A hatchling loggerhead musk turtle.
Carl called across the river “Remember, they look like acorns.”

What, I wondered was he going on about now?

Then it dawned on me. We were only a few minutes from docking and Carl was likening the hatchling loggerhead musk turtles, Sternotherus m. minor, for which we were then searching to a submerged acorn. Well, it’s true that they are darn near small enough, and when the roughened carapace is muddied by the perpetually silted water in which we were then searching the tiny turtles are almost acorn colored. So as far as it went his comment was a fair analogy. But turn one upside down and you’ll find 4 black spotted olive-tan legs, and a similarly colored head, neck, and tail, protruding from a very unacornlike, flat, rich orange-red, cross-shaped, plastron.

Finally, just before docking the canoes, Carl saw one of the acorns. And just about at the same time I happened upon an adult, which, by the way, looks nothing at all like an acorn and is much duller in color than the hatchling, but is still enjoyable to find. Give it a try sometime. The search can be a whole lot more fulfilling than sitting home and taking a selfie!

A young female Sri Lankan tree viper.
For many years Patti and I kept and bred a couple of dozen species of tree vipers of several genera. Among my favorites was the Sri Lankan species, Trimeresurus trigonocephalus. They were of moderate size (usually 2 to 3 ½ feet) , usually of reasonably equable disposition, always of beautiful color, and since they are both dimorphic and dichromatic they are an easily sexed taxon. Males, the smaller gender usually have much more black in the lateral and dorsal pattern than the primarily green females. Additionally, this taxon does not require brumation or other pronounced temperature manipulations to be successfully bred. And when and if bred these long-lived arboreal pit vipers bear living young (neonates are7 ½ to 9 inches long) that usually feed readily on thawed pinkies. Litters of 20 to 25 have been reported but the females we kept usually birthed 5 to 10 babies once a year. This taxon is light-bodied enough to allow a keeper to incorporate sturdy vining plants (Epipremnums and/or Philodendrons) and horizontal tree branches into beautiful terrarium designs. How much easier and fulfilling could keeping a venomous snake be?

This was one of 2 gravid female frosted flatwoods salamander we saw.
When we left at 1500 hrs, the forecast called for 3-5" of rain in Liberty County. Remnants of the super hurricane, Patricia, heavy rains were forecast to begin at 4:00PM and continue for about 24 hours. The forecast erred. Badly! At first it had sounded like good salamander weather but by the time we got there (6:30 PM) we were wondering? Although it was obvious that it had rained a little, the clouds were breaking up and it was partially sunny. Not salamander weather at all.

Jake and I wondered aloud whether we should remain or return home, but on a whim, decided to head for the coast 20 miles distant. At 7:00PM we were treated to a sprinkle that encouraged us to stay. At 7:30PM we hit a rather widespread and significant shower. Perhaps not all was lost. The road dampened, road edge puddles formed.

At 7:45PM we found an ornate chorus frog, at 7:50PM the first flatwoods salamander crossed, at 7:55PM we found 2 more crossing flatwoods and another ornate chorus. By the time we left, 10:00PM, it had stopped raining again and we had seen 12 of the protected flatwoods salamanders (incl 2 gravid females), 3 more ornates, and a couple of dwarf salamanders. It had turned into a darn good nite.

A pretty adult Christmas tree phase eyelash viper.

Of the many tree vipers, one or more of the many phases of the Eyelash Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii, are often the first “hot species” kept as a hobbyist’s herp experience grows. Although this Latin American tree viper is often available in grays, olives, pinks, and oranges, there seem to be 3