Tadpole

Hi guys,

Having seen the luck that you all are having with salamander encounters, I have spent the last two afternoons flipping log, scooping pond water and walking through every ditch and puddle I can find. I have not come across any salamanders (as of yet) but I hope to put a few drop bucket traps around a kindly friend’s (and neighbor’s) pond. I would appreciate any pointers.

In the mean time, I have come across a couple of other “herps.” Around Lake Marion in Moncks Corner, South Carolina and I saw a young snake sunning on a rock last Friday. I am pretty sure that it was a water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus) but I did not have my camera or my field guide. It was beautifully colored, small (juvenile) snake and quickly dove under the water when I tried to position it to get a better look. The fact that it went under the water makes me wonder if it wasn’t a banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata), but the head looked a little wide to me. I spoke to someone that frequently walks in that area and she said that as it gets a little warmer she sees them by the dozens at dusk, so hopefully I will be able to get a picture of one and get to zoom in to identify it.

I do have a couple of pictures (sorry about the quality) of my latest find, a few hefty tadpoles. I ran across them about a half mile from where I saw the snake but on the grassy side of the lake’s dike. The first ditch that I dipped into had tons of them, but it also had very slippery, stinky mud. It was a hoot trying to catch them. After I collected a couple, I traveled to around 15 other waterholes and ditches in the area but I only found hundreds of minnows, some crayfish and a couple of really creepy bugs. After the next rain, if it coincides with a light homework night, I am going to head back out there again.

It is difficult to determine the species of tadpoles. I have compared tadpole photos and base on the size, dorsal fin and location and shape of their eyes along with the early breeding season my guess is it is a southern leopard frog (Rana utricularia).

Jennifer Thomas
South Carolina