Field Herpetology at The Southwest Research Station (Part 3)

I had a fantastic time teaching at the Southwestern Research Station's Field Herpetology course this year. We returned to Ohio on Wednesday and definitely needed a couple of days to recover from eight straight days of hiking, teaching, and chasing after reptiles/amphibians.

I had a few more pictures of animals and class activities, so we needed a part three to finish things up.

Last beautiful day at the research station:

The students had an awesome time catching Sonora Mud Turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) with Dr. Justin Congdon, Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia. He's about the coolest guy you could meet.

I didn't eat it. They smell bad.

During a pit stop to meet Justin, we found two Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata):

Bad photo because I was on the phone due to my credit card information being stolen. Thanks criminals.

In between catching mud turtles, we spotted this really beautiful Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi):

Very photogenic.

If you take the field herpetology course, the instructors promise to wear you out and then laugh while we take photos of you asleep.

One of the most fun labs is the sprint speed lab, where students race lizards with different locomotion strategies and compare.

Sonoran Whipsnake (Coluber bilineatus):

 Chiricahua Leopard Frog after being released:

Finally, here is Matt at airport security during the trip back home to Ohio. He is a guy who is used to answering 100 questions from TSA agents regarding the safety of snake tongs (the orange and silver device under inspection in this photo):

I can't wait 'til next year. We are home for just a few days before embarking on the first annual Gibbs lab field trip to Florida, where we will be assisting labmate Sarah Smiley in catching pigmy rattlesnakes for her research.

Field Herpetology at the Southwest Research Station (Part 2)

More photos from the 2013 Field Herpetology course!

The first female Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) I have ever seen hold still:

Herpetologist photobomb:

Round-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum):




Twin-spotted Rattlesnake (Crotalus priceii):

Huge male!

Think rattlensakes are mean? Look at this individual hiding his head.

Bad lighting, but a beautiful snake.

My very first Bunchgrass Lizard (Sceloporus slevini). A tough find all the way up the mountains:

Here is some of the variation in Long-nosed Snakes (Rhinocheilus lecontei):

Field Herpetology at the Southwest Research Station (Part 1)

We are three days through the 2013 Field Herpetology course at the Southwest Research Station. Whew, what a whirlwind this course is for the second year in a row. We have students from all over the country: college students, retired doctors, government contractors, and environmental consultants. 

I've been busy tweeting some of our activities, but need a place to show you some of the photos of the class at work and the animals we are finding. So here ya go.

A handsome Greater Earless Lizard (Cophosaurus texanus):

Dr. Carol Simon gives a seminar on the natural history of the Chiricahua Mountains:

My main man Dr. Steve Mullin describing the sexual differences between kingsnakes:

Here is a group of endangered Chiricahua Leopard Frogs (Lithobates chiricaheunsis):

Here is Matt Holding demonstrating to the field herpetology students and local residents how scientists safely transport and restrain venomous snakes:

Dr. Emily Taylor and Matt Holding implant a radio transmitter in a Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus):

My favorite rattlesnake: The Rock Rattlesnake (C. lepidus)!

A really nice find from night driving was a pair of Desert Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis splendida). She was no doubt cruising around looking for a nice rattlesnake meal. 

One of our first field trips was to Granite Gap, an area in Arizona know for having both a beautiful community of cactus and a thriving population of Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum).

And here is the star of the show. Worth all of the heavy hiking, for sure.

Gila Monster relaxing center-middle.

Arizona Black Rattlesnakes at Muleshoe Ranch

On our way to the 2013 Field Herpetology course at the Southwest Research Station, Dr. Emily Taylor, Matt Holding, and myself took a side adventure to look for rattlesnakes. Our destination: Muleshoe Ranch Cooperative Management Area in southeastern Arizona.

