Meanwhile on the bank.....

While we were at Four-mile creek and the few people were wading their way to the 3 turtle traps in the water, there was some herp action located right by us on the bank. As we were standing and writing our notebook I noticed a Blanchard's cricket frog, Acris crepitans, hopping in the shallow water and mud.

It was very difficult to catch, in fact Justin and Madeleine were also helping. After we snatched it up it still kept trying to get away, it obviously did not want to be handled. We finally set it back down and watched it hop around in our footprints in the mud from our waders. It then swam away in to the murky water.

It was very brown in color with a little bit of green tint on its back. Its coloration was not very vibrant which may have been due to the water quality. After it swam away it may have been going after a meal (it loves insects especially mosquitoes). I think it stayed close to the edge of the water to be ready to avoid predators. It is commonly fed upon by birds, fish, and other frogs. It is, however, an excellent jumper and swimmer so that helps to keep this little guy alive.

(Alex Hauenstein)

(photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org wiki/File:Acris_crepitansPCCA20061001-8206B1.jpg)

Little Black Tadpoles

When we were on our feild trip yesterday I saw a bunch of these little guys swimming around on the shore line. From past experience and what I have learned in class I am fairly certain that these are American Toad tadpoles (Bufo americanus). These tadpoles and the toads that they eventually metamorph into are very common in Ohio and the surrounding areas. They begin breeding in early spring and can lay as many as 12,000 eggs with some extreme reports of up to 20,000 being laid. The eggs are laid in two long single file strands that are usually intertwined in plants and sticks in the water. One interesting fact about these guys is that there is a dwarf subspecies (B. a. charlesmithi) that grows to a smaller size and has a more reddish coloration. An easy way to distinguish between the normal and dwarf subspecies it to look at their belly. Dwarf toads have an unspotted belly. Like most anurans these guys are ferocious eaters and will try to take down anything is small enough to fit in their mouth.

(Sammy Peppers)

A Tale of Two Turtles

The pictures of our little adventure from yesterday do not appear to be available just yet, so I'll make due with this one.

Yesterday was April 29 and we set about trying to trap turtles. Wasn't exactly the most successful day but we did get two male midland painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) out of Bachelor Pond. They were less than enthusiastic about being handled as shown by their excessive flailing to get away but they were docile enough not to try and eat our fingers like the snapping turtle did from an earlier expedition.

I actually have one of these as a pet that my dad found when someone tried to toss it. It was around the size of a quarter when I got it and now it's as big as my hand. I've been familiar with the species for awhile.

The midland painted turtle is an inhabitant of slow moving water that has a thick layer of mud. As you can see they are brightly marked thus earning their name and they have a shell that can range from 3.5 up to 10in long. Males reach maturity between 3 and 5 years of age while females take 6 to 10 years to fully mature. Sex of offspring is determined by temperature. The breeding season starts in late spring and continues through early summer. They are diurnal and will bask on logs periodically to regulate temperature and to deter some parasites like leeches(one of which we found crawling on one of the turtles, by the way). They eat plants, small animals, and carrion. They are mostly carnivorous while young but adapting more to a plant based diet as they age.

These turtles may live up to 40 years but average lifespan is 30.

Cool animals.

(Shaun Delph)

A Little Tadpole

Ah, here's a lovely green frog tadpole, or Rana clamitans if you prefer. I caught this little guy by hand (Yeah, I know you're jealous of my amazing skill) at the same place and same day described in my previous post, the Two Chicken Pond as I believe we should start calling it during that unseasonably crappy day.

Green frogs usually occur around any inland body of water you can think of- ponds, rivers, marshes, you name it. The adults are usually between 3 and 5in and can be distinguished by a tympanum that is larger than the eye and can be differentiated from bullfrogs by the presence of that well defined dorsolateral fold. It can take anywhere from 3-22 months for a tadpole to metamorphose which means these guys can live the dream of an extended childhood. Adults can also live quite awhile with captive frogs reaching ages of up to 10 years. Green frogs breed in late spring and females choose males based on who has the best digs- better territory makes them more attractive. Their call is quite distinctive often described as a banjo string being plucked. Tadpoles eat diatoms, algae, and zooplankton while adults will eat anything that moves that's smaller than them- crayfish, snakes, insects, snails, spiders, etc.

Very cool Anurans.

(Shaun Delph)

The Hidden Singer

I'm sure everyone remembers that lovely day when we stopped by that pond with the two chickens. An overcast day with a brisk chill in the air and rain that couldn't wait to fall. We struggled to find things but we did hear a little friend calling but could not find him. He was actually somewhere in a patch of thorns that I wasn't exactly crazy about digging around in.

The western chorus frog, or Pseudacris triseriata as he is known on the street, escaped our sight but not our ears. He was calling faintly from the surrounding water saturated land instead of joining all of us wading through the pond.

As you can see from the supplementary photo I pulled from Google he is truly a majestic beast.

Western chorus frogs are often found in open habitats like meadows, marshes, and swales but may also be found in old agricultural fields, wooded swamps, and damp forest. They are between 3/4 and 1 1/2 inches long with a characteristic white line along the upper lip. They also have 3 distinctive lines along the back that may appear broken or as spots on some animals. The skin often appears moist and bumpy and they have slightly extended toe pads.

