a snake is stepped on or grabbed."],"range":"PINEY CP MARSH POST 32b"},{"id":"cottonmouth","name":"Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin)","scientific":"Agkistrodon piscivorus","wiki":"Agkistrodon_piscivorus","group":"snake","origin":"native","danger":"venomous","dangerNote":"VENOMOUS. A thick dark water snake that gapes to show a cotton-white mouth lining when threatened. Vertical pupils and a blocky head. Swims with its whole body riding on top of the water.","idTips":"A heavy-bodied, dark olive-to-black semi-aquatic pit viper, often with faint darker bands. The blocky head is distinctly wider than the neck. When cornered it coils and gapes open to flash the white 'cotton' interior of its mouth. Swims high on the water surface, unlike harmless water snakes that ride low.","habitat":"Swamps, {bayou}s, ponds, drainage ditches and wet bottomlands throughout the {place} area.","diet":"Fish, frogs, other snakes, small mammals and carrion. One of the few snakes that eats carrion.","facts":["Its open-mouth 'cotton' threat display is its most distinctive warning sign.","It swims with its body riding on top of the water; harmless water snakes swim mostly submerged.","It and its close relative the Florida cottonmouth are the only venomous water snakes in the U.S., and it is often confused with harmless water snakes.","It stands its ground more than most snakes but still prefers to escape when it can."],"factRefs":{"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agkistrodon piscivorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus"}]},"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"coral-snake","name":"Texas Coral Snake","scientific":"Micrurus tener","wiki":"Micrurus_tener","group":"snake","origin":"native","danger":"venomous","dangerNote":"VENOMOUS (potent neurotoxin). Red, yellow and black rings that FULLY encircle the body, with red touching yellow. 'Red touches yellow, kill a fellow; red touches black, friend of Jack.' Small and shy with a blunt black snout.","idTips":"A slender snake ringed in red, yellow (thin) and black bands that go all the way around the body. The order is the key: on a coral snake, RED bands touch YELLOW bands. Snout is black. Small mouth and short, fixed front fangs. Bites are uncommon but serious: a quick bite can deliver venom, so get emergency care even if you feel fine at first.","habitat":"Leaf litter, under logs and boards, and in gardens; secretive and mostly active at dawn, dusk and after rain.","diet":"Mainly other small snakes and lizards.","facts":["Its rhyme: 'Red touches yellow, kill a fellow.' On U.S. coral snakes, red bands touch yellow bands. The rhyme doesn't work for coral snakes in other countries.","Its harmless mimics (milk snake, scarlet snake) have red touching BLACK instead.","It carries a potent neurotoxic venom but is shy and bites rarely.","It is {place}'s only venomous snake that is NOT a pit viper. It has round pupils and no facial pit."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Coral snake","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_snake"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Texas coral snake","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_coral_snake"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Coral snake","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_snake"}],"range":"ALL -27h -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"rat-snake","name":"Texas Rat Snake","scientific":"Pantherophis obsoletus","wiki":"Pantherophis_obsoletus","group":"snake","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS (non-venomous). Long and slender with round pupils and a blotched, not banded, pattern. Will rear and musk if cornered, but has no venom.","idTips":"A long (up to 6 ft), slender snake with irregular dark blotches on a gray-to-yellowish body and a somewhat squared-off head. Round pupils. Often climbs trees and buildings after birds and eggs. Bluffs by vibrating its tail and musking, but is non-venomous.","habitat":"Woods, barns, suburban yards, attics and trees across {place}. Our most frequently seen large snake.","diet":"A constrictor that eats rodents, birds and eggs. A valuable natural rat control.","facts":["It is one of the most common large snakes in {place} and an excellent rodent controller.","It is a strong climber and often found in attics and bird boxes hunting eggs.","Despite a fierce bluff, it is completely non-venomous and harmless to people.","It has round pupils and a blotched pattern. Not the bands of a copperhead or the gape of a cottonmouth."],"range":"ALL -24f -24b -23a"},{"id":"water-snake-diamondback","name":"Diamondback Water Snake","scientific":"Nerodia rhombifer","wiki":"Nerodia_rhombifer","group":"snake","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS (non-venomous): the snake most often mistaken for a cottonmouth. Swims low in the water with only its head showing, has round pupils, and flees rather than gaping.","idTips":"A heavy brown water snake with a net-like (diamond) pattern of dark markings down the back. Round pupils and no facial pit. Basks on branches over water and dives when approached. Often killed on sight as a 'water moccasin' despite being harmless.","habitat":"Bayous, ponds, ditches and lake edges throughout the {place} area.","diet":"Fish and frogs, which it grabs rather than constricts.","facts":["It is the harmless water snake most often mistaken for and killed as a cottonmouth.","It swims mostly submerged with just its head up; a cottonmouth rides high on the surface.","It