North American Native Herps

Anyone have some good NA amphibian and reptile photos? Being trained as a Herpetologist it is just difficult for me to get away from them so I like to oggle over them

Here are a few from some various surveys I conducted over the past few years.

Like the vulpina. I have never seen one, I understand that they are supposed to be in northern Ohio. Are they common in your area?

Like the vulpina. I have never seen one, I understand that they are supposed to be in northern Ohio. Are they common in your area?

I not sure they are common anywhere these days. In my study site we have only confirmed four live and two roadkill. The youngster there proved we do have a breeding group of them however.

I do know a guy that has been doing research on them in the Toledo area so they are still around in North western Ohio.

I'm afraid of snakes, aggressive women, and loose dogs over 130 pounds.
I am however quite fond of pictures of snakes, aggressive women, and dogs over 130 pounds. Nice pics!

Nice pictures Richard!

You can find fox snakes (I had to google ) with some regularity along the lake, especially in the refuges from Maumee Bay SP to Old Woman Creek. There's apparently enough dykes and forage for them to persist in these areas.

They mowed a bunch of them at the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge two summers back for some damn shore bird conference where they turned the whole of the refuge into a golf course. I won't even start on what they'd done to mussels and fish in preparation, we moved around what we could. We're trying to get them to realize there's quite a bit of other biodiversity to consider, its not just the bird-crazed that care, and they're getting there. Still it was sick to witness.

I need to do more with herps, maybe that'll be my next "project". We always joke when I'm out with my herper friends that we're on a show called "Herp Eye for the Fish Guy"

Todd

They mowed a bunch of them at the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge two summers back for some damn shore bird conference

Oh now is that not just classic.....and typical

It never fails to amaze me the stupid things some people do in the name of "conservation". One of my sites was burned to "preserve native flora"....Yeah thats cool and I'm all for it, however, why did it have to be done in MAY right after everything just left hibernation? There where a lot of crispy snakes after that day. Luckily the contractors doing the burns on these sites now advise me and seek my advice about when they do the burns.

"Herp Eye for the Fish Guy"

That is just classic....Usually for me though it is "Fish eye for the Herp guy". Fish are more my hobby, Herps are my profession.

It's funny how herp and fish guys are so similar. I've always had an interest in both but only keep fish these days. I still snap a few photos when I get a chance.
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One from where I used to work.

It never fails to amaze me the stupid things some people do in the name of "conservation".

Yeah. Best of intentions, worst of implementations. The fires really are a good thing (similarly I've yet to see the merit in mowing during the growing season in a preserve) as the plant community can determine the species present. We run into this down here with spotted turtles and bluespotted salamanders. But use your danged brain, people!

My other favorite was at one of our Metroparks which had a beautiful Black Swamp understory of spring ephemeral flowering plants. They also had a lot of ash trees, and Ohio Department of Agriculture decided this was the final line in the sand for ash borer... That somehow they were going to stop that train wreck by cutting out trees, when satellite colonies had been show to be anthro-generated (ie advances happened because people moved wood, not the natural line of invasion, which they really had no data on).

So what did they do? They cut out all the ash trees. Fine. Whatever. You want to waste OUR money that way, that's great.

But how they did it... And when. Yeah. They used heavy machinery (soil compaction) and they did it in late April and May because they didn't want another hatch to get off. They've turned that entire woodland over to invasive exotic herbaceous plants now.

Now we've got NOTHIN'. Way to go guys.

I guess it comes down to people not understanding the systems they're working in and how to manipulate the tools we have in our box of tricks to work out as a 100% success.

Todd

Nice looking pictures.

I was just wondering, would people be able to say...ship snakes, salamanders, frogs, etc in the same fashion as fish? I'd really like to get a native snake but I can never find any besides copperheads.

Anyone have some good NA amphibian and reptile photos? Being trained as a Herpetologist it is just difficult for me to get away from them so I like to oggle over them

Here are a few from some various surveys I conducted over the past few years.

Hi,

I'd like to know more about the sixth picture from the top. The one of the garter snake with the glossy head and neck. Where was that animal found? I grew up in and around Toledo Ohio and I used to harass these kinds of creatures... in a good way! I remember find a population of garter snakes that seemed different from others I had found. They were dark colored and more glossy. I can't remember if the scales were less keeled or unkeeled or even if I was aware of this term at the time. Anyway, I only found these snakes once, in a kind of isolated (geographically) area in Point Place, near the Ottawa River. Always wondered if that was really something unique or what. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Here is a shot from one of the best days I have ever spent in the field in Ohio. I will never forget catching these for an ODNR survey.

ok so I know my frogs well and some snakes but I was looking through this thread and realized I only knew what a few of these were... I rcognize the northern watersnakes (used to chase these out of my fish ponds I dug in the swamp behind my parrents house as they fled with a bluegill or green in their mouth) and the garter snake (caught these and chased my little sis around with them), but most of the others I don't recognise. Is the last one Carl posted a masasaugua rattler? I think we are supposed to have them around still in ohio and I know they are a very small rattler but thats about it.

