Editing Great Plains (section)

==== Reptiles ====
The prairie rattlesnake (''[[Crotalus viridis]]'') ranges throughout much of the Great Plains and into the valleys and lower elevations of the eastern [[Rocky Mountains]] and portions of the [[Southwestern United States|American southwest]]. Other snakes include the plains hog-nosed snake (''[[Western hognose snake|Heterodon nasicus]]''), western milksnake (''[[Milk snake|Lampropeltis gentilis]]''), Great Plains ratsnake (''[[Pantherophis emoryi]]''), bullsnake (''[[Bullsnake|Pituophis catenifer sayi]]''), plains black-headed snake (''[[Plains black-headed snake|Tantilla nigriceps]]''), plains gartersnake (''[[Plains garter snake|Thamnophis radix]]''), and lined snake (''[[Tropidoclonion|Tropidoclonion lineatum]]''). Reptile diversity increases significantly in southern regions of the Great Plains. The ornate box turtle (''[[Terrapene ornata]]'') and Great Plains skink (''[[Great Plains skink|Plestiodon obsoletus]]'') occur in southern areas.<ref name="Powell et al. (2016)">Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph Collins. 2016. ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America'', 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. New York, N. Y. xiii, 494 pp. [pages 202-209] {{ISBN|978-0-544-12997-9}}</ref>