More Herp Fauna!

[NJChileHead]

Hi Folks,

Here's my 2015 end-of-the-year herp thread to share our finds, enjoy!

First vernal pool activity of the year, with wood frogs, alone, in amplexus, and in mating balls:

The operation was a success:

... a later shot of the eggs hatching. See the tadpoles? They are feeding on the symbiotic algae that are present on the eggs:

Of course there were also spotted salamanders:

Spotted salamanders in courtship dance called "Liebespiel" (love play):

...and some spring peepers:

Outside of the vernals, we found lots of dusky and red-backed salamanders:

...and for the only endangered salamander found this year, the blue-spotted salamander. These guys typically hybridize with Jefferson salamanders within their range, but many in this population were pure blue spotted (at least by diagnostic criteria).

 

[NJChileHead]

I was happy to see this pretty face at the beginning of April. She was hanging out near a rotting stump, which may have served as her hibernacula. Garter snakes are partially freeze tolerant. They don't have the same cryoprotectant that wood frogs have, but their blood glucose increases dramatically during hibernation, acting as an antifreeze, and there is an increase in the amino acid levels in their blood as well. Some may partially submerge during hibernation, which means less desiccation during hibernation, as well as fewer wide temperature swings.

My sons affectionately named this big girl Gertrude, not sure if you can tell from the picture, but she's a big girl:

Everyone seems to like Gertrude.

Mating balls are interesting. Formed from many males trying to mate with a single female, some male garter snakes can give off 'she-male' type pheromones to confuse competing males. 'She males' mate with females significantly more than non-she males. After mating, the pheromones in the sperm usually repel other males. Males sometimes also insert a copulatory plug (from kidney secretions) into female after copulation.

 

[NJChileHead]

Red-eared sliders are invasive, and they often outcompete native painted turtles for basking sites. Basking is a crucial activity for building the immune system after hibernation, as well as for other purposes.

People often ask how to differentiate between green and bull frogs in the field. Green frogs have a dorsolateral ridge that runs down the back (look behind the eye):

Bullfrogs have a ridge that curves behind the tympanum (not down the back):

Quiz time!

This happy water snake bit off more than he can chew. Quite a bullhead there!

A lovely Northern ringneck snake:

An adorable, nippy little neonate water snake:

Semi-shy box turtle:

Yikes!

...to be continued after dinner!

 

[manumuskin]

I"d answer the quiz "Green Frog"
As many times as I have been out observing and accompanying Whip recording frogs at night I have yet to actually catch them in the act of mating.Have seen many sing but never actually observed Amplexus.The Blue spots are gorgeous.I have actually caught Spotteds in Pa but I don't believe they occur in most of South jersey except supposedly in parts of western Salem County of course Blue Spotted doesn't either that i know of. Great Pics.waiting for the rest

 

[NJChileHead]

Hey Al!

I agree that it's difficult as hell to catch any of the prolonged breeders during the act. The only frogs that I have pictures of in amplexus are the wood frogs. I thought for sure that I would get some photos of spring peepers in amplexus this year, but there I stood in a chorus of thousands dumbfounded as to why it was so hard to spot just one at times. Maybe this coming year will be different!

Continued...

 

[NJChileHead]

I flipped this pretty red-bellied snake pictured below in the Pine Barrens while out with a friend. Red-bellies have some serious variation in their ground color, with many of them black or charcoal grey, but lo and behold this beautiful specimen:

Nice Southern ringneck snake from the same trip. Compare with the Northern pictured a few posts up. The Southern ringneck has half-moon markings on the belly and an incomplete collar. The Northerns have a plain belly and a complete collar. Intergrades have characteristics that are in-between:

Nice-looking mud turtle:

I was out with a naturalist and flipped this bugger. I hope the camera lens cap does the size of this guy justice. You could hear it walking on the leaves. My naturalist friend said a firm "nope" and needed a minute. Fisher spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus:

Beautiful racer:

Some of you may remember my photograph of the hatching racer last year. The clutch that I found last year was approximately 1 dozen eggs, and nearly all hatched successfully. I didn't think that I would be so lucky again, and this year, it happened again with twice the number of eggs.

Pop quiz!

Lots of two-lined salamanders this year:

Along with water snakes:

...and plenty of garters (which I never get tired of!):

 

[NJChileHead]

Getting a good photograph of a Northern gray treefrog eluded me for quite some time, then one night:

The warning coloration under the hind legs is more visible here:

One day while flipping rocks in North/Central New Jersey, I found something unexpected:

The photograph above is of a long-tailed salamander, Eurycea longicauda. This is a state-threatened species and, according to my contact at the state, my location is a range extension by a respectable distance. Cool!

