Article Review: Multiscale Burrow Site Selection of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) in Coastal Sand Dune Habitat

Gopher tortoises are an important species of turtles because they are a keystone species for animals found in sandy areas where these tortoises make their burrows. This species of turtles is found in the Southeastern part of the United States, but primarily in Georgia and Florida. Since the gopher tortoise makes burrows in areas with sandy soil and low growing vegetation. This type of area is typically found in the coastal region of Georgia and Florida which poses a threat to the tortoises because these coastal regions that attracts the tortoises also attracts humans. Since there is an increased amount of human activity in this burrowing area as opposed to other studied sites in more remote areas, researchers wanted to study how this increased activity influenced gopher tortoises' burrow placement. Researchers found that there are many biological and environmental factors that influence burrow placement. Factors that significantly influenced site selection included type of land cover, soil resistance, angles of slopes, and density of tortoise burrows to name a few. The main conclusion drawn from this evidence is that gopher tortoises in coastal regions require more site-specific management due to limited optimal burrow site areas as opposed to those in more open regions.
This is an interesting and important study not only because it is looking at the gopher tortoise and what influences them when constructing burrows, but they are looking at how human impact is changing their patterns and how they are adjusting to survive. I feel as though it is our duty to restrict the amount of area we develop along coastlines to prevent habitat fragmentation and/or habitat destruction of such an important species of turtles. If humans want to live at the beach, it is much easier for us to find a new area to live as opposed to these turtles whose potential habitat space is drastically decreasing which therefore directly affects the species that rely on the burrows of these tortoises.
Authors: Anthony Lau and C. Kenneth Dodd Jr.
Journal of Coastal Research (JCR)

Lau, A., & Dodd, C. (2015). Multiscale Burrow Site Selection of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) in Coastal Sand Dune Habitat. Journal of Coastal Research, 31(2), 305-314. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.nuncio.cofc.edu/stable/43290640

http://www.jstor.org.nuncio.cofc.edu/stable/43290640?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=herpetology&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoAdvancedSearch%3Fq3%3D%26amp%3Bc6%3DAND%26amp%3Bf3%3Dall%26amp%3Bf2%3Dall%26amp%3Bq1%3D%26amp%3Bf0%3Dall%26amp%3Bf1%3Dall%26amp%3Bf5%3Dall%26amp%3Bc1%3DAND%26amp%3Bc2%3DAND%26amp%3Bc5%3DAND%26amp%3Bisbn%3D%26amp%3Bla%3D%26amp%3BSearch%3D%26amp%3Bq5%3D%26amp%3Bc3%3DAND%26amp%3Bq2%3D%26amp%3Bf4%3Dall%26amp%3Bq0%3Dherpetology%26amp%3Bsd%3D2015%26amp%3Bpt%3D%26amp%3Bq6%3D%26amp%3Bed%3D2017%26amp%3Bc4%3DAND%26amp%3Bq4%3D%26amp%3Bf6%3Dall%26amp%3Bacc%3Don&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Herps in the News: Spring Amphibians Need Crossing Guards

Each year in the northeast from New Jersey to Maine around late March and early April, forest-dwelling amphibians wake up from their winter states and migrate to pools for breeding. They can sometimes pass through the forest without human interference, but sometimes they must cross through environments split up by dangerous roads.



Reports from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation say that the amphibians are waking up early due to the warmer weather. Volunteers are helping these amphibians by ushering them across dangerous paths in order to get them to their breeding pools faster and safer. According to the article, the amphibians are facing not only the danger from roads and traffic, but also the threat of dry warmer weather before they can reach their breeding pools. The article also states some information about volunteering to help out.

This article is published in the New York Times. The intended audience is anyone in the northeast interested in the protection and conservation of these amphibians. I do not feel the article had an bias. There was plenty of information about the cause and ways to help.



