Did you know that West Virginia’s herp regulations prohibit the possession of 80 species of reptiles and amphibians? These regulations include 26 salamander species, 13 frog and toad species, six lizard species, 23 snake species and 12 turtle species.
A complete list is as follows:
Salamanders
- Streamside salamander
- Jefferson salamander
- Spotted salamander
- Marbled salamander
- Small-mouthed salamander
- Green salamander
- Eastern hellbender
- Cave salamander
- West Virginia spring salamander
- Four-toed salamander
- Common mudpuppy
- Red-spotted newt (eastern newt)
- Red-backed salamander
- White-spotted slimy salamander
- Northern ravine salamander
- Northern slimy salamander
- Valley and ridge salamander
- Cumberland plateau salamander
- Cheat Mountain salamander
- Yellow-spotted woodland salamander
- Cow Knob salamander
- Southern ravine salamander
- Shenandoah Mountain salamander
- Wehrle’s salamander
- Midland mud salamander
- Northern red salamander
Frogs and Toads
- Blanchard’s cricket frog
- Eastern cricket frog
- American toad
- Fowler’s toad
- Cope’s gray treefrog
- Gray treefrog
- Pickerel frog
- Northern leopard frog
- Wood frog
- Mountain chorus frog
- Spring peeper
- Upland chorus frog
- Eastern spadefoot
Lizards
- Eastern six-lined racerunner
- Northern coal skink
- Common five-lined skink
- Broad-headed skink
- Eastern fence lizard
- Little brown skink
Snakes
- Eastern copperhead
- Eastern wormsnake
- Northern black racer
- Timber rattlesnake
- Northern ring-necked snake
- Eastern hog-nosed snake
- Eastern kingsnake
- Eastern black kingsnake
- Eastern milksnake
- Common watersnake
- Northern rough greensnake
- Smooth greensnake
- Eastern ratsnake
- Red cornsnake
- Gray ratsnake
- Northern pinesnake
- Queen snake
- Dekay’s brownsnake
- Red-bellied snake
- Common ribbonsnake
- Eastern gartersnake
- Eastern smooth earthsnake
- Mountain earthsnake
Turtles
- Midland smooth softshell
- Eastern painted turtle
- Midland painted turtle
- Spotted turtle
- Wood turtle
- Northern map turtle
- Ouachita map turtle
- Eastern river cooter
- Northern red-bellied cooter
- Eastern musk turtle
- Woodland (eastern) box turtle
- Red-eared slider
While the state has put these regulations into place, several of these species are kept by people as pets or for scientific and educational purposes.
According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, West Virginia residents who own any of these animals or their parts must complete a verification form by March 31 to ensure compliance with herp regulations.
Learn more and find the form here: wvdnr.gov/plants-animals/amphibians-reptiles.