Milk snakes had largely eluded me for quite some time too, but I found a few this year:

Eastern milk snake in shed:

Eastern milk snake, not in shed:

Another Eastern milk:

In August, we captured what I believed to be a snake in the early stages of a fungal disease. There is a fungal disease simply called snake fungal disease, (SFD), Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, which is devastating snake populations in many parts of the United States. This disease is threatening to decimate the last remaining population of massasauga rattlesnakes in Illinois. The specimen in question was a large and beautiful female garter who I recaptured several times under the same piece of AC to check up on her. It seems that she is okay and healed completely. The lesion was probably an infection from another pathogen, and the face injuries were probably the result of a counterbite from a rodent or something along those lines.

 

[NJChileHead]

Visiting the Pine Barrens produced many fence lizards!

...worm snakes really do look like worms:

Some beautiful (and pollen-covered) racers down there:

We found a ribbon snake which was a beautiful specimen, however it was very difficult to get a good photo:

People sometimes ask how to differentiate between a garter and a ribbon snake. A garter snake has labial bars, black vertical lines on the face between the eye and the mouth. A ribbon snake does not. A ribbon snake also has a diagnostic white spot in front of the eye. See photographs below for comparison, ribbon (top) vs. garter (bottom):

We were very fortunate to see two beautiful king snakes:

...and then there was this magnificent creature!

 

[NJChileHead]

It's probably apparent by now that I value all of the herpetofauna and hold them all in high regard. When overwhelmingly seeing the "common stuff" I remind myself of the historic abundance of the passenger pigeon and where it is now, and what it potentially means for the existence of any species.

That being said, there are certain creatures that resonate with me as fundamental symbols of the North American wilderness, and hold a special place for us. As much as the mountain lion, grizzly bear, elk, gray wolf and bald eagle hold these positions, I can't subvert the rattlesnake as one of those symbols.

I had the pleasure of visiting a location where I got to photograph a number of these breathtaking animals. My photos don't do them justice.These photos were taken with minimum disturbance to them and to their habitat. Throughout my time there, I was keenly aware of their vulnerability and need for protection. They truly are a magnificent creature.

The timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus:

Juvenile:

There were two copperheads present, but were deep in crevices:

Thank you for reading! Have a great New Year!

 

[manumuskin]

The King and Milk snake shots are awesome and the Corn snake was phenomenal.Was the Corn found in the barrens? Also the rattler shots are really cool but I"d say that last pic down bottom you snuk a Copperhead in on usQuiz frog is a Bullfrog. I wish you lived closer,Would put you range of some species but alas it would remove you from that nice Copperhead.

 

[NJChileHead]

Hey Al,

Yes, the corn was found in the Barrens! Awesome snake! Yeah that was a pair of copperheads in the last pic all nestled back in a crevice. Too bad, their coloration was awesome. I've found coppers with that tan-brown color but these guys had a penny-copper hue. Very cool!

 

[joc]

Mark ,
Thanks for sharing ! Good pics and well written . I'm curious about the ribbon snake ( Only I would notice this ) : Is it me or is the specimen you photographed a bit "thick " ? I've never seen a ribbon with a similar girth . Maybe he / she had eaten ? possibly a gravid female ? Generally , the girth is similar to a green snake , maybe thinner .
Joe

 

[woodjin]

Wow! great, great post! Let me ask, have you ever seen a bullfrog in the interior of the pines?

 

[NJChileHead]

Mark ,
Thanks for sharing ! Good pics and well written . I'm curious about the ribbon snake ( Only I would notice this ) : Is it me or is the specimen you photographed a bit "thick " ? I've never seen a ribbon with a similar girth . Maybe he / she had eaten ? possibly a gravid female ? Generally , the girth is similar to a green snake , maybe thinner .
Joe

Hey Joe,

No it's certainly not just you, we noticed it too when we found the specimen. He had definitely just eaten, in fact he was crossing a road from a wetland area so we were guessing that he had polished off a frog before moving to the next area on his list. Definitely a girthy specimen.

Mark

 

[NJChileHead]

Wow! great, great post! Let me ask, have you ever seen a bullfrog in the interior of the pines?

Hey Woodjin,

Thank you! I do have a few records of bullfrogs in pinelands edge areas such as those in Monmouth County, but the only area that I have a record for bullfrogs that may be closer to the interior barrens is as Prospertown Lake WMA. Not sure if that counts. I will say that I haven't spent anywhere near enough time in the interior barrens, this coming year I hope to spend more.

Mark

 

[manumuskin]

I know where there is a Bullfrog Population in Belleplain.Don't know if you'd consider that core or periphery Barrens?