For more information, visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/science/frogs-salamanders-spring.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAmphibians&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Nomination for Class Mascot: Loggerhead Sea Turtle

I believe that the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Carreta carreta should be our class mascot. Being a school in Charleston, it would only make sense to have this sea turtle as our mascot. Right next to our classroom is the sea turtle hospital by the SC Aquarium. According to their website, they have rescued, rehabilitated, and released more than 200 sea turtles. The aquarium has raised some awareness about the cause for sea turtles and shows the community the dangers that they are facing. I think in order to honor the work that they do, we should make the Carreta carreta our class mascot. Carreta carreta is also the South Carolina state reptile because of an elementary school near my hometown. The loggerhead sea turtles nest on beaches all along the east coast. Our coast is commonly used for their nests, and Charleston does a really good job in protecting our coast and the dunes for these turtles. Their threatened nature is a cause for concern, and making it our mascot can celebrate this amazing animal and be used to help spread awareness about their conservation. These animals are beautiful and special to our area, and they deserve to be our mascot.







Information:
http://www.scaquarium.org/sea-turtle-care-center/
http://www.sciway.net/facts/sc-state-reptile-loggerhead-turtle.html

Herps in the News: Alligator Hunt in South Carolina

South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources is now accepting online applications for hunting permits for alligators. Those who apply will be entered into a drawing, and only about 1,000 hunters will be chosen for the hunt. According to this article, the alligator hunt has occurred every year since 2008. In order to be eligible for the drawing, the hunter must be at least 16 years of age and have a South Carolina hunting permit and tag. There are only four units in which hunters can hunt. Those that are chosen will only be able to hunt in there assigned unit. The SCDNR will be accepting applications until June 15, and the hunting season is September 9 to October 4. There are also additional limitations to the hunt listed on the SCDNR's website. A hunter may only take one alligator and the alligator must be four feet or greater in length.
The article was posted on Fox News' website under the tab "U.S." The intended audience is anyone interested in hunting and/or reptiles in South Carolina. I do not feel the article expresses any bias. It states the facts about the hunt. I found that the article didn't include much information. I had to search the SCDNR website to find out more information about the description of the event and rules for the lottery.

Article found from: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/01/south-carolinas-gator-hunt-begins-as-state-begins-taking-applications.html 

More information: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/alligator/drawhunt.html

Herps in Society and Culture: Reptiles in Middle Eastern Culture

The Middle East consists of ecologically a dry, hot, arid environment, while culturally being very rich. Living in the Middle East involves living around wildlife that are as adapted to the ecology as humans have begun learning to adapt- including that of many reptiles.

The Islam religion restricts followers' diet to be of "halal" (permissible) and "haram" (forbidden), such as kosher meat and no pork for Judaism. Tortoises are considered to be "unclean" because of their eating habits in the desert, however many villages believe tortoises are magically powerful and their flesh and eggs will cure many ailments, including being a talisman to ward off snakes from their household.

Madagascar Tortoise

Snakes are extremely feared and killed when found, deeming snake charmers to be great conquerors of that fear when seen by the public

Puff-Adder

Desert monitors are seen as being ancient reincarnations of their ancestors, but also extremely deadly and feared, often being seen as being more terrifying than snakes since they are known to kill camels. Prehistorically, however, lizards were commonly eaten (kinda like turtles for seafarers) despite them being considered "halal."

Desert Monitor

As a whole many reptiles are seen as being powerful and fearful, most likely due to their aggression and perseverance in such an unforgiving environment, and the Islam religion has rulings that follow along with fearing these animals.



Sources:
https://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/exploit.html
http://www.livescience.com/43884-medieval-arabs-ate-lizards.html

Article Review: Nesting Ecology and Habitat use of Chelydra Serpentina

Article Name: Nesting Ecology and Habitat Use of Chelydra Serpentina in an Area Modified by Agricultural and Industrial Activity.

Author(s): Molly M. Thompson, Brittney H. Coe, Justin D. Congdon, Dean F. Stauffer, and Willam A. Hopkins.

Link: http://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_12/Issue_1/Thompson_etal_2017.pdf

In this Article, they studied the Cheldydra Serpentina, commonly known as the Common Snapping Turtles, and their nest sites located in modified breeding grounds and industrial land use. The reason for the this species type is because the are vulnerable to Hg (Mercury) accumulation because they live long, have slow maturity, they feed in the bottom of lake and rivers, and have small home ranges. They also studied the South River near Waynesboro, Virginia. The reason they picked this study area because this area is an historical Hg point source and has been modified and polluted. They studied for 2 season of breeding, which were May and June, where nesting activity is high. They found that mercury levels on female common snapping turtles are high and are known to cause sub-lethal and lethal effects in other species living in that river. They did Nesting surveys where they checked up on the nesting both morning and in the evening and assigned identification numbers to each nest and recorded the coordinates of the nest. During the two seasons of surveying they found that 90% of the Common Snapping Turtle's nest were located in human disturbed soil (79% in agricultural fields and 11% in commercial nurseries). Between the high mercury sites and control site, they found that 52% were located in high density nesting areas in agricultural fields surrounded by the river on three sides of the nest. About 66% of nest were destroyed at high mercury polluted sites. Finding the percentage of each nesting site they concluded that the turtles are likely to nest in agricultural areas which could influence the fate of nests or development of embryos.

