musked

On the recent Thursday field trip to Donnelley Wildlife Management Area located in the Ace Basin south of sunny Charleston, our class encountered a cornucopia of snakes in a swamp. The water possessed a unique character of stench different than the other swamps we had visited so far. The peat litter bottom was very loose and quickly became too deep venture in. On some steps I would sink a good bit- deep in the recesses of my brain the flicker of four or five neurons flashed a scene of quicksand, peat-bog-style. The grasses of long- bladed strap leaves I had not observed before, and there was a plethora of variously hued Acris gryllus (Southern Cricket Frog) jumping and popping about in the leaves or diving into the water at one's approach. The traps previously set caught predominantly tadpoles and Nerodia fasciata (banded water snakes, Colubridae) of a the black with reddish bands and colorings phenotype. Additionally, there was a dean Siren lacertina, the greater siren, that was bagged to preserve for the laboratory. A Coluber constrictor (black racer), in addition to the over 5 (anyone know the total?)Nerodias, was coralled and apprehended for scientific observation. A few bites were sustained in the proceedings, and one young juvenile size Nerodia was an especially feisty serpent. I saw one serpent swim- it is so pleasant to watch their graceful aquatic motion. From one of traps in the last area we walked around, I eventually picked up a mature sized water snake. It had been released but sat poised and still in the leaves at the base of an oak tree. Quenby and I sat on a stump looking at the snake and, having yet to hold an Ophidian this day, I resolved to pick up the snake. Honestly, I felt nervous and was apprehensive in my approach- picking up a wild snake in a defensive posture is much different than handling a pet snake. The snake was in an s-bend with its head and neck flattened and an alert stare on its face. After a few failed approaches, my monkey brain reminded itself of its tool making abilities, and I then used a stick to help me pin the head of the snake to quickly grab its neck. Holding the snake, a novel olfactory sensation crept into my rhinoencephalon. If I learned anything that day, it was this new wildlife smell...I was musked...
(TJ Mistler)