Natural history: Herps in my neighborhood

Hey everyone! Ever since this quarantine fun began my daughter, my husband and I have set out on walks almost every evening around our neighborhood along the Ashley River. We also have lots of ponds as there used to be a golf course here. I have a few herps to share, but will only go into detail of two of the species.

Alligator mississippinesis relaxing in the water last Tuesday

This past Saturday I made a goal to find a herp I could catch during our walk. We probably walked a mile or so near the ponds and through the woods. I had my husband flip a few logs, I searched for turtles near the water, and NOTHING to be found. We did hear lots of bullfrogs and green tree frogs though. So anyways, we headed back home around 8:00 pm as the sun had almost disappeared. We were about to turn the corner to our street and all of the sudden I see something hop from the edge of the road onto a small pile of leaves in a neighbors yard. I got way too excited, hollered for my husband to hold my phone with the flashlight on and caught an Anaxyrus terrestris (Southern toad). In determining between our local toads, our field guide points out the differences in cranial crests of each particular species. Southern toads, like the one caught can be identified by the high cranial crests with pronounced knobs. Additionally, southern toads often have 1-2 warts in the dark spots on their backs as seen here. You can also see the presence of a light mid-dorsal line on this particular toad. The Southern toad has a bi-phasic life cycle consisting of a larval stage followed by metamorphosis into an adult stage. In case anyone was wondering, my five year old named him Toady and he was happy to be let go after I played paparazzi for a few minutes.

In addition to our evening walks, we have also been doing lots of yard work..sounds fun, right?
Yesterday around 2:30 pm I was bringing one of our trashcans from the backyard to the curb and underneath was this little guy scurrying AS FAST AS CAN BE. That's emphasized because it was SO HARD to catch this little thing. Not only was he super fast, but he would hide under the leaves and because he was tiny (probably 3 inches long) and brown, it was extremely easy to lose track of him in the leaves. But alas, I got him! I identified this species as Scincella lateralis (little ground skink). It was identifiable by its dark dorsolateral stripes on either side of his body and yellowish belly. Their habitats are often leaf litter in woodlands, or under debris in towns and gardens.An interesting fact about this species is that it has a transparent disk in the lower eyelid allowing it to still see when it's eyes are closed! Female Scincella lateralis lay eggs with a clutch size of 1-5 eggs. Throughout this I referred to it as a "him", however the gender of this particular skink was not something I identified.  Bella (my daughter) couldn't come up with a name, so I named him George.

Found him under this black trashcan in my backyard 

My husband fishes and we ordered a minnow trap like the ones used at Caw Caw, so hopefullllllyyyy I can catch some herps along with the minnows he wants and I will share with you all :) Stay safe!

Hyla cinerea -The American Green Tree Frog

This American Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea) was observed in the forrest within the Caw Caw Interpretive Center . It was caught on the forrest floor, camouflaged by the leaves. American Green Tree Frogs are arboreal creatures, meaning they live in the trees. This can be seen through this specimen's morphology. Its slender body and long and slim hind legs help it jump and move effectively on land as to escape predation. Its toe pads help to prevent it from falling from any tree that it climbs. Furthermore, it was found relatively close to a marsh. Because this species of frog has a biphasic life cycle-an aquatic larval period and a terrestrial adult period (as this one was), it needs to reside in a place where it can have a ready access to water during the mating season. The frog's sex was not determined. Observing this species was an especially memorable experience for me, as I was the one that first spotted and caught this frog. Furthermore, from this experience, I also learned how to properly hold the frog in a way that it would not harm it-grabbing it gently by the hind leg so that it would not be able to hop away. 

Bullfrog tadpole

Hello everyone!
While we were on the field trip at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center we were able to observe a Bullfrog tadpole. I was actually so excited to see one, because they're such a large tadpole and this one had partially formed its hind limbs! This tadpole is a male because it has something hanging in-between the back legs unlike females that have nothing there. A tadpole will begin to grow its hind limbs once it reaches an ideal size or when growth begins to slow. Hind limbs also typically grow before the front limbs. Once all four limbs are formed the tail will begin to absorb through a process called apoptosis.
Many different things can trigger a tadpole to undergo metamorphosis. If a tadpole is faced with competition or predators that can trigger the frog to metamorphosis. The small mouth of this tadpole is herbivorous until it matures and the mouth is then rearranged to be carnivorous.



Male Bullfrog tadpole.


The tadpole will keep its hind limbs close to its body so that they do not slow it down while swimming.

