Time to Catch Up: Summer 2018

 Summer of 2018 was nothing short of amazing. It was filled with cool snakes, and some awesome amphibians too.

In late June, I started out with a trip to a local spot in extreme southern Ontario that is home to an endangered rattlesnake, the Eastern Massasauga. On my first attempt, I was able to spot a beautiful golden-brown sauga basking in the afternoon sun. I went back the next day with my friends and researchers, and we were able to observe 4 others. Three of the snakes on the second day were gravid females, and were captured and collected to be taken into the lab where they gave birth. This was done so under appropriate permits and intensive protocols to ensure all of the snakes were safely handled and kept. Once the babies were born, the adults and neonates were put back into the wild.

Eastern Massasauga

Eastern Massasauga

Along with the sole Massasauga that was observed on the first day, I managed to slip in a bit of extra herping time back at the Niagara Gorge to find the Northern Dusky Salamanders that eluded me on my first attempt. This time I had a little more confidence as I had been given some tips on where to find them from a colleague who had worked with them before. 
This time, I was much more successful and I got to see a handful of specimens! Not only did I get to see the salamanders themselves, I got to see a few sitting and guarding their eggs in nests they had made! As if seeing these endangered salamanders wasn't enough, I was elated at what i got to witness.

*Please remember my disclaimer from the last post, that these population honestly should not be visited as the habitat and species is too sensitive to withstand unnecessary disturbance.*
Northern Dusky Salamander with Eggs

Northern Dusky Salamander

After seeing the Northern Dusky Salamanders, we still had some time left in the day, and set off to check again for the Allegheny Mountain Duskies. Once again, I only observed one individual, but this time the specimen was much more typically coloured. Not completely dark, I could see the chevron markings down this salamanders back. A key identifying feature of the species.

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

Once again, my work took me to some of my stomping grounds I had found when I lived up north. This allowed me to pick up another cool salamander species for the year. The Northern Two-lined Salamander. I had actually discovered this population of the salamanders along the Ottawa River the year prior, and I was happy to be able to make the trek back up to see them once again. Not even on my own dime!

Northern Two-lined Salamander

Northern Two-lined Salamander Habitat

A month later, and it was back to Pelee Island! Though I did see more racers, this time I wanted to point out some of the other cool finds! In the open grasslands, I was able to observe a few Eastern Foxsnakes and some melanistic Eastern Gartersnakes.
The melanistic Eastern Gartersnakes are a real treat for many, but are actually quite common on the island. The gartersnake population there can be made up of more than 30% melanistic individuals!

Melanistic Eastern Gartersnake with Mites

Alvar-grassland

Eastern Foxsnake being processed

Neonate Melanistic Eastern Gartersnake

To end off summer, I went down to Norfolk County again in early September to try and see some Smooth Greensnakes and Eastern Hognose Snakes. It was a huge success! What a great way to end the summer! 

Smooth Greensnake

Smooth Greensnakes

Eastern Hognose Snake

Bring on the fall.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Early Emergence

Image
2018 started off with some intense weather fluctuations. By mid February we were seeing nights where the temperature would remain positive 5 degrees Celsius or more in the Hamilton-Wentworth Region. And some of these nights had large amounts of rainfall. Although it was only February, I knew that this weather would bring out some early rising amphibians. Particularly the Ambystomid species (mole salamanders). So on February 19th, when the weather was just right, myself and my friend Billy Olds grabbed our flashlights and went out into the night to look for amphibians. When we first arrived on location I was pretty confident that we would find at least 1 or 2 salamanders. But as we walked through the forest across an abundance of ice and snow and past vernal pools that were still completely frozen, that confidence started to diminish. We had even checked the pool where I often see Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamanders) and Ambystma jeffersonianum x laterale (Jefferson x Blue-spot...
Read more

A Trip to the Sunshine State - Part 2

Image
During the middle of our stay we herped Central Florida for a day and then went down to the Everglades to look for reptiles and amphibians there. Unfortunately we had some very cold weather and didn't find as many species as expected in the glades.  Here's what we found: Blue Tail Mole Skink Blue Tail Mole Skink Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad Florida Sand Skink Southern Black Racer Florida Cottonmouth Everglades Racer Peninsula Cooter Add caption We also had some neat bird observations - here are a few I was able to capture on camera Gallinule Add caption And then back to herps... American Alligator American Crocodile Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake - juvenile recently hit but still alive on the road American Alligator - juvenile American Alligator - juvenile Chicken Turtle Eastern Gartersnake R. Wolfe
Read more

February Findings

Image
When the sun comes out and the daily high is 14 or 15C for two days in a row, animals start to come up to enjoy the warmth, despite what month it is. And that's just what happened on February 27th and 28th. I had some free time and the weather was perfect, so I went out to a new location I had heard great things about to go for a hike, enjoy the warm sun, and hopefully see some reptiles and amphibians. I was not disappointed. Unfortunately, the first animal I came across was a deceased Thamnophis sirtalis (Eastern Gartersnake) that appeared to have frozen to death at the base of a tree. Thamophis sirtalis - Eastern Gartersnake. February 27th. But all of the animals to follow were very much alive, even though they were cold and lethargic. I managed to find my first Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamanders) of the year. And at the same time found my first Hemidactylium scutatum (Four-toed Salamander) of the year, which also marks my first Four-toed Salamander I...
Read more