This study is very important because the numerous decline in freshwater turtle species is due to habitat loss and pollution. This article proves that due to pollution we effect the nesting sites (which most are destroyed) and the developing embryo. Using this study we can correlate and use a similar study to other herpes living in polluted rivers and streams by manufacturing plants, which is common all over in today's world. I found this extreme interesting to me because my favorite herpe are turtles (green sea turtles). Finding out more about how polluting areas of rivers and streams can not just hurt the animal but also with reproduction (especially because turtles already have a slow reproduction rate) but also their nest and embryos is heart breaking. Spreading the word around that this is happen, can be a first step in helping these freshwater species.

Pictures

This is a picture of the area of the South River in Virginia where they studied the nest of Common Snapping Turtles

This is a picture of a nest or nest site of a common snapping turtle

This is a picture of a Chelydra Serpentine (common snapping turtle)

Works Cited

Thompson, Molly M., Brittney H. Coe, Justin D. Congdon, Dean F. Stauffer, and William A. Hopkins. "Nesting Ecology and Habitat Use of Chelydra Serpentina in an Area Modified by Agricultural and Industrial Activity." Herpetological Conservation and Biology 12(2017): 292-306. 30 Apr. 2017. Web. 5 May 2017.

class mascot - hyla cinerea

I believe Hyla cinerea would make a great mascot for our class not only because they're cool looking but also because they're pretty iconic to the Charleston environment.  Sorry Southern Cricket frog but I believe the Green Tree frog represents the class and Charleston because if anyone has lived in the area for the quite some time, you would realize the amount of inches in rain Charleston receives, which is ridiculous. Not very fun if you live on the peninsula but if you stay on one of the islands across from the Cooper or Ashley river you could easily hear them in your backyard.  We've covered in lecture that frogs utilize environmental cues to begin mating rituals.  After heavy amounts of rainfall I would see them along the windows of my house.  Their dark mysterious eyes were very perplexing, I was beginning to think that my house was a the spot for hormonal adults to find their match, like a Starbucks or a Food Court.  Their sizes generally range form 1 to 2 inches.  Clutch sizes can range from up to 300 to 1000 eggs.  Their diet also consist of small invertebrates.  I also think they have one of the coolest calls out of any South Eastern frog.

Article Review: Adopt, ignore, or kill? Male poison frogs adjust parental decisions according to their territorial status.

This article highlights the behavior of adult male poison frogs and how they adapt their parental care. It compares them to mammalian parental care/infanticide. The research tested why/when male frogs will care for young or eat their young. The article questioned whether male frogs eat young (not their own) for similar reasons that mammalian species do. 

The research itself was done by taking 20 territorial (actively calling) males and splitting them into two groups. One group was kept isolated in their “territory’ and the other was placed in a different territory. The researches then placed unrelated clutches in with the males to observe the males behavior. The results showed that more males who were placed in an unfamiliar territory would kill the clutch (rude) while the frogs still in the same territory reacted more like a surrogate parent to the clutch. The researches concluded that territory does affect the parental care of poison dart frogs.

This is important because a further understanding of frog parental care can help with conservation and captive care. 

I found this article particularly interesting because it does not discuss if the frogs are able to recognize their own offspring or if they just assume every baby in their territory is just theirs. I would like to assume that the frogs are just great foster parents if they don't leave their own dojo. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/srep43544#discussion 

Researchers: Eva Ringler, Kristina Barbara Beck, Steffen Weinlein, Ludwig Huber & Max Ringler