Natural History: Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris)

Hey everyone, hope life is not becoming too boring while we all suffer house arrest together. I sadly have to keep working during this crisis, but one benefit is coming home in the evening when many of our local amphibians like to start coming out to say hi because many are nocturnal. This little guy was sitting outside on the driveway around 8 PM on John's Island, I was able to pick him up and get quite a few pictures before he became to anxious to hold any longer. As mentioned in the title, I believe this to be a male southern toad (Anaxyrus terrestris), approximately 2-2.5 inches long, in the adult phase of his life cycle. By looking at these pictures, you can see his external vocal sac, which helps determine the sex, because in most species of anurans (frogs/toads) only the male has a vocal sac. Also seen in these pictures are the large ridges on top of the head with the large knobs present on the bottom of these ridges which are one defining characteristic of the species A. terrestris. What was so fascinating about observing this little fella was that there were many different species around us making calls, being the beginning of spring these could be the start of mating calls, he began to call while in my hand. I'm unsure of how common this is, but to me, whether him trying to mate, warn others, or ask for help, the fact he began making his call while I was holding him astonished me. It was lower in frequency then typically observed, possibly because of my finger placement around his diaphragm, but nonetheless something to behold as my hand shook with vibrations. Such a small toad was able to produce enough vibration to make my fingers visibly shake. Once he began making his calls though, I knew it was time to return him to his home, the bushes and tidal creek that makes up our backyard. This was a cool experience and I would encourage everyone to go and observe/listen for your local amphibians as they begin to enter mating season, when I personally think most animals become the most intriguing because of what they will do to find that mate and keep the competition away. Stay home, but still get enough fresh air to remember that life is beautiful and always finds a way to conquer the unimaginable!

Natural History: Dangers of the Copperhead

Hello beautiful Herp buddies!
Over our class field trips, we encountered many different herps, but only one truly venomous: the Copperhead! Scientific name, Agkistrodon contortrix, this snake is widely known for the hourglass shape on its body and occasionally a green tipped tail (in baby and juveniles). I have seen many copperheads in the wild before, but this was the first one where I was within a distance to potentially be injured!
As you all know, that day in Caw Caw we had our protective boots on and were using various items to flip logs, etc. As I was flipping logs, my original intention was to look for skinks, but upon my search I stumbled upon this juvenile Copperhead.



Unknowingly, I placed my hands on a log, ready to flip it and discover some fast skinks underneath. Right before I flipped the long, I hesitated and something told me to flip the log from a different side and it's a very good thing I did. Where my hands had just been, just a few inches below my fingertips was a deadly little snake (and this is why we use potato rakes people).

These pit vipers are terrestrial and often hide under brush or leaf litter. As you can see, this juvenile was surrounded by leaf litter that allowed it to camouflage itself. The baby Copperheads are known to be the most venomous, while juveniles like this one also have a large dose of venom. Although all stages of this snake's life history can be detrimental to a human, it is at these smaller sizes that are most damaging. I was unable to see the green tipped tail to truly identify the age of this snake, but from its coiled position, it was clear that this snake was not an adult.

Unrest Grows As Residents Cannot Watch Squirmy Salamanders

Every year the residents of Keene, New Hampshire gather and watch the local spotted salamander crossing, allowing the Harris Center for Conservation Education to offer a volunteer training program for the public to see the amphibians crawl out, with protection provided by the volunteers, to look for locations in wetlands to breed. The Harris Center was able to close off certain roads in order to protect the salamanders. However, due to COVID-19, this proposal is being pushed back until next spring. The local government then canceled the road closures due to worries of large crowds, the Governor stated, "Crowds of any size, even outdoors, are simply not safe this year”… “We care about protecting salamanders, but we care about protecting people, too”.  Due to no new volunteer training programs for the salamander crossings, the salamanders will not have protection this year, and the government is asking residents to avoid the street's the amphibians will be on, in wet or rainy nights. It is a necessary step to not allow gatherings, but I still worry about the salamanders and hope that they will be safe. They are really cute salamanders and if I was a resident, I would be incredibly disappointed! On the bright side, our friends will not be facing too much traffic, as individuals are staying in doors.

https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/public-urged-to-sit-out-keene-salamander-crossings/article_fd09b276-7d48-59da-971f-97866c4b9687.html

- A salamander Crossing Guard, doing their best!

