Amphibians and reptiles

Amphibians and reptiles are very beneficial to the ecosystem. Cape Breton Highlands National Park is home to a relatively small number of amphibians and reptiles, mainly because of cold temperatures, limited habitat available for these types of animal, and natural barriers preventing them from moving in to Cape Breton.

Frogs, toads, newts and salamanders

Amphibians fulfill the role of both predator and prey. In some ecosystems, if you were to take out all the birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians and weigh them by group, the amphibians would weigh more than any other group of vertebrate animals. That's a lot of amphibians!

The most common woodland amphibians in Cape Breton Highlands National Park include the red-backed salamander, yellow-spotted salamander, wood frog, spring peeper and American toad. The red-spotted newt, northern leopard frog, green frog, mink frog and pickerel frog live in small ponds and lakes within the park.

Worldwide, scientists have found that the numbers of amphibians are steadily decreasing. These animals may be especially vulnerable to pollution since they have very thin skins which absorb toxins readily. Some other reasons for the decline may include habitat destruction and disease.

Snakes and turtles

All four species of snake found within the park are small and not venomous. The Maritime garter snake is by far the most common snake seen within the park but the northern redbelly snake, northern ringneck snake and eastern smooth green snake can also be found here.

Far from being harmful, many of the snakes of Nova Scotia are quite helpful in keeping down the populations of insects and rodents. Garter snakes eat amphibians, small fish, worms and mice. Green snakes generally snack on moth larvae like the tent caterpillar, and spiders. The northern ringneck snake loves a good red-backed salamander, while the redbelly snake is a gardener's best friend - their favourite food is slugs.

The endangered leatherback turtle, a sea turtle, sometimes swims off the coast of the park in search of jellyfish, which it eats.

Checklist of amphibians in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Checklist of reptiles in Cape Breton Highlands National Park