This Plethedon cinereus was found on 3/26/09 near a small ephemeral pond near Rush Run in Somerville, Ohio. It was about 50 degrees F and a bit overcast with light wind gusts. This individual was found under a decomposing log about 2m from the edge of a small ephemeral pond about 20-30 feet in diameter. These individuals are terrestrial undergoing larval development within the egg. This individual was about 2.75 in. long, and this species ranges from 2.25 - 4 in. in length.
Identifiers of this species are the large red mid-dorsal stripe and an black belly mottled with spots. usually they have 19 costal grooves but can range 17-22 in number. Variations in color of the mid-dorsal stripe can occur in blue, gray, yellow, and led-backed (absence of stripe), but red is most common. They produce 6-9 eggs per clutch, usually in rotting wood, from a pedicel. They are the top predator in the detritus food chain. They range from southern Canada to the Carolinas and east of Minnesota to the Atlantic coast.

William Hauer
Miami University, Student

Spring Peeper

On March 26, our class visited Rush Run in Somerville, Ohio. It was breezy, around 45 degrees farenheit. We were in a corn stalk field that was submerged in water. It was lightly raining and there were a lot of frog and bird calls going on. I caught a Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) as it hopped from a stalk into the water. I caught it and it happened to be a pair of amplexing spring peepers. The male was much darker than the female who had a very distinct cross on her back. The male was darker and had no visible cross on his back. The male used his large thumbs to grip the female during mating. He did not let go the during the time that we had caught him. The male typically drops sperm onto the eggs as the female lays them.

Spring peepers are very small, some only reaching a size of 0.75 in. They usually have a distinct cross on there backs and range in color from tan to olive green or even gray. Females are lighter than males and larger. Their call is a very distinct peeping noise and only males are able to make this noise. They typically breed between March and June and can lay up to 900 eggs in one cycle. They eat small arachnids and insects and are nocturnal. They are found in marshy, wet areas in ponds with no fish.

Ryan D.

Cricket Frog

Thursday, March 26th our class visited Rush Run in Sommerville, OH about fifteen minutes outside of Oxford. It was a cool day and it had been raining the day before and that morning. We visited two ponds that were in a field with tall grass. In the second pond we visited I found a Blanchard's cricket frog, Acris crepitans, in the grass surrounding the pond. These frogs are about 1 in. long and are generally light brown or gray with black stripes on the thighs and a dark triangle between the eyes. Blanchard's cricket frogs are also wartier and thicker than other cricket frogs. They are named after a herpetologist from the University of Michigan. These cricket frogs are generally found in the muddy or marshy areas surrounding a permanent pond, which is similar to the area where I found this one, and emerge from hibernation in late March to early April.

Kelly Young

Oxford, OH

Herps out in the wild west!

For spring break I took a trip to Sedona, AZ. Although the weather was somewhat chilly (think 45-55 degrees Celsius), there were these small lizards everywhere! They were on boulders and trees close to a stream behind our resort. Most of them would scurry off pretty quickly, but the first one I saw stayed pretty still and would raise up onto his toe tips so he looked bigger when I got close (I'm assuming it was a defense mechanism...). We decided that these lizards I saw everywhere were probably tree lizards, Urosaurus ornatus, one of the most common and widespread lizards in Arizona. It occupies a pretty wide geographic range, residing in places at sea level up to about 9000' above sea level.

-Lindsey Stewart, TN

I was at work last night, March 21, 2009, when I found this snake. I think it is an Eastern Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis sauritus. The Eastern Ribbon Snake likes to be around water sources and is a little lighter in color than the Western Ribbon Snake. The snake I found was laying on the sidewalk near a creek. I was surprised to see a snake out so soon in the year, it was only about 50 degrees outside. He barely moved the entire time I looked at him and while I took the picture. When I walked back by the same spot later in the night he was gone.

Haley Brown

Memphis, TN

Our College of Charleston herpetology class just went on a field trip today to the Francis Marion National Forest. This little guy is a ground skink, or Scincella lateralis. It was very easy to identify because of his dark stripe and the absence of light strips. The field guide says that the tails are very easy to break off. This skink was currently in the process of growing out a new tail. They are very fast so they are very hard to catch.

Shenna McBride
SC

Marbled Salamander

Today the Herpetology class of College of Charleston went to the Francis Marion National Park and found this little critter, the Marbled Salamander Ambystoma opacum. This was an easy one to name because of its obvious white crossbars and black on the lower sides and belly. It was about 4 inches long.

Shahila Sriskanda