Natural History: greater siren (Siren lacertina)

At the Caw Caw Interpretive Center we saw a variety of herps ranging from the ribbon snake to the green tree frog. One of my favorites was the greater siren, also known as Siren lacertina, as I have never seen one in the wild before! If I were to have seen one before taking this class I would have never thought that they are a salamander as I thought that all salamanders have four limbs. Greater sirens have aquatic habitats. They specifically live in ditches, ponds, lakes and other slow bodies of fresh water. They estivate to escape times of drought, which basically means that they burrow in the mud and become dormant. They can be found in southern Maryland all the way to southern Florida and southern Alabama in the costal regions. It was a little hard to capture a photo of it at first as it was very slippery and constantly trying to escape from one's grasp as they tried to pick it up. However, I think that it eventually got tired out so a good picture was able to be taken.

Unlike other herps that some individuals caught with their hands, the siren was caught from the preset traps. One could immediately tell that this was a siren as it only had forelimbs, which is a key characteristic of sirens. In addition, its external gills were very noticeable and another key characteristic of sirens as they are paedomorphic. At first the identification of the siren was a little difficult as we were contemplating between the greater and lesser siren. We decided that it was a greater siren as the sides had yellowish/greenish dots. 

Juveniles have light lateral stripes and a light dorsal fin that becomes dark with age, which leads me to believe that this is an adult greater siren as I did not see these distinguishing features. It was very long as seen next to the eastern newts. 

I was trying to do some research on how to determine the sex of the greater salamander, and according to the University of Florida there is no way to externally determine the sex of this species. 

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw168

However, I would love to hear from anyone if they have any input on this!

Overall, I really enjoyed getting to see and touch the herps as they were alive in their natural habitat, which is very different from observing them in the lab as their colors are not as vibrant. I think the field trips really help to ingrain the knowledge learned in class. I wish we were able to do more field trips, but I am really excited to use my knowledge that I have gained to identify different amphibians and reptiles that I come across!

Natural History: Green Anole

Hi guys!
I hope everyone is staying sane and healthy. Today I wanted to share a herp that I feel like I've been seeing everywhere! Introducing: the green anole, an arboreal lizard that can be found in the Southeastern United States. It's official name is Anolis carolinensis, which is totally appropriate, since we live in South Carolina! These little guys have what we call setae, or sticky toe pads, to help them climb trees and walls like Spiderman. They are pretty easy to identify, given their bright green color and cream throats, but it's a little trickier to tell the sex. Males typically have a swollen cloaca, and possess colorful pink throat fans called dewlaps. These help to ward off predators as well as attract potential mates.

Isn't she cute?
Photo cred: http://thetyedyediguana.com/green-anole-anolis-carolinensis/

As a class, we took two field trips: one was to the Turtle Survival Center, and the other was to Caw Caw Interpretive Center. Not only did we spot green anoles in both places, but some of my classmates even caught a few at Caw Caw! While all of the anoles we saw seemed to be in similar life stages (adults), the sizes did range. Perhaps they were different sexes, with the male being larger. But females generally have a white racing stripe down the center of their back, which can be seen in both anoles in the second picture. I didn't see evidence of dewlaps and I didn't get a chance to examine their cloacas so I'm not 100% sure. But aren't they cool?

Different sizes and angles!
Photo cred: Professor Welch

When I was out walking my dog the other day-keeping a distance from others in the midst of this Covid crisis, of course-I spotted a little anole on the side of a nearby building! It was definitely a male, because I could see a dewlap. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture the dewlap in my picture but check him out!

Hey dude!
Photo cred: me

It's comforting to see that nature is still kickin' even though it feels like the rest of the world is in chaos. I'm excited for everyone else to share their herps!

Natural History: Central Newt (Notophthalmus louisianensis)

Natural History of the Central Newt (Notophthalmus louisianensis)

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For a class field trip, we traveled to Caw Caw Interpretive Center located in Ravenel, SC. This salamander was found in the wetlands of the center. It was identified as the Central Newt, also known as the Notophthalmus louisianensis.

The salamander was identified as such because it had a tail fin, no red markings along its back or belly, and it had a yellow belly with numerous black spots. It also had a characteristic dark line from its nostrils to its eyes. Because we found it in the wetlands, it makes sense as to why this herp had a tail fin, although it lacked the gills. The salamander was smaller than the palm of our hands, but seemed to be sexually mature considering its cloaca looked to be swollen. The sex of the  above pictured Central Newt was determined to be a male because it had a bulbous cloaca and also because of the appearance of dark straddle markings along its hind legs. The dark straddles are pictured below. 

Picture of both a male and female Central Newt. The male is on the left and the female is on the right.