has round pupils and no heat-sensing pit between the eye and nostril. Head shape is not a reliable clue, because it flattens its head when threatened.","When grabbed it bites and musks freely but has no venom."],"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -23a"},{"id":"green-anole","name":"Green Anole","scientific":"Anolis carolinensis","wiki":"Carolina_anole","group":"lizard","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS native lizard.","idTips":"Our only NATIVE anole: a slender lizard that can change from bright green to brown, with a long tail, smooth skin, and a pink throat fan (dewlap) in males. Narrow, pointed snout. Climbs smooth surfaces and leaves with sticky toe pads. Being pushed out of yards by the invasive brown anole.","habitat":"Shrubs, fences, walls and gardens; prefers to perch higher in vegetation, especially now that brown anoles dominate the ground.","diet":"Small insects and spiders; a beneficial garden predator.","hosts":[],"facts":["It is the only anole native to the United States and is sometimes called the 'American chameleon' for its color change.","Unlike a true chameleon, it changes between green and brown based on temperature, mood and health, not to match any background.","The invasive brown anole is pushing it higher into shrubs and trees.","Males flash a pink throat fan (dewlap) to defend territory and court females."],"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"brown-anole","name":"Brown Anole","scientific":"Anolis sagrei","wiki":"Brown_anole","group":"lizard","origin":"invasive","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS but INVASIVE; displaces the native green anole.","idTips":"A stocky brown lizard (never green) with a pale stripe or diamond/triangle pattern down the back and a ridged tail. Males have an orange-red dewlap with a yellow edge. Stays low. On the ground, sidewalks, low walls and planters. Native to Cuba and the Bahamas.","habitat":"Ground level in yards, sidewalks, mulch and container plants, especially in developed and nursery areas where it arrived on plants.","diet":"Insects, spiders, and even hatchling green anoles and its own young.","invasiveNote":"Introduced from the Caribbean via the nursery trade, it has exploded across the Gulf Coast. It outcompetes and even eats the hatchlings of the native green anole, forcing green anoles to retreat higher into vegetation.","facts":["It is never green; if a brown anole turns green you are actually looking at a green anole in its brown phase.","It arrived in Texas on nursery plants and spreads along the nursery and landscaping trade.","It eats the young of the native green anole, accelerating the green anole's decline near the ground.","Males display an orange dewlap with a yellow margin, unlike the solid pink dewlap of the green anole."],"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"virginia-opossum","name":"Virginia Opossum","scientific":"Didelphis virginiana","wiki":"Virginia_opossum","group":"mammal","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS. North America's only marsupial; 'plays possum' when frightened.","idTips":"A cat-sized gray mammal with a pointed white face, black leathery ears, a naked pink prehensile tail, and 50 teeth. Our only native marsupial. Females carry young in a pouch. Nocturnal and slow-moving; feigns death ('playing possum') when cornered.","habitat":"Woods, {bayou} corridors, and suburban yards, attics and under decks across {place}.","diet":"A true omnivore and scavenger: insects, snails, carrion, fruit, eggs and pet food.","facts":["It is the only marsupial native to North America. Females raise young in a pouch.","It has 50 teeth, more than any other North American land mammal.","Rabies is rare in opossums, possibly because of their low body temperature.","'Playing possum' is an involuntary faint, not an act. It can last for minutes.","It is highly resistant to the venom of rattlesnakes and other pit vipers.","Newborns are about the size of a honeybee and crawl into the pouch on their own.","Its hind feet have clawless, opposable 'thumbs' for gripping branches."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Virginia opossum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_opossum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Virginia opossum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_opossum"}],"4":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Virginia opossum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_opossum"}],"5":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Virginia opossum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_opossum"}],"6":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Virginia opossum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_opossum"}]},"noPhotoId":true,"range":"ALL -24f -24b -23a"},{"id":"nine-banded-armadillo","name":"Nine-banded Armadillo","scientific":"Dasypus novemcinctus","wiki":"Nine-banded_armadillo","group":"mammal","origin":"native","danger":"mild","dangerNote":"Can carry the bacterium that causes leprosy (Hansen's disease), which can pass to people. Don't handle armadillos or eat their meat.","idTips":"A house cat–sized mammal (about 5–14 lb) armored in bony plates, with about nine flexible bands around the midsection, a long snout, big ears and strong digging claws. Poor eyesight; roots noisily through leaf litter. Jumps straight up when startled.","habitat":"Woodlands, brushy bottomlands and suburban yards where it digs for insects.","diet":"Grubs, ants, termites, beetles and other soil