Muleshoe is operated by Melissa Amarello and Jeff Smith, who both do some fascinating work tracking rattlesnakes and documenting the secret habits of these cool creatures. Muleshoe is absolutely crawling with rattlesnakes, as evidenced by our first hour of looking around:

Two professionals doing there thing: Matt Holding (left) and Jeff Smith (right)

Within the first ten minutes, we had already found a beautiful male Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) that Jeff and Melissa wanted to capture to insert a radio transmitter. These devices are surgically inserted into the snake and provide a way to track an individual without causing any harm to the animal.

Within a few hundred meters, we crossed the remaining rattlesnakes in the area off the list.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) sitting on a nice large pile of horse poop.

Woo-hoo! Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus)

I've never been anywhere that had such a diversity of rattlesnakes in such a small area. Despite our lazy attempts at finding snakes, we stumbled into them left and right.

Want to come and look for snakes with us? Give it a try:

Above is some of the typical man-made habitat that is associated with old ranches. Great for attracting small mammals and small mammals are great for attracting snakes. See anything in that photo?

Take a step closer:

Here she is, a female Arizona Black Rattlesnake:

What a great spot to relax and wait for a fat mouse to walk by!

Muleshoe provided some great examples of how secretive and non-aggressive most rattlesnakes are. Although we observed more than ten rattlesnakes in a couple days, never once did a snake shake its rattle or behave aggressively. These animals rely on staying hidden, and will usually remain still and silent unless harassed. Here is another example of what a rattlesnake looks like naturally:

Matt and I were looking at the lizards scurrying along the fence in the above photo when Matt spotted a snake hidden in plain site. 

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

Finally, Melissa was kind enough to break out her antennae and track one of the Arizona Black Rattlesnakes. After looking for only a few minutes, we found him crossing a river wash.

Here's "Bane", the largest Arizona Black Rattlesnake that is currently being observed by Melissa and Jeff. Bane is a pretty formidable snake, and he had an agenda when we located him. We followed him for a bit while he cruised along, and he couldn't have cared less about our presence. As he disappeared into some thick brush, we were left wondering where he was headed. Was he looking for a meal, a mate, or something else? 

It is a rare thing for people to be as connected to a landscape and its animals like Jeff and Melissa are connected to Muleshoe and the rattlesnakes there. The work they do takes a great amount of time and effort, but also lets scientists learn some very important aspects of these animals' lives. Keep track of what Bane and the other snakes are up to by following SocialSnakes on their blog and on Facebook.

Next stop for us: The Southwest Research Station and Field Herpetology 2013

Southwest Dreamin'

Greetings all!

Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) about to say something important.

I haven't posted on this blog for close to a month due to general busyness and time spent traveling. The purpose of my recent traveling has been to make it out to Portal, AZ to help out with the field herpetology class taught at the American Museum of Natural History's Southwest Research Station. This has been my first time west of Yellowstone National Park, and oh boy I have had a fantastic time so far.

My labmate Matt Holding demonstrating how to safely handle venomous snakes for research purposes.

We have students from all over the U.S. from all walks of life here to learn about the Southwest's herptofauna. So far they have traversed some gnarly habitat, caught some incredible creatures, and memorized scientific names like it was their job.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

I've been very fortunate to help out with the course this year not only for the reptiles and amphibians, but also to connect with some great scientists that are here to teach and share their research. Unfortunately (fortunately), I have been very busy and don't have much time to update this blog. For now I will drop some photos for your enjoyment and wonder.

Mountain Patchnose Snake (Salvadora grahamiae) showing off its wonderful rostrum

The threatened Twin Spotted Rattlesnake (Crotalus priceii) only habits talus slopes that promote me falling down a lot.

People think I'm dumb, but my favorite desert herp is the Sonoran Desert Toad (Incilius alvarius)

A juvenile Green Rat Snake (Senticolis triaspis) makes for an extremely photgenetic animal

From here, I'll be heading up to California briefly before flying to Vancouver, Canada for the World Congress of Herpetology. After that , it is back to the (relatively) real world. Being a scientist is fun.

Look for more pictures and (maybe) stories to come!