Natural History

This natural history post is about the Brazilian Rainbow Boa, or Epicrates cenchria cenchria. While I did not encounter this beautiful snake in the wild, I had the amazing opportunity to experience it at Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach. The Brazilian Rainbow Boa (E. c. cenchria) is one of the subspecies of the rainbow boa. They occur naturally in the tropic and subtropics regions of central and South America, such as the Amazon River Basin from Peru and Brazil, to Columbia. They are terrestrial and nocturnal animals, commonly found near water in rainforests or humid woodlands. They have the ability to climb but do not do it often. In the wild, they prey on small mammals, such as rodents, birds and their eggs, and lizards and frogs. They are non-venomous snakes, as the name suggests, they constrict their prey, while holding it with their teeth. Female Brazilian Rainbow Boas are typically bigger than their male counterparts, 6-7 feet and 5 ½- 6 feet, respectively. These snakes are ovoviviparous, so the offspring develop in the egg sack inside the mother but they hatch while still inside and are born live.

This individual was approximately 3 feet long. Since they can grow to be about 3-4 feet longer, one could assume this specimen was on the young side. The handler told me that the one she showed me is a female. She was relaxed when she was being held because she was often used during reptile shows because of her unique skin. I got to hold her, she was very smooth and did not seem to care she was being held, she was focused on trying to wrap herself around my arm. One of the interesting things that the handler was telling me about was the reason behind the iridescence of its skin is that it would blend in to its environment. Many animals in this environment have a similar skin/ scale type. In this geographic location, rainbows are seen often due to a high percentage of rain while it is also sunny. Therefore, this is a good camouflage technique. The orange to deep red coloration saddles that are bordered by black is also used to camouflage to break up their outline on the forest floor so they resemble leaves.

This was ones of the most beautiful snakes I have ever encountered. While my pictures did not do it justice, I included other ones to show the distinct rainbow that forms from their skin.

Bibliography

Brazilian Rainbow Boa. (n.d.). Retrieved May 01, 2017, from http://snake-facts.weebly.com/brazilian-rainbow-boa.html

Lockwood, M. (n.d.). Brazilian Rainbow Boa. Retrieved May 01, 2017, from http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snake-Care/Brazilian-Rainbow-Boa/

Herps in Society and Culture 

Lamia by John Keats

            In 1819, John Keats wrote the poem, Lamia. An extremely short synopsis of the poem is as follows; a beautiful snake, who is described as follows,

“She was a gordian shape of dazzling hue,
Vermilion-spotted, golden, green, and blue;
Striped like a zebra, freckled like a pard,
Eyed like a peacock, and all crimson barr’d;	50
And full of silver moons, that, as she breathed…
Some demon’s mistress, or the demon’s self.
Upon her crest she wore a wannish fire
Sprinkled with stars, like Ariadne’s tiar:
Her head was serpent, but ah, bitter-sweet!
She had a woman’s mouth

             Lamia then gets a nymph to change her into a full human woman. She then precedes to get a man, Lycius, to fall in love with her. When he asks for marriage she strongly opposes because he wants to invite a philosopher, who could see through her disguise. During their marriage, Apollonius, the philosopher, realizes what Lamia is, he says, “And shall I see thee made a serpent’s prey?” (Keats). At this point, Lamia disappears and the shame of being fooled kills Lycius.   

             At this point one may be wondering, where is this blog post going? The answer lies within the complex relationship between the snake and the women that was prominent during this time period, and is still relevant today. From Sirens, to succubus, women in literature and pop culture are commonly portrayed as temptresses. This plays into the idea that beauty is temptation. Usually, their main goal is to be the downfall of man. Obviously, the connotation of this portrayal is negative. The bares striking similarities to the typical literary representation of the serpent. Dating back to The Bible, the image of the snake is classically seen as a universal symbol of temptation. During the Romantic era, both of these subjects would have had a negative connotation. In this poem, the way that Keats aligns the female with the image of a snake represents the views of this time. Even by the diction used to described Lamia one can see the connection he draws between the subjects. Even though he is describing a snake, he uses words that would cause the reader to create an image of exotic beauty. In this era, and image like this would be considered dangerous because it is “other”. This reflects the view that snakes are creatures that are part of the ‘original evil’, this poem is a reinforcement of the idea that snakes are inherently evil. In the Romantic era, most people would have been familiar with the story of the original sin, so by using a snake-woman to cause the downfall of Lycius, Keats is warning his audience about the dangers of beauty and temptation.

Bibliography

Keats, J. (n.d.). Lamia. Retrieved May 01, 2017, from http://www.bartleby.com/126/36.html