insects, dug from the ground.","facts":["It almost always gives birth to identical quadruplets from a single egg.","It jumps vertically when startled. A reflex that unfortunately leads to many car strikes.","It can hold its breath to walk across stream bottoms or inflate its gut to float.","Its digging aerates soil but can frustrate gardeners hunting for the same grubs.","Despite the myth, it can't roll into a ball. Only its three-banded cousins can.","It crossed into Texas from Mexico in the 1800s and has spread north and east ever since.","It is one of the only animals besides people that naturally carries leprosy, so don't handle one."],"inat":"Dasypus mexicanus","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nine-banded armadillo","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-banded_armadillo"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Leprosy","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy"}],"noPhotoId":true,"factRefs":{"4":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nine-banded armadillo","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-banded_armadillo"}],"5":[{"label":"TSHA Handbook of Texas: Armadillo","url":"https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/armadillo"},{"label":"TPWD: Armadillos","url":"https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/introducing_mammals/armadillos/"}],"6":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nine-banded armadillo","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-banded_armadillo"}]},"range":"ALL -24f -23a"},{"id":"eastern-cottontail","name":"Eastern Cottontail","scientific":"Sylvilagus floridanus","wiki":"Eastern_cottontail","group":"mammal","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","idTips":"A medium brown rabbit with large ears, rusty nape, and a fluffy white 'cotton ball' tail flashed when it runs. Freezes in place before bolting in a zigzag. Active at dawn and dusk.","habitat":"Brushy field edges, parks, and suburban yards with cover near open grass.","diet":"Grasses, clover, and tender garden greens. A common nibbler of vegetable beds.","facts":["Its white tail underside flashes as a 'follow me' signal that confuses predators.","It can have several litters a year, breeding from spring through early fall.","It relies on freezing and camouflage first, then an explosive zigzag sprint.","It is a key prey animal supporting hawks, owls, foxes and snakes."],"range":"ALL -24f -24b -23a"},{"id":"nutria","name":"Nutria","scientific":"Myocastor coypus","wiki":"Coypu","group":"mammal","origin":"invasive","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS to people but destructively INVASIVE in wetlands.","idTips":"A large (up to 20 lb) semi-aquatic rodent like a beaver with a round, thin, rat-like tail (not flat) and bright orange front teeth. Webbed hind feet. Seen swimming in {bayou}s and ditches or grazing on banks.","habitat":"Bayous, marshes, retention ponds and drainage ditches throughout the {place} area.","diet":"Aquatic and bankside plants; it eats the roots, destroying marsh vegetation.","invasiveNote":"Native to South America and introduced for the fur trade, nutria now damage Gulf Coast wetlands by eating out the roots of marsh plants, causing erosion and converting marsh to open water. They also burrow into levees and banks.","facts":["Its round, rat-like tail distinguishes it from the native beaver's flat paddle tail and the muskrat's smaller size.","Its front teeth are bright orange.","By eating marsh-plant roots it turns protective coastal marsh into open water.","It was brought from South America for fur farming and escaped into the wild."],"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"gulf-coast-toad","name":"Gulf Coast Toad","scientific":"Incilius nebulifer","wiki":"Incilius_nebulifer","group":"amphibian","origin":"native","danger":"mild","dangerNote":"Skin secretions can irritate eyes/mouth and are toxic to pets that bite it. Wash hands after handling.","idTips":"A flat-looking toad with a broad dark band down each side bordered by light stripes, deep ridges (cranial crests) forming a valley on top of the head, and prominent parotoid glands behind the eyes. Our most common backyard toad.","habitat":"Gardens, under porch lights (hunting insects), ditches and anywhere damp around {place} homes.","diet":"Beetles, ants, roaches, and other insects. A major natural pest controller at night.","facts":["It is the toad you hear trilling after warm rains and see hunting bugs under porch lights.","Its parotoid glands secrete a toxin that sickens dogs that mouth it. Rinse the pet's mouth with water.","The light stripe down its back and dark side bands are the quickest field marks.","A single toad eats thousands of insects a season, making it a gardener's ally."],"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"green-tree-frog","name":"Green Tree Frog","scientific":"Dryophytes cinereus","wiki":"American_green_tree_frog","group":"amphibian","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","idTips":"A small, slender, smooth bright-green frog usually with a crisp white or cream stripe down each side, and round sticky toe pads for climbing. Clings to windows, walls and broad leaves. Calls with a nasal 'quonk' on summer nights.","habitat":"Near ponds, marshes and water gardens; climbs onto windows and plants, especially after rain.","diet":"Flies, mosquitoes, moths and other small insects.","facts":["It is often called the 'rain frog' because it calls loudly before and after summer storms.","Its side stripe and