Reptiles of Rhode Island

The Reptiles of Rhode Island book with a black cover and image of a painted turtle. The book is leaning up against a moss covered tree with plants and brown leafy debris underneath.

RIDEM Division of Fish and Wildlife is pleased to announce the publication of Reptiles of Rhode Island, available in hard copy with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State Wildlife Grants Program. All revenue generated by the sale of this book will be directed towards wildlife conservation via the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Reptiles of Rhode Island is the companion volume to Amphibians of Rhode Island, published in 2018. It provides meticulous accounts of the state’s seven native turtles and 13 native snakes and their respective habitats, accompanied by beautiful photographs. Far more than a field guide, author Christopher Raithel’s book also combines an exhaustive search of the historical record and four decades of intense personal study to provide comprehensive information on the state-wide distribution, demography, seasonal movement, reproduction and development, research needs, and conservation status of each species. An additional chapter is devoted entirely to conservation, detailing overarching threats as well as the actions we can and must take if we are to safeguard the amazing creatures detailed within the book’s pages.

Christopher Raithel was hired as the staff zoologist at the outset of the Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program in 1979 and became the nongame and endangered species biologist for the Division of Fish and Wildlife until his retirement in 2018. One of those increasingly rare naturalists who has come to know his subjects and their world in great depth, Chris’s enormous compassion for them shines through in the less technical sections of his writing.

Books are $20.00 each; $15.00 each when you purchase 5 or more.

Order By Mail

To order a book by mail, download the order form above. Please allow up to 6 weeks for processing and delivery.

Purchase In Person - Providence

Reptiles of Rhode Island may be purchased in person at the DEM Division of Boating and Licensing offices located at 235 Promenade Street, Providence RI, weekdays from 8:30 Am to 3:30 PM. Accepted forms of payment at that location are cash, check, money order or, for an additional fee of $1.50, credit card.

Purchase In Person - Great Swamp Field Headquarters

The book is also for sale at the Division of Fish and Wildlife Headquarters at 277 Great Neck Road, West Kingston RI between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4 PM. Accepted forms of payment are money order or check. Cash or credit cards cannot be accepted at this location.