Breeding will occur from Mid-March through April and the frogs seldom venture far from their breeding areas throughout the year. They eat small invertebrates and may live for about 5 years once passing the critical larval and juvenile stages. Their call is an elongated 'creek' sound that can be characterized as "Cree-ee-ee-ee-eek"

Wish we caught one of the little guys, but no such luck.

(Shaun Delph)

midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Today (29 April 2010) our herp class went out to Bachelor pond. The TA set up turtle traps the day before, using sardines as bait. It was a sunny, warm day--and my last class as an undergraduate! So, I was in a great mood.

Unfortunately though, traps dont always mean turtles, as we learned earlier in the day at site 1. But hopefully this would be the lucky spot. We saw turtles basking on fallen logs as we approached the first trap, which was a good sign. The TA waded out to the trap, raised it, and there they were - 2 male, midland painted turtles.

Midland painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), are omnivorous, aquatic Emydids. they have a smooth, low carapace and long claws. Males typically have a lower carapace and longer claws. These turtles prefer slow-moving, shallow water. They also bask a lot so are commonly seen.

(posted by Maura Reilly)

southern two-lined salamander

On April 8 we went out to a stream in Hueston Woods and this is where I caught a southern two-lined salamander. I remember this stream being pretty difficult to walk through because the current was moving so fast, I almost fell a few time because of the current and the fact that rock on the bed of the stream were large and very uneven. So I tried to stay along the bank as much as I could and that were I found the the southern two-lined salamander. Many people that day had found them also so mine did not get its picture taked, but I was happy to find it none the less. I was flipping over flat rocks and then I saw it dart out from under one of them and run for cover under another rock so I had to act fast. I reached for it as quickly and as gently as I could and I got it around the body. I didn't realize how fast they were and as soon as saw it run I thought that I was going to lose it, but I was able to stay with it and catch it.
The southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) can be found from Ohio and Indiana down to the pan handle of Florida. They can get about 4 inches long have 2 dark stripes that run from their heads to their tails without breaking up into spots, unlike the northern two-lined salamander who looks similar. They can be found under many different objects along bodies of water. (posted by Nathan Tallarico)

first herps that I caught in the field

Unfortunately the first thing I caught in the field did not get a picture taken of it, so I got this picture online. It was a spring peeper (Pseudacris crusifer) and I caught it on March 18 when our class went to our 2nd site that day in the marshy ponds at Rush Run. We were in water that was in some places as high as our hips and waists surrounded by cat tails and other very tail marsh plants. The main thing that I remeber about this site is the amount of noise that these little frogs made, it hurt my ears, but it did make them easier to find. I just followed their calls until I saw one in a more shallow area of the pond. So I scooped it up before it swam away. This guy was tiny, maybe only 1 inch for its entire body.
Spring peepers (Pseudacris crusifer) are found almost everywhere on the eastern half of the United States. They can grow up to 1 and a half inches so they stay pretty small. They have two features that let you ID them; one is the X shaped mark on their backs and the other is their loud "PEEP" call that they make. (post by Nathan Tallarico)

Two queen snakes under one rock

On April 22 our herp class went to a stream in Heuston Woods that was very cool looking. It had many short waterfall like drop offs that gave the stream a staggered look, also along the banks were many large flat stones and other places for herps to hide and as a class it was probably our best day of find reptiles and amphibians. One thing that I caught that was pretty cool was a nice sized queen snake, about 12 inches long. I was walking along the stream flipping over rocks here and there to see what if any thing was under them. Then Tom who was a little bit ahead of me called me over to a very large flat stone that he was standing, it was so big and heavy that both of us had to lift it together. And underneath we found not one but two queen snakes and as soon as we saw them we grab them. The one that I went for was about 12 inches long and Tom's was a little smaller at around 8-9 inches. When I tried to pick mine up I suddenly realized how hard they were to hold onto. At one point I had it around the body and I almost lost it, but Tyler came over and helped me out by getting the snake before I dropped it and it helped me to reprosition one of my hands up closer to the queen snake's to were I could hold on to it better. Unfortunately no picture was taken the queen snake that I caught.
The queen snake (Regina septemvittata) can be found all over the midwest from as far north as Michigan and as far south as the pan handle of Florida. They can grow from anywhere from 15-24 inches in length, which leads me to believe that the one that I caught was not a fully grown adult yet. They are very strong swimmers and they will try to get into the water as fast as possible if the feel threated, which is what the ones that Tom and I caught seemed to be trying to do right after we flipped over the rock they were under. (posted by Nathan Tallarico)

Turtles to come...

