Key terms
Reptile
Reptiles are mostly four-legged animals (except snakes) with backbones that warm their bodies using the surrounding environment and usually lay eggs. Reptiles include turtles, snakes and lizards.
Cold-Blooded
Reptiles’ body temperature varies with that of the environment – this is called being poikilothermic. Being cold-blooded means reptiles rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature.
Why study reptiles?
Many turtles are considered at-risk by federal and/ or provincial legislations, including the Blanding’s Turtle, Eastern Musk Turtle, Eastern Painted Turtle, Midland Painted Turtle, Northern Map Turtle, Snapping Turtle and the Spiny Softshell. Alto planners may also encounter the Dekay’s Brownsnake which is protected under the Québec Act Respecting Threatened or Vulnerable Species, 1989.
Field studies will help Alto planners better understand and protect reptiles when building and operating the new railway, while determining a baseline for future studies.
What do reptile studies involve?
Reptile studies involve two approaches; one for turtles and one for snakes.
- The turtle basking study involves searching surrounding wetlands for aquatic turtles
- The snake study involves the installation of artificial cover objects (manmade “covers” like asphalt or plywood, that snakes may rest under) throughout the study area, and then returning at a later date to search beneath or near the cover objects for snakes.