Hi,

I'd like to know more about the sixth picture from the top. The one of the garter snake with the glossy head and neck. Where was that animal found? I grew up in and around Toledo Ohio and I used to harass these kinds of creatures... in a good way! I remember find a population of garter snakes that seemed different from others I had found. They were dark colored and more glossy. I can't remember if the scales were less keeled or unkeeled or even if I was aware of this term at the time. Anyway, I only found these snakes once, in a kind of isolated (geographically) area in Point Place, near the Ottawa River. Always wondered if that was really something unique or what. Any thoughts? Thanks!

That is a Butlers Garter snake (Thamnophis butleri) they are a interesting species that I have done much work with.

These snakes are in the area you mention. They are not common in large areas like the Eastern garter but can be very common in isolated pockets where they exist. They tend to have a very fragmented distribution and also tend to be associated with a very narrow habitat type. This particular snake pictured was from one of my study sites on an island in the Detroit river. These snakes are closely associated with Lakeplain prairies and wet meadows. In some cases however they can be found in heavily urbanized areas if water sources, flora and soil types are correct for them. they will show up in empty lots in Detroit with some frequency if water is around.

This is one of my very favorite snakes and one I've worked with now for close to 7 years. They definitely are unique and are a little known and little appreciated species. There is some talk of trying to get these snakes listed as federally threatened and in need of protection.

Here is a shot from one of the best days I have ever spent in the field in Ohio. I will never forget catching these for an ODNR survey.

That is one pretty little baby

Edit: (just saw your post Brian)

Is the last one Carl posted a masasaugua rattler?

Yes it is a Masasauga...... very cool snake they are in Ohio but not very common.

I thought so, arn't they associated with wetlands along lake erie?

I thought so, arn't they associated with wetlands along lake erie?

They are another Wet meadow / lakeplain prairie species much like the Butlers garter snake. They are rather picky about habitat.

That is one animal I'd gladly be envenomated by in the Oak Openings Region if I didn't have a camera.

"How's that for a voucher?"



The last one I saw was in 1988, just over the border in Michigan in the Indian Creek wetlands north of Point Place. My friend Greg Lipps has been looking for them in the Oak Openings every year for awhile now, and hasn't seen any. Kinda sad, considering talking to people who lived in the OOR in the 60's talk about shooting them "just because".

We're hoping to get into a huge wetland off Monclova Road this spring for 4-toed, bluespotted salamanders, and blandings turtles. Hopefully we turn up all those and more (spotted turtle and massasuga). It's pretty forested, but there are some breaks among it all that are COATED in sphagnum, which is rarely seen here any more. The guy is trying to sell 60 acres of wetland for $1.6 million. If he'd just suck it up and drop the "1 point" part he'd have it sold in a second to the Metroparks. My Zoo buddies are into it too (Tim Herman, Kent Bekker). We're gonna really start leaning on this guy to "do the right thing"

You guys should come out when we sample If we're really lucky, Tim will take us into the Zoo and look at the spray toads and tuataras. I'd like to sample Wiregrass Ditch and the Patton Tract at Kitty Todd too for fish. If we did that, we'd be guaranteed to see spotted turtle.

Maybe we can tie all this in on the April 21st Walleye Festival NANFA display thing, carry on over to Sunday. I'd be glad to host people.

Todd

sounds good to me, I'd be up for some herp hunting in a big wetland and of course fish sampling too!

That is one animal I'd gladly be envenomated by in the Oak Openings Region if I didn't have a camera.

"How's that for a voucher?"



The last one I saw was in 1988, just over the border in Michigan in the Indian Creek wetlands north of Point Place. My friend Greg Lipps has been looking for them in the Oak Openings every year for awhile now, and hasn't seen any. Kinda sad, considering talking to people who lived in the OOR in the 60's talk about shooting them "just because".

We're hoping to get into a huge wetland off Monclova Road this spring for 4-toed, bluespotted salamanders, and blandings turtles. Hopefully we turn up all those and more (spotted turtle and massasuga). It's pretty forested, but there are some breaks among it all that are COATED in sphagnum, which is rarely seen here any more. The guy is trying to sell 60 acres of wetland for $1.6 million. If he'd just suck it up and drop the "1 point" part he'd have it sold in a second to the Metroparks. My Zoo buddies are into it too (Tim Herman, Kent Bekker). We're gonna really start leaning on this guy to "do the right thing"

You guys should come out when we sample If we're really lucky, Tim will take us into the Zoo and look at the spray toads and tuataras. I'd like to sample Wiregrass Ditch and the Patton Tract at Kitty Todd too for fish. If we did that, we'd be guaranteed to see spotted turtle.

Maybe we can tie all this in on the April 21st Walleye Festival NANFA display thing, carry on over to Sunday. I'd be glad to host people.

Todd

I would love to go out sampling with you guys. Just let me know when and where. The massasuga was in Ashtabula County.