As some of you may know, I work for Bagel and Deli in uptown Oxford. Well the other night this past weekend was our senior employee dinner, and we all went to our boss' house for a late afternoon/night of fun and celebration. Since I am a huge fisherman, I asked my boss if I could go check out his pond and look around. As I began my walk around the pond, I began noticing tadpoles which he had told me about as well as this guy sitting on a log in the pond. I did not have my camera so I have to use a picture I got offline to show you, but I knew I wanted to blog about this turtle since we have been told our upcoming lab is going to be turtle trapping and I expect we may see a few of these. The red eared slider, Trachemys scripta, is seen in Butler county and southwest Ohio extending further south and west to Texas. These guys about 5-8 inches in length with the most pronounced red mark on its ear. These turtles prefer ponds with a muddy bottom as well as a vast amount of vegetation. As I saw, it basks on logs above water or areas of floating plants. Here is a picture from the webite http://www.survey-arg.org/ showing the unique markings of this fellow.

(Matt Friend)

Why study when I can look for herps?

So, instead of studying the other day, I decided to go for a walk out at a friend's farm outside of Oxford. It was a nice day and I decided to put away my books and get outside for some fresh air. As I began my walk along the fields and in the fence rows, I found some toads, and knew it was going to be a good day. Then as I tooka few more steps, boom, there it was, an easter garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis. It was coiled up and luckly I snapped a picture of this guy before it got spooked by me trying to pick it up and check it out. Growing about 18-26 inches in length, and with yellow to green strips running down its side. It is pretty much seen from the Mississippi River, eastward. This guy was by hiimself, although they are known for overwintering in balls with many other garters, and come out performing mating balls. I wish I would have seen this, but I didn't get that chance. Here is the picture I snapped:

(Matt Friend)

I Hear it but where it is?

As we stand by the bank of a small pond, we can hear the call of a frog we have all heard in class, and now we want to find it. The elusive wood frog, Rana Sylvatica. Let's all follow the sound and find the frog we all say. Easier said then done. For one, we scare the frog as we tromp across the pond, and what happens, it stops calling. Now it could be anywhere and is no longer calling. We all look around and find nothing. This little bugger got away this time. R. sylvatica, is about 2 inches in lingth with a stripe across its eye extending from snout to across eye. It is common in Ohio and most of the northern parts of North America. These are common to moist wooded areas, such as this small pond located in the woods we are in. This frog was near the pond to breed, and once this occurs, it will make its way from the pond and back to its life in the woods.
(Matt Friend)

Cool Little Frogs

A few weeks ago my little nine year old brother came down to visit for the weekend. It was really nice out so we decided to go for a hike in Peifer Park. We walked in the woods for about ten minutes until we came to a stream. We started walking along the edge of the water and after awhile we started to see little frogs with green on their back jump in the water. It took us a while but we were finally able to catch one.
From what I have learned in class I believe that this is a Blanchards Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans). These guys are a smaller species of the Hylidae family. They range in size from about a half of an inch to an inch and a half. This species is wartier, heavier and bulkier than other cricket frog species. Their general ground color is brown or grey and like you can see in the picture they often have some green on the back. Blanchards cricket frog looks a lot like a chorus frog but can be differentiated by warty skin and dark triangle between eyes.

(Sammy Peppers)

From eggs to leggs

These American Toad (Bufo americanus) eggs were found early April, 2008 in a temporary pond in a corn field just south of the Ecology Research Center. These toads lay between 2,000 and 12,000 eggs per clutch in two long string structures. I believe these are some of the most amazing eggs in nature due to the length of the strings and the structural integrity of the jelly holding the eggs in place. These eggs will hatch in about one to one and a half weeks. Think about all the tiny black tadpoles you could see in the water.

(Picture by Chris Distel)

After a larval period of about two months, these little guys will finally sprout their front legs and turn into terrestrial juveniles. The picture to the right is a specimen in his early 20's with a striking figure and unprecedented brilliance. On his finger is a American Toad metamorph who had just absorbed his tail. Imagine this little creature trying to make it in a terrestrial world that it had never experienced before... oh, and it needs to be able to catch an entire different kind of prey than it ever has in its life. If this individual were to make it to the winter, survive the cold, and then live on for about two to four more years, it will be able to reproduce and start the process all over again! Godspeed.

(Nick Webber)

A very large child

On that first Herpetology class field trip on March 18th we found this huge Green frog (Rana clamitans) tadpole! The net pole in the background is evidence of how we caught this guy; a tree that had been standing in the pond at Indian Creed Wildlife Preserve Metro Park fell over roots and all creating a small deeper area that was partially under the cover of roots. We used the net to sweep in the hole under the roots and we came up with this guy (or girl)! This Green frog tadpole had obviously overwintered in this pond as it was much too early for there to be new tadpoles in the pond and this particular tadpole was roughly 3 inches from head to tail! This tadpole was likely trying to seek shelter from all of the Herpetology students lumbering around in its pond.

Green frogs are very slow to metamorphose. Their eggs hatch anywhere from 3-7 days after they are layed but it takes anywhere from 3 to 22 months for them to reach metamorphosis! As such, it is very common for tadpoles to overwinter in ponds like the one at Indian Creek. Green frogs lay 1000-7000 eggs in every clutch so it is possible that at one time this tadpole shared this pond with over 6000 brothers and sisters! This tadpole was the only one we found that day so it was either one of the only survivors or just a late bloomer; I hope (s)he made it!

