The Reptiles of Venango County, Pennsylvania

Abstract

Venango County is situated in the western foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in the northwestern part of Pennsylvania. It has an area of 675 square miles, and a population of about 64,000. Possibly about half of the county is covered by forest, only a few acres of which are virgin forest. About a third is under cultivation, and the remainder is occupied by fields that were under cultivation at one time, by a few strip mine areas, villages, towns and the cities of Franklin and Oil City. There are no lakes in the county and no swamps of more than a few acres in area. There are a few small ponds formed artificially and by beaver dams and stream meandering. The Allegheny River flows through the county, as do several tributary streams including many spring fed brooks. Some land that was once under cultivation is reverting back to forest. In the southern part of the county many strip coal mines are scarring the landscape. From an esthetic point of view, these operations are deplorable, but the resultant bad lands will make good game cover, and the small ponds remaining in some .of the excavations will favor some kinds of reptiles and amphibians, and possibly fishes. Oil wells are scattered over most of the county. A number of wells are pumped by one engine, with rod lines radiating from the engine house. It is probably just a coincidence that most of the locations where massasaugas are found hap,pen to be in areas where oil wells are operating. The glacial geology of the county is of unusual interest as the western portion was invaded by both the Illinoian and Wisconsin drifts. Terminal moraines are present. While there seems to be evidence that the distribution of some species is apparently affected boy glaciation, it may be coincidental, and in reality caused by other topographical features. The eastern part of the county is unglaciated. The herpetological fauna is restricted by a rather cold climate. Weather records of Franklin indicate a growing season of 140 days. A lack of suitable habitat precludes some species found elsewhere in the state. Extremes of temperature range from about -35?F to 1060F. It is hoped that the extensive notes on some of the species will be of interest to herpetologists. In order that this account may be of interest to other naturalists also, all of the species known from Pennsylvania are listed. Those not known from Venango County are annotated with the nearest known localities. Descriptions and life histories have been omitted as the list is intended to supplement, not to supplant, popular herpetological literature. Mr. M. Graham Netting and Dr. Grace Orton of the Carnegie Museum have generously supplied me with information on the distribution of reptiles