Costa Rican Herps

                I have dreamed of going to Costa Rica for about a decade, and my visit earlier this month only solidified my love of that country. It is an incredibly biodiverse place, especially the Osa Peninsula where I spent most of my time. I encountered so many amazing creatures from four species of monkeys, endangered tapirs, curious coatis, humpback whales, to various reptiles and amphibians. The lush jungles, rocky beaches, and continuous background of birdsong and howler monkeys set the backdrop for the most amazing trip of my life.

                After a long flight from the U.S. to San Jose, I boarded a tiny plane for a one hour trip to the Osa. From there, another hour on narrow dirt roads and a nerve-wracking river crossing brought me to the tent camp. Hiking into the camp, the first reptile I encountered was a gorgeous little Boa constrictor, Boa constrictor imperator. He was coiled up along a log on the ground getting some sun. We left him where he was found and got settled into a tent along the beach of Drake Bay.

                I grabbed some lunch at the open air dining room, which was interrupted by a visit from spider monkeys and a sloth. A short walk after lunch led me to a Jesus Christ Lizard, Basiliscus vittatus. I would soon find that these interesting lizards are as common as our Carolina anole! The name refers to their ability to “walk on water,” reaching such speeds as they run from potential predators that their upper body lifts up and they move bipedally, with flaps of skin on the hind feet keeping them on the water’s surface.  This is a male, as evidenced by the crest on the head and tail. 

                The following days were filled with too many cool creatures to mention. A green vine snake on the path fled too quickly for pictures, while others, like a little cat-eyed snake were just not amenable. Many amphibians called from the jungle, while these large Bufo marinus invaded the tent camp. It was imperative to have a head lamp, lest you step on ten of them on your way to dinner. A nearby pond teemed with tadpoles, and large spiders attempting to have them for a meal. On the bank, tiny froglet armies fled from my approach. 

                I think my favorite herp find was a large tiger ratsnake, Spilotes pullatus. These are one of the largest South American colubrids, with some reaching over 8ft. They are often called yellow rat snakes, like our local Pantherophis alleghaniensis. Indeed, the similarities do not end there. They are adept at arboreal living, though are often found stretched out on the ground. They are fairly opportunistic, eating mammals, birds, and other herps. This big guy was stretched out along a path that follows the beach, near the mouth of the Rio Claro. Upon noticing me, he quickly and effortlessly scaled the vegetation, coming to rest about 6ft up on some branches. He did not give a threat display, but watched every movement carefully as he slowly went on with his day. While I did not verify the sex, I would guess it was a male just by virtue of his size. This one was over 6ft, easy. 

                There were also many skinks and anoles around, as well as iguana and ctenosaurs. An overall fascinating and exciting trip, but I was disappointed to not encounter any venomous snakes. I suppose it just gives me a good reason to go back as soon as possible! 

Natural History: Southern Cricket Frog

Natural History

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Southern Cricket Frog

Acris gryllus

Along our trip to the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, we came across two Southern Cricket Frogs (Acris gryllus).  The first one we encountered was found about six feet away from a small puddle amongst dead branches and tree leaves.  It could be identified as a Southern Cricket Frog due to the prominent dark triangle between the eyes as well as our geographic location.  When we tried to capture it, it quickly hopped underneath a pile of dead tree leaves and was no longer visible to us. However, as we made our way closer to the puddle, we came across another Southern Cricket Frog.  This specimen was discovered with its body half in the puddle and half out. The puddle appeared to be six feet in length and three feet deep. As we approached, it began to hop away from the puddle and into the woods, most likely to find a hiding place.  However, we were able to catch this one. Once again, it could clearly be identified as a Southern Cricket frog due to the presence of the dark triangle between the eyes as well as its pointed snout and our geographical location. This specimen also had at least two joints of the fourth toe free of webbing which is a defining characteristic of this species.  This species typically ranges anywhere from southern Virginia down through Florida and westward to the Mississippi River. Their typical habitats can include temporary pools of water like these as well as ponds, lakes, marshes, along with other bodies of water. We suspect that this individual was a female due to its lack of a gray and spotted throat.

Reproduction in this species involves the male using his mating call to attract females.  The female then picks the male of her liking and this male then begins grasping the female around her waist with his front legs (amplexing).  This stimulates female hormone release, eventually causing eggs to be released (up to 150 at a time) into freshwater signaling the male to then release his sperm to fertilize the eggs.  This is known as external fertilization. The sperm and egg are then covered with a gelatinous covering for protection until becoming a tadpole with gills and eventually an adult with lungs.  This process of metamorphosis typically takes 90 days in this species. The individual we encountered was clearly fully metamorphosed.  