(Jill Steinbach)

More eggs

On our first Herpetology class field trip we made our way to Indian Creek Wildlife Preserve Metro Park in Riley, Ohio. On this trip we caught a great deal of Spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and a massive amount of Spotted salamander eggs.

Pictured above is just a small sampling of the sheer number of eggs that we found. As you can see, Spotted salamanders lay their eggs in large gelatinous blobs of 1-200 eggs, so judging by just this picture it is clear that there were very many Spotted salamanders in this pond. These salamanders most often lay their eggs on some type of underwater structure such as these branches and rarely ever on the bottom of the pond. This particular pond is perfect habitat for Spotted salamanders as they require woodland ponds and prefer mature deciduous forest such as the one found at the Indian Creek Wildlife Preserve. The breeding period for these salamanders lasts only about a week and the eggs hatch a few weeks after breeding so our trip on March 18th was perfectly timed!

(Jill Steinbach)

Snug as a salamander in a log?

On our very first field trip this spring, our herpetology class went to Indian Creek Wildlife Preserve Metropark in Reily, OH on March 18th, 2010. There, we went to a pond in the forest full of row after row of planted white pine. It was warm for mid-March, coming in somewhere in the high 50s or low 60s. Our GA, Tammy, was wrapping up some research at the pond we went to so there was still some remaining drift fence around the parameter and come pitfall traps here and there. This being my first experience with herp-hunting, I wasn't entirely sure where to look. I started out looking in the pond proper but didn't have much luck. Then I began to search around to banks of the pond and there a struck gold (or yellow spotted.) I walked up to a rotted log and spied, with my little eye, a spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum.) This big guy (6-7 inches long) was all curled up, snug as a bug in a rug, in a crevice of the rotten log. Being burrowers, these salamanders spend most of there time underground. It is easiest to find them during their breeding season, mid-March through April, when they emerger from their underground dwellings. They are nocturnal so I suspect that this guy (identified male by the swollen cloaca common among males during the breeding season) was taking a chill break to regain some energy from last night's shenanigans and for the wild night to come.

(Julia Steinbach)

These kids don't clean behind their ears!

So, I know it's a bit hard to make out but pictured above is a ribbon of toad eggs that I spotted on the 22nd of April near the Hueston Woods quarry picnic area. As the stream is rather clay rich, these eggs were coated with a liberal smattering of silt which made them almost easier to see but harder to identify. These eggs most likely are those of an American Toad (Bufo americanus) as the spiralish shape resembles that of the ribbon these toads lay and we found an American toad very near by.

American toads need three things for survival:
1. A semi-permanent freshwater pond, pool, or stream
2. Dense plant cover for protection and hunting
3. Insects to eat
Because of the rather general and common nature of the items on this list, these toads can live pretty much anywhere. These toads breed in March and April. Their eggs hatch 3-12 days after they are layed and the tadpoles metamorphose 40-70 days later. Come June or July and Hueston woods will be experiencing a Bufo Boom!

(Jill Steinbach)

Unfortuately short-tailed longtail

While herp-hunting on April 8th, 2010, a windy, cloudy day at a cool 52 degrees, we stopped at a swiftly moving stream near the horseman's camp at Hueston Woods. While searching along the rocky bank of the stream, I flipped over a rock about the diameter of a dinner plate and spotted a longtail salamander (Eurycea longicauda.) This species is common in the area and their habitat ranges from New York and New Jersey in the northeast to western Tennessee and Missouri in the southwest. They can be found most commonly near streams and like to hide under rocks, rotted logs, and in shale banks. Because the longtail salamander breeds in the fall, I would say that this salamander was just hanging out, trying to find food, and trying to not get eaten or found by any passing herpetology classes. The individual I found was a great specimen with one exception; it was missing its namesake. Where there should have been a long, beautiful tail, there was only a stump. The longtail salamander, as well as many other species of salamander has the ability to pinch off its tail when being pursued by a predator in order to distract the predator long enough for the individual to make its escape. The detached tail will even continue to twitch well after its owner has fled. This seemed to be a recent occurrence as the tail had not yet begun to grow back at all. Despite looking for it, I did not find the little guy's tail so I can only hope that it served its intended purpose and allowed my small, currently tailless friend to live another day.

(Posted by:Julia Steinbach)

The elusive Northern leopard frog

Let me set the scene for you. It was a sunny, warm (about 60 degrees), breezy day in mid March. My herpetology class had taken a field trip to Rush Run in Somerville, OH. At around 3:30 pm we pulled over on the side of the road to to nearly deafening sound of hundreds or possibly thousands of spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer). The chorus was coming from a shallow marshland chock full of tall grasses. A short distance away (probably about 100 yards) there was a deeper, more compact pond where we heard (miraculously over the din of the spring peepers) the call of the Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). The area we were in was perfect habitat for the Northern leopard frog, which prefers open fields to heavily forested areas. Their breeding season is mid-March or early April so these calling Leopard frogs were definitely searching for some lovely lady Northern leopard frogs. Never missing the chance to give us a quiz, Dr. Boone quickly handed out the note cards, much to our chagrin. After that was over, we waded out into the pond with the added incentive of an extra credit point should we successfully catch the elusive R. pipiens (Dr. Boone must have known something we didn't.) Despite trying for at least a half hour, wading in to waist deep water, seeing 3 or 4 Northern leopard frogs, and even trying to impersonate calling spring peepers, we failed to apprehend our target. Although disappointing, this experience gave me a greater appreciation for the speed and stealth of the Northern leopard frog.

