by Nicholas Gaye, Interpretive Naturalist

From frogs that freeze themselves solid to survive over the winter, to snakes that can climb up trees, animal adaptations can be extreme and interesting. There are 47 species of reptiles in Ohio, and each has its own amazing adaptations for survival.

Take for example, the queen snake, Northeast Ohio’s most royal of reptiles. And, like most royalty, this snake has a particularly picky appetite. The queen snake has adapted itself to dine on one single source of food: crayfish. This adaptation is reflected in not only the river habitat they reside in, but also specialized scales on their heads that make it easier for them to meander underneath rocks where the crustaceans conceal themselves. Queen snakes are not just picky about their diets, they are also picky about their homes. Their habitats have to be in high-quality streams with a rocky substrate. Because of this, queen snakes only reside in a select few streams within Northeast Ohio, some of which are in your parks! Queen snakes are a Species of Concern, making finding one of these guys just as extreme as their adaptations.

Queen snake

If snakes are a little too extreme for you, maybe box turtles are more your speed! These slow-moving land turtles can live for more than 40 years in the wild and nearly 100 years in captivity. Not only do they live long lives, box turtles have adapted to survive through the extremes of nature. These reptiles are equipped with a special defense where they can close their shells, encasing themselves within their thick walls for protection. Box turtles pull in their heads and legs, and just like that, they hide away in their box, safe from predators. Although they may not move very quickly while foraging for mushrooms and invertebrates, they more than make up for it with their extreme defensive adaptations. They also have a lesser-known defense; when surprised by predators they can make sounds with their jaws at nearly 75 decibels. That’s equivalent to the engine of a very loud car!

Box turtle