GCE-LTER Vertebrate Species List
Scope of the List: This is a partial listing of the vertebrate species that occur at or near Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research monitoring sites GCE1 through GCE10. The list has been constructed mainly from anecdotal observations at the sites but also includes species which are likely to occur but which have not been observed directly.
List Contributors:
Steven C. Pennings, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Caroline M. Reddy, University of Georgia, Sapelo Island, Georgia
Additional Resources: You can also find species known from the GCE domain by searching the i-naturalist “place” for the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER. As of 2025, there are over 20,000 observations of over 3,000 species from the GCE domain. You can use the “filters” tab to narrow the list to a few broad taxonomic categories.
| Animalia - Chordata - Vertebrata (Mammalia) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Habitats (key) | Resources |
| Trichechus manatus (Trichechidae) | West Indian Manatee, manatee, Manatí del Caribe, Caribbean manatee | S:B, S:M, T:S |  |
| Animalia - Chordata - Vertebrata (Reptilia) | |||
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Habitats (key) | Resources |
| Agkistrodon piscivorus (Viperidae) | Cottonmouth, Northern Cottonmouth | |
|
| Alligator mississippiensis (Alligatoridae) | American Alligator, Aligator americano, alligator, gator, Florida alligator, Mississippi alligator, Louisiana alligator | H:MR, S:B, S:F |  |
| Crotalus adamanteus (Viperidae) | Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake | |
|
| Gopherus polyphemus (Testudinidae) | Gopher Tortoise | |
|
| Malaclemys terrapin (Emydidae) | Diamond-backed Terrapin, Diamondback Terrapin | |
|
| Nerodia taxispilota (Colubridae) | Brown Water Snake | H:MR, S:F | |
| Pantherophis alleghaniensis (Colubridae) | Eastern Rat Snake, Eastern Ratsnake | H:UF, T:T | |
| Animalia - Chordata - Vertebrata (Amphibia) | |||
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Habitats (key) | Resources |
| Anaxyrus terrestris (Bufonidae) | Southern Toad | S:F, T:T | |
| Gastrophryne carolinensis (Microhylidae) | Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad | S:F, T:T | |
| Hyla cinerea (Hylidae) | Green Tree Frog, Green Treefrog | S:F | |
| Hyla femoralis (Hylidae) | Pine Woods Treefrog | S:F | |
| Hyla gratiosa (Hylidae) | Barking Treefrog | S:F | |
| Hyla squirella (Hylidae) | Squirrel Treefrog | S:F | |
| Lithobates grylio (Ranidae) | Pig Frog | S:F | |
| Lithobates sphenocephalus (Ranidae) | Southern Leopard Frog | S:F | |
| Pseudacris ocularis (Hylidae) | Little Grass Frog | ||
Key to Habitats:
H:MR - Habitat Type: Marsh
H:UF - Habitat Type: Upland forest
S:B - Salinity Zone: Brackish water
S:F - Salinity Zone: Fresh water
S:M - Salinity Zone: Marine
T:S - Tidal Zone: Subtidal
T:T - Tidal Zone: Terrestrial
