Florida has nearly 170 species of reptiles and amphibians classified in thirty-one families. This high number of species is the result of great diversity in climate (both temperature and rainfall), complexity and range of habitats, and geologic history of the state including sea level changes and temperature fluctuations.
Among the smallest amphibians found in the state are the oak toad and some tree frogs, which reach a maximum size of one to one and one-fourth inches. With the exception of sea turtles, which breed on Florida beaches, the alligator snapping turtle is the largest reptile, occasionally exceeding 100-150 pounds in weight and three feet in length. Of the six species of dangerously poisonous snakes present in Florida, the pygmy rattlesnake accounts for approximately 20 percent of the 300-400 poisonous snakebites each year in Florida. Luckily, the bites from this and other venomous Florida snakes are seldom fatal, and typically result in no more than one fatality annually.