When I had first moved to South Carolina, my family and I used to see Southern Cricket Frogs whenever we would go hiking, but we never took the time to identify them.  It’s interesting to learn more about a species that is very common in South Carolina. Now when I come across these individuals I will be able to identify and know a little bit about their history.

Camp Greenville Salamanders

Just before Spring Break, I was fortunate to accompany my son's fourth grade trip to Camp Greenville.  This beautiful spot is in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the SC/NC border, nestled next to Jones Gap State Park in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area.  The energetic pack of fourth graders spent two days playing in the forest, searching for stream critters, and hiking to a waterfall, along with ziplining, team building, and hanging out in the dining hall and around the campfire.  Plenty of parent chaperones were on hand to supervise the fun (while occasionally checking for updates from back in the real world about the rapidly-developing coronavirus situation).

As we know, the Appalachians are a global hotspot for salamander diversity, so I was keeping an eye out for some caudate critters.  And I didn't have to wait long!  The first afternoon, our group spent time dipping sieves in a stream searching for aquatic biota.  Several kids quickly found tiny salamander larvae alongside invertebrates like mayfly and dragonfly nymphs and some weird grub thing.  The salamander larvae were cool.  They were ~3-4 cm in total length, with slender bodies, fluffy gills, and no distinct markings.  Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of them.  In retrospect, I think they were...

Pseudotriton ruber found in a mountain stream

Then something much more dramatic showed up.  One of the girls found a beautiful, almost unreal looking salamander in the stream under a rock!  This adult red salamander, Pseudotriton ruber, was ~4.5" or ~12 cm long.  Besides the gorgeous bright red color, this species is identified by the yellow iris (unlike the brown iris of the closely related mud salamander, P. montanus) and the lack of light line between the eye and nostril (as seen in the spring salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus).  Although this individual was fairly large, it may have been a relatively young adult, as older individuals can become more pigmented.  Interestingly, it had little of the darker chin markings characteristic of the black-chinned subspecies that is found at this location.  I was super excited with this find and took bunches of photos.  Some of the kids were excited, too, including the girl who found it - as she should be! - and one boy I'll call Salamander Kid (not my kid; my kid was too busy being obsessed with basketball to care much about salamanders).

Pseudotriton ruber, note yellow iris

...so in retrospect, I think those salamander larvae may also have been red salamanders.  They were plainly-colored, but upon looking up descriptions and photos, their coloration and body proportions seem correct for Pseudotriton or Gyrinophilus.  I had initially suspected Desmognathus, as they're common in the springs in this area, but their gills are not as large as what we saw.

Me and my kid at Rainbow Falls

The herpetological adventure continued the next morning with a hike to Rainbow Falls.  The hike was lovely, and we lucked out with great weather.  Due to recent rain, the falls and stream were impressively full, so the kids were not allowed to wade in very far.  But some were interested in looking in the pools for critters, and Salamander Kid soon announced that he thought he'd seen, yes, another salamander!  I couldn't see it clearly as it was mostly tucked under a rock in the water, but SK hung out in that area and kept observing.  A bit later when I checked back, the salamander had emerged and climbed up on a moist rock on the other side of the pool.  From this vantage, it was clearly a member of the genus Desmognathus, with its chunky hind limbs, somewhat elongate snout, and of course the characteristic light line behind the eye.  And it was a good-sized specimen, at least 4.5" or 11-12 cm long.

Desmognathus quadramaculatus, note light stripe behind eye

As we know, it can be tricky to differentiate among the species within this genus, but I had a suspicion based on its general look and my previous experience at other Blue Ridge waterfalls.  Based on location (always check the range maps!) and the strongly keeled tail, I narrowed it three species, D. fuscus, D. monticola, and D. quadramaculatus.  Among these, D. quadramaculatus is the largest and most stout-bodied, with a relatively short tail for the body length.  The dark coloration is also a good fit for this species, and although I wasn't able to examine the belly, the photo suggests no evidence of a lighter underside, as would be expected for the other two candidates.  Finally, according to one of my favorite online herp resources, D. quadramaculatus is abundant in mountain streams, highly aquatic, yet bold enough to occasionally be seen out in the open.  Bingo!

Although I kept an eye - and ear - out for herps for the rest of the trip, all I have left to report are the sweet nocturnal sounds of a few spring peepers and an American toad or two.

We headed out the next day after some morning ziplining, with the growing sense that we would not be returning to normalcy, but to a reality of cancelled plans and kids home from school indefinitely.  Contemplating the coming period of hunkering down at home, I was even more grateful to have spent a couple of days breathing the fresh mountain air, making memories with my son, and encountering another side of South Carolina's herpetological diversity.