(Posted by:Julia Steinbach

Where's my head?

Nowww...... what do we have here? Looks to be a headless, deceased Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) found in Hueston Woods Metropark on 4/8/2010 just after 2:10 pm under an overcast sky. I don't think the weather did much to influence this poor snake in one way or the other. This snake was found on a small rock island in a fast paced stream just off of Main Loop road. It was a little over 1.5 feet long and was brilliantly patterned. These snakes can grow to be almost 3.5 feet long, depending on the sex of the animal (females are larger) and they are found throughout all the the Northeastern United States down all the way to the northern tip of Georgia. These snakes can be found in all kinds of habitats including slow moving streams, swamps, swift rivers, and wetlands.

This particular specimen seems to have been killed, possibly by a human, not too long before we have arrived. There didn't appear to be a large amount of decay near the open area on the neck and the color of the animal was still relatively vibrant. I sure hope this snake died of natural causes.

(Posted by Nick Webber)

Prettiest Viper of All

I went to Costa Rica with Dr. Hays Cummins over the summer and we came across a lot of snakes. This one is my favorite and it was the first venomous snake I saw in the wild. I was walking to dinner on the second day and right off the path was a dark brown eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii). I was so excited that I got a little too close for the comfort of my friend walking with me and was quickly pulled away. I think we must have seen twenty of them over the two weeks we were there, but it was exciting every time.

Eyelash vipers have huge variability in their coloration and can be bright yellow to dark brown. They are found throughout Central and South America. They are a pit viper and have a thermal pit between the nostril and eye. They are ambush predators and will wait in one place and usually eat frogs or small lizards. They are aboreal and mostly nocturnal. Eyelash vipers ovoviviparious and give birth to about 10 live young.

(Posted by Madeleine Burnett)

Yankee Leopard Frog

Back in my rookie season in the Boone lab (March 2008), I had the chance to head out to Rush Run wildlife area and release some Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) that had been used in a previous experiment (performed by almost Dr. Chris Distel and Dr. Michelle Boone). As you can see, it was still pretty chilly at that time, but we had still managed to dig some of these animals out of the pits located in their terrestrial enclosures. This particular specimen had been collected from this site (Rush Run in Somerville, Oh) the previous year as an egg. It was reared in a mesocosm at Miami University's Ecology Research Center in Oxford, OH through metamorphosis. From this point, it was placed in a 3 meter x 3 meter terrestrial enclosure to overwinter in a ~1 meter deep pit. This animal may or may not have been subjected to high or low density rearing or the application of the pesticide carbaryl. As the animal is only one year of age, it was not possible for us to distinguish its gender. It may make two or three years for this frog to reach sexual maturity.

Northern Leopard Frogs usually breed in small ponds that do not contain any fish. After hatching, they undergo metamorphosis in about two or three months depending on the temperature of the environment. After this time period, the frogs will absorb their tail and head out into the terrestrial world for their first carnivorous meal! Sometimes called meadow frogs, they have been known to head a good distance from water into tall, grassy areas to forage and... well... do whatever they want to do.

As a class, we did not catch any of these animals at this site... but we sure heard them and saw a few before they laughed at us and retreated to the murky water all 20 of us had created by walking though the pond. Maybe next time?

(Nick Webber... great picture, I know)

American Aligator in Florida

About a year ago me and my brother decided to drive to Florida to visit a friend that had moved there. We did a lot of things during our time there including driving through a few state parks in search of the awesome American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis). It was a chilly day so it was understandable not to see any of these animals right away, but after about an hour of searching we came across this guy basking on on the side of the water. The American Alligator is one of the largest reptile in North America reaching lengths of up to about 16 ft in males and 8 to 10 ft in females. It is crazy to think about how an animal this large originates from a baby alligator that is only 8 or 9 inches long. Its hard say for sure how big this guy was because he was so far away but I would guess that he was around 10 ft long. This species is easily differentiated from an American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) by its broad snout. These guys love to live in swamps, lakes, bayous, marshes, and other similar bodies of water. When it comes to food the American alligators not picky in any way. They will eat almost anything they can catch, amphibians, mammals, birds, etc. At one time these wonderful animals were very endangered, but due to their protected status and reintroduction programs they have come back from the brink of extinction and are now commonly found throughout their habitat.

(Sammy Peppers)

Herps of the Ecuadorian Amazon

This past summer I was in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Here are a few herp pictures, of many. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about their life history, or even what the species are for most of them. However, I included what I knew.

I have no idea what this snake is. It is some sort of nocturnal vine snake. It was approximately 13 inches long and was found in a dense forest area preying on a spider.

Boa constrictor in its natural habitat. I almost stepped on this one while chasing monkeys. We gathered a group of people to come and measure her. She was 16 1/2 feet long, making her one of the largest boa constrictors ever recorded.

