First post

Nowa

Nowa

New Member
Mar 18, 2008
6
0
NE Philly
www.northeastphilly.net
Hello all,

First post, but a longtime lurker on this great site. I would like to thank you fine folks for all the info, maps, coordinates, hints, stories, memories, etc...

You have made many a great day in the Pines for me and my family.

Now a question for you guys/girls...

What dug this hole? Found it off of 542 by The Wading River.

watermark.php


watermark.php


There was ALOT of sand removed, went underground for a few feet.
 
RednekF350

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,057
3,328
Pestletown, N.J.
Looks like fox.
Those appear to be pad prints in the sand in the first pic.
Too early in the year for it to be a pine snake den, if that photo was taken at the current time.
 
Nowa

Nowa

New Member
Mar 18, 2008
6
0
NE Philly
www.northeastphilly.net
The photos were taken last summer. Mid June I think. There were no other holes around, none like that one anyway. That pile of sand is 6-8 ft long and was about a foot deep in the center.

Hey Rednek, would Pine snakes move that much sand? Wow!
I did see a Pine Snake and a big Black Racer nearby.
 
woodjin

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,344
334
Near Mt. Misery
There has been some controversy over whether these holes are pine snake or fox. I would agree with Scott that it is most likely fox. Pine snakes do remove a surprising amount of dirt from their dens from what I understand.

Welcome to the site.

Jeff
 
RednekF350

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,057
3,328
Pestletown, N.J.
Nowa said:
Hey Rednek, would Pine snakes move that much sand? Wow!
I did see a Pine Snake and a big Black Racer nearby.
Click to expand...

As luck would have it I just completed a two day course today at Rutgers on T&E species.
It covered T&E animals and plants and even included a section on T&E butterflies. Who knew?
Now I are a certified expert. :guinness:
Yesterday, we had Matt McCort from Herpetological Associates speak on the pine snake.
He showed pictures of the nests that are dug by the gravid females into which she deposits her eggs. The nests look just like your photo and the pile of excavated material is unbelievabely big.
You said the photo was from June?
The months during which the female builds the nest are June and early July in open sunny areas.
The eggs are left unattended and they hatch in 2 months and the baby snakes emerge and start to forage.
The eggs are subject to predation by fox and raccoon which probably explains the pad prints in the dirt pile.
This not where they hibernate. That is done in other excavated dens that can be from prior years and they can share them with black racers and corn snakes. The hibernation dens can be dug by other snakes or are sometimes abandoned mammal burrows. i.e., fox dens.
McCort had a live pine snake and corn snake and let everyone in the class handle them .
Except me.
It was better for the snakes that way. :)
I feel like I got my money's worth from this seminar already.
The seminar is offered once per year and is well worth it for anyone interested in a two day crash course on NJ T&E.
In May they have a 1 day field supplement to the class as well.
Scott
 
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