sticky toe pads separate it from other green frogs.","It is a popular, hardy native often seen on lit windows catching insects.","It changes shade from bright green to gray-green with temperature and activity."],"range":"ALL -25i -24f -24b -26c -23a"},{"id":"western-ribbon-snake","name":"Western Ribbon Snake","scientific":"Thamnophis proximus","wiki":"Western_ribbon_snake","group":"snake","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","dangerNote":"HARMLESS (non-venomous). Slender with three pale stripes and white spots in front of the eyes; may musk if handled.","idTips":"A slender, long-tailed snake with three pale stripes on a dark body. The stripe down the back is often orange or yellow, and there is a bright white spot in front of each eye. Its tail is about a third of its length.","habitat":"Pond and {bayou} edges, ditches, marshes and wet gardens; usually close to water.","diet":"Frogs, tadpoles, toads and small fish.","facts":["It is the common striped snake around {place}; the similar Common Garter Snake is rare here.","Its very long, thin tail is a good field mark against garter snakes.","It often escapes by gliding across the surface of the water.","It bears live young rather than laying eggs."],"range":"ALL -24f -24b -23a"},{"id":"american-alligator","name":"American Alligator","scientific":"Alligator mississippiensis","wiki":"American_alligator","group":"crocodilian","origin":"native","danger":"dangerous","dangerNote":"DANGEROUS. Stay at least 30 feet away, never feed one (it is illegal and teaches them to approach people), and keep pets and children away from the water’s edge.","idTips":"A large, armored reptile, dark olive to black, with a broad, rounded snout. Young are black with bright yellow crossbands. Adults commonly reach 8 to 12 feet.","habitat":"Bayous, lakes, marshes, retention ponds and rice canals; common at Brazos Bend, Anahuac and on the coast.","diet":"Fish, turtles, snakes, birds, nutria and other animals; young eat insects, crayfish and frogs.","facts":["It is a conservation success story: once endangered, it recovered after hunting was controlled.","The temperature of the nest decides whether the hatchlings are male or female.","Mothers guard their nests and carry hatchlings to the water in their mouths.","Its broad, rounded snout separates it from the narrow-snouted crocodiles.","Its eyes shine red when a flashlight hits them at night.","In a freeze it can survive in iced-over water by keeping just its nostrils poking through the ice.","During mating season, bulls bellow with sound so low it makes the water on their backs 'dance'."],"range":"EAST STX RGV 34i","noPhotoId":true,"factRefs":{"4":[{"label":"TPWD Young Naturalist: Eyeshine","url":"https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/young_naturalist/animals/eyeshine/index.phtml"}],"5":[{"label":"UGA Savannah River Ecology Lab: American Alligator","url":"https://srelherp.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/70/2025/02/American-Alligator-FINAL-2.pdf"},{"label":"Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation: American Alligator","url":"https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlife/field-guide/reptiles/american-alligator"}],"6":[{"label":"Wikipedia: American alligator","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_alligator"}]}},{"id":"red-eared-slider","name":"Red-eared Slider","scientific":"Trachemys scripta elegans","wiki":"Red-eared_slider","inat":"Trachemys scripta","group":"turtle","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","idTips":"A medium freshwater turtle with a smooth olive-green shell and yellow stripes on the head and legs. Look for the red stripe behind each eye. Old males can turn dark all over.","habitat":"Ponds, lakes, {bayou}s and park lagoons; often basks in rows on logs.","diet":"Water plants, insects, snails and small fish; adults eat more plants.","facts":["It is native to Texas, though released pets have made it invasive around the world.","Rows of them sun on logs to warm up and dry their shells.","Males have very long front claws that they flutter in front of females during courtship.","It is the most common turtle in {place} ponds."],"range":"ALL -23a"},{"id":"three-toed-box-turtle","name":"Three-toed Box Turtle","scientific":"Terrapene triunguis","wiki":"Three-toed_box_turtle","group":"turtle","origin":"native","danger":"harmless","idTips":"A small land turtle with a high, domed, olive-brown shell and usually three toes on each hind foot. Males often have red or orange on the head. It can close its shell completely.","habitat":"Moist woods, thickets and wooded yards; often seen crossing roads after rain.","diet":"Earthworms, insects, snails, mushrooms, berries and fallen fruit.","facts":["A hinge on its lower shell lets it shut itself in like a box.","It can live more than 50 years.","It spends its whole life in a small home range, so moving one away can doom it.","It helps spread the seeds of the berries it eats."],"range":"EAST CROSS 30a 30c"},{"id":"mediterranean-house-gecko","name":"Mediterranean House Gecko","scientific":"Hemidactylus turcicus","wiki":"Mediterranean_house_gecko","group":"lizard","origin":"non-native","danger":"harmless","idTips":"A small, pale, almost see-through lizard with bumpy, warty skin and large eyes without eyelids. Its wide, sticky toe pads let it climb walls and windows.","habitat":"House walls, porch lights, windows and buildings at night.","diet":"Moths, crickets and other insects drawn to lights.","facts":["It is not native: it came from the Medi