Dendrobatid found in a moist tree fall with a lot of canopy cover.



black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) found in a small laguna. Most adults are 10-14 feet in length, although some accounts claim that they can grow up to 20 feet. They are primarily nocturnal and are the top predator in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Live common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture to post. But if I did, the picture would show a adult, common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that was caught on 8 April 2010 at Hueston Woods State Park, Preble Co., Ohio. It was a cool day with overcast skies. The county was on flood watch due to the torrential rains that fell a few days prior. Needless to say, the rivers, creeks, and ponds were at max capacity. Our class went to an ephemeral pond to search for herps, but we weren't having any luck with the exception of a small spring peeper. I ventured to a nearby creek that was about ankle deep. The current was decently quick and the water was cold, maybe 60 F. In a deep pool, huddled up against some rocks, I spotted a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). It was big (to me at least); the carapace measured 10 inches from anterior to posterior. I thought it was dead like the other ones our class found, so I poked it with a stick to check. It wasnt dead! Next thought it my mind: call for the TA to see how I'm supposed to pick up a turtle that could bite my fingers off. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear me calling. Regardless, I decided to pick the turtle up and I grabbed both ends of the carapace towards the hind limbs. He (I believe it was a male) was heavy but not too lively so I managed to keep all of my fingers, although he tried to steal them a few times.

Chelydra serpentina are omnivorous turtles weighing about 10-35 pounds and are typically 8-14 inches in length (The one I found was approximately 14 inches in total and weighed roughly 20 pounds). These turtles don't often bask, preferring water or mud. They have a small plastron and a strong, rough carapace. They have a very rapid strike and can reach prey (or fingers) well beyond the expected range, reaching nearly 1/2 the length of its carapace. Word to the wise: they will also try to bite faces, so make sure that you keep your face well away from it.

(posted by Maura Reilly)

Hidden in the shadows

As we walked up the river there was an area near the bank that had a ledge of rocks over it. It was quite shaded and there was nobody really around. I thought to myself, I wonder what lurks in the shadows. I headed over towards the bank and began rolling over many many rocks. Finally, just as I was about to call it quits I saw a little salamander scurrying around. Success!

It was a southern two-lined salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, and it was very small. It took me a minute to round it up and hold onto it. It seemed like it did not want to be disturbed. It was slender with a rusty orange color. It was also missing one of its back legs, definitely not my doing. The lines on its back were not very defined (not as much as the North usually). It is currently the breeding season for these little guys and I was unsure if it was perhaps a female guarding a clutch, however I did not notice any eggs around the rock where I found it. I also did not check for cirri to determine its gender. I let the little critter go back under the rock and he scurried back into the shadows.

(Alex Hauenstein)

Blanchard's cricket frog

Say hello to a Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris crepitans)! I caught this little fella (or gal) on March 20th while out exploring a small creek about a mile west of Camden, OH off of St. Rt. 725 in an area I think is unofficially called the Devil's backbone. Blanchard's cricket frog likes shoreline area of ponds, creeks, and rivers with vegetation. This frog species is not very big (about an inch and a half is close to a maximum size) but they are good hoppers, so they can be hard to catch sometimes. The easiest way I can tell this frog is a cricket frog and not a chorus frog or spring peeper is because it has a warty appearance on its back. Another good way to tell a cricket frog is the presence of a dark triangle on the head between the eyes (not very visible in the picture though). Coloration can vary, including green, brown, and gray, with some being brown or gray with splashes of green.

Blanchard's cricket frogs don't start calling until the end of April and end calling around July, so I was a little bit surprised to have caught this frog so early. It had been a warm and sunny day so maybe this frog was just enjoying the weather by taking a stroll, perhaps in search of good breeding habitat or food. Their calls have been described as a metallic clicking, or even as a marble dropped onto a hard floor. A female will lay up to 400 eggs but deposits them in small groups of 1 to 7. Tadpoles will metamorphose about a month after hatching.

I don't like to end on a sad note, but the Blanchard's cricket frog is thought to be declining in Ohio. The species occurred historically in all the western half of the state, but now their eastern boundary seems to be shrinking.

(Posted by Paula Cimprich)

Team Slytherin

Madeleine and I were walking in the water right by a fallen tree. Someone had said they had seen a snake fall from the tree and into the water so they were searching the side. As we walked by I noticed it swimming in the water and pointed it out to Mad. I quickly grabbed its tail while she grabbed it up towards the head. Thank god I grabbed it from the back because she got bit.

Regina septemvittata, commonly known as the queen snake is common in the area. It's main source of food is crayfish which were very common in the area and could be seen swimming along the floor.

The queen snake had a brilliant coloring and was very vibrant. It had the dark and light stripes running down its back. It was a decent size, around 2 feet and it felt great finding a larger size snake. Also glad it didn't bite me.

-Alex Hauenstein

Northern ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus

We found this northern ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus, hiding under a small limestone rock on a rocky hillside immediately beside the stream our class went to at Hueston Woods State Park on April 22, 2010. This specimen, as you can tell from the pictures, was very small; however, northern ringneck snakes can reach up to 16". The northern ringneck snake is easily distinguished by the bright yellow or yellow-orange ring on its neck. It is hard to tell in our picture, but the belly of the stomach is really cool looking; it is a bright yellow-orange with a row of black spots on each side. This is my favorite snake that we have caught thus far.

