This sea turtle is omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of prey such as mollusks, blue crabs, eelgrass and even jellyfish. Unfortunately, they also mistake floating trash and debris in the Bay for jellyfish. Consumption of this trash can cause problems with ingestion and metabolic processes and can ultimately cause the turtle to die. All snakes are capable of swimming and live in a variety of habitats. Conversely, the venomous copperhead often can be mistaken for the more benign water snake, although its coloration is much brighter.
Copperheads tend to prefer drier habitats in woods, grasses and old sheds.
The most abundant Bay region amphibians are frogs, toads and salamanders and newts. All species share a moist, absorbing glandular skin without scales, small lungs, and they all have gills during some stage of their development. They lay their eggs in water. Of the two classes, reptiles require more protection from environmental stressors. Regulations currently exist at both the state and federal levels to preserve populations of certain species of turtles and snakes.