Northern ringneck snakes are nocturnal and spend the day under logs, rocks, and leaf litter. Northern ringneck snakes hunt and eat earthworms, insects, slugs, small snakes, frogs, salamanders, and ants. For larger prey items, they suffocate their prey by constriction.

Northern ringneck snakes can be found hiding with other northern ringneck snakes. As well, they have been known to lay their eggs in the same location as other ringneck snakes. They mate in the spring and lay their eggs in June and July.

Diadophis punctatus is a really cool looking snake, but I was lucky that I did not get bit or musked when I captured it.

Posted by Tim Hake. Pictures courtesy of Tammy McPeek.

Queen Snakes pack a punch

Last week on our field trip to Houston Woods we were strolling down this creek and catching all kinds of cool critters. My favorite catch of the day was a Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata). I felt that this catch was appropriate since we had just talked about herp defenses. This queen snake used almost all of it's defenses to avoid being caught! Alex spotted it first in a fallen tree over the river. He went to make a grab, this is when it used it's first defense, it jumped into the water to escape. I was quicker than it though and snatched it out of the water. It must have been terrified because it used a second defense. This one was unexpected because it is a Queen snake, it bit me! Queen snakes rarely bite and are usually pretty docile. I can see why it's not their preferred defense; I've been bitten by a few snakes and the Queen snakes bite was like a mosquito bite in comparison. Needless to day I held on and the snake used it's third defense, it musked all over. It smelled horrible! I held on though and it calmed down a little.

The snake turned out to be a good size for a Queen snake, about a foot and a half. It was brown on top and white below with another stripe of dark brown before it's belly. Cute snake aside from it's smell. Unfortunately, these guys are pretty vulnerable to habitat disturbances. They live by waterways and generally feed off of crayfish, so their range has diminished recently.

(Posted by Madeleine Burnett)

Green Frog Tadpole

Along with the adult green frog, Rana clamitans, that our class found at a stream in Hueston Woods State Park on April 22, 2010, we also found a green frog tadpole. The tadpole was swimming at the edge of the stream in a fairly deep area (about a foot deep). The tadpole would use the small crevices created by overhanging limestone to hide; however, I was able to use a net to scare the tadpole out of the crevice so that I could catch it. We were able to identify the tadpole as a green frog, Rana clamitans, due to the shape of the spots. If you look closely at the spots they are fuzzy and not just circular spots. Rana clamitans tadpoles have fuzzy spots whereas northern leopard frog tadpoles, Rana pipiens, have circular spots.

Adult green frogs breed from April through the summer, and as Tom has already mentioned lay 1-2 clutches with a couple thousand eggs. The tapoles eat algae and plants and can grow up to 1.5 inches. Most of the tadpoles will metamorphose within a few months, however some tadpoles from clutches late in the summer may overwinter before metamorphosing.

After metamorphosing, juvenile frogs will move into woods and meadows while its raining. Juvenile frogs may disperse up to 3 miles. Juvenile and adult frogs are carnivores and will eat about anything that they can fit into their mouth. They are known to eat insects, fish, crayfish, other frogs, tadpoles, and small snakes.

Overall, we had a very success day at Hueston Woods. Plus it was fun climbing all of the water falls. Is there anything better to do on Earth Day than to go enjoy the outdoors and catch some herps?

Posted by Tim Hake. Picture courtesy of Tammy McPeek.

Rana clamitans (Green Frog)

This past week, during our trip to Hueston Woods, we had found a prime spot for herps. Tammy and her friend took our class to this stream on the side of the road in Hueston Woods. With temperatures of 70-75 and partly cloudy, we couldn't have picked a better day to go out into the field. Actually, looking back at it, we've had good weather on almost ALL of our herp field trips, which has been really nice.

Anyways, we were walking in the stream, through the rocks and waterfalls when Matt and I came across a small patch of grass/shrubs by the stream. There were a few rocks and twigs by the shrubs. So we moved the twigs/rocks around, and there it was, a green frog (Rana clamitans). The frog was rather small, about 2" long. We were not too surprised to find this species because they are native to the eastern US along with Canada. The frog was a combination of green and brown (which is normal). I would say it was a male because from what we've learned in class (and online) males tend to defend their territories more; and that's exactly what this guy was doing. These frogs are part of the Ranidae family (true frogs). This frog very well could have been looking for a mate, because these frogs have their breeding season from April to August; where they lay anywhere from 1000-7000 eggs, which is crazy!!!

In all, this trip was very successful for a number of students because we found frogs, snakes, salamanders, etc etc etc.

PS To hear their call, here is a cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0uGjsM_gh4

thanks!!

Posted by Tom Kowalski

Southern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera)

So last Thursday (4/22), Tammy and her friend took our herp class to Hueston Woods. We were about 20ish minutes from Oxford. We had parked on the side of the road. Before we even stopped, I had told the guys that I believe today will be the day I catch multiple species, haha. So after we put our gear on, we began to walk down this slight hill. The stream was right in front of us. It was a "still water" stream, but more of a "calmly moving water" stream. There were a lot of rocks in the stream and even a few waterfalls. The weather was 72 and partly cloudy. It was about 1:15pm.

So we are walking down this stream, everyone and scattered around looking for all types of herps. And then it happened, I lifted a rock that was just outside the stream line in the dirt. Under the rock there was a......2-lined salamander!! Yes, a northern 2-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera)! I know we have caught these before, but this one was different, maybe because I caught it?? haha. Plus, I don't think anyone has blogged about these tiny little guys yet. This salamander was typical size (about 4" long) and looked identical to the picture posted here. Unfortunately Tammy didn't get a picture of it, I guess luck just wasn't on my side with Tammy and her camera. It looked light brown with small spots running down it's back. It seems like it was just trying to hide from people and just be alone. I'm assuming it was a male, but I'm not certain. These guys are known to be around streams, creeks, etc and are usually found under rocks, logs, etc. So it was no surprise that I found him.

These salamanders typically lay their eggs in May, about 30 or more eggs. These eggs are found typically under rocks in the water. The larvae hatch about a month later and these salamanders reach sexual maturity around 2-4 years. In all, it was a good day for me in Herp Lab, I really enjoyed myself and the company of my fellow classmates and Tammy.

POSTED BY TOM KOWALKSI

Regina septemvittata aka Queen Snake

Hey all! So a few days ago, on April 22nd, we went out in the field for lab (like we do every Thursday). The weather was very nice, about low 70s and partly cloudy. The site we went to was in Hueston Woods State Park. We kind of just were driving in Hueston Woods and Tammy and her friend pulled off the road at this beautiful site where there were very small waterfalls in a some-what active stream. Once we exited our vans, I was ready to go. Like I had that feeling that today was the day where i go crazy and catch a few herps, and that I did!!

So getting out of the van, we began walking down the stream and about 1/2 a mile down, I began looking with Nate. Then i said 'hey nate, help me lift this rock'. The rock was about 2 feet from the water, completely dry. This rock was pretty heavy though, it was definitely a 2 man job to lift it, haha. So we lifted this rock, and BAM! 2 queen snakes. One of the snakes was about 8 inches long, and the other was ~13 inches. I feel like neither the large or small snake were fully grown, because these snakes tend to be around 16-30 inches long. Now, as we've learned in lecture, the Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata) is a non-venomous water snake. It is part of the Colubridae (harmless snake) family. I feel like the 2 snakes may have felt all the movement in the water (from us) and they were basically just hiding from any human or predator contact. When we went to pick them up, they quickly went for the water (because these snakes are great swimmers and are known to go into the water when threatened). These snakes are known to live in the midwest US, in states such as ohio, indiana, kentucky, etc. Anyways, it was a great find and Nate and I were really happy to find these guys. I don't think Tammy got a photo of it, so I uploaded this picture from: http://www.nearctica.com/herps/snakes/colubrid/Rseptem.htm.

Thanks!! (Posted by Tom Kowalski)

Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

On April 1, 2010, Dr. Boone took her Herpetology class to Miami University's Ecological Research Center (ERC) for another round of Herp hunting. We took a gravel road into the ERC and drove past cattle tanks and man-made ponds used in various experiments. After parking near large piles of reserve gravel, we all got out of our respective vans and walked up a grassy incline towards our destination. The path we took was situated between a corn field and wooded area. We entered into the woods via an opening in the wall of trees and brush off to our right. Inside we made our way over to a clearing in the woods that had a square pin constructed from aluminum ducting and metal netting clipped at the top (all around the perimeter) which served as a barrier. The pin was sectioned off into four parts and we were told that each quadrant was supposed to hold several spotted salamanders. The point of our visit was to see how many salamanders were still there and note if specific chemicals inside had had any effect on their growth and or survival rate. We were first instructed to dig through the leaf litter present in the sections to make sure the students would not step on them when we entered. Our primary task was to lift a board in the middle of the section and dig through a pit full of leaves and water to see if we could find them. We had to manually sift through the wet leaves for the salamanders as they could easily be overlooked. In the end, no one found anything. I did find a hole that went under the aluminum ducting in my section. This might explain why there were no salamanders there. Predation might explain the other sections. A bird could easily swoop in and grab them as they moved around under the leaves. Anyway, on our way out, I turned over a log and found a decent sized Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). It was rather shiny and the red of its back was in great contrast to the darker part of its body. Here is a picture of it (please forgive the state of my hands):

The Red Back Salamander is on the smaller side and grows between two to four inches long. They get their name from a brightly colored strip that runs down the entirety of their back. The strip can range in color from red to orange, yellow, and even light gray. It is usually found in wooded areas under rocks, logs, boards, and trash. Their main diet consists of worms, ants, beetles, and stink bugs (there were plenty of the latter flying around when we were on location). Since the Red Back has no aquatic larval stage, they develop fully in their eggs. These eggs are often laid in clutches in moist areas, such as damp logs and moss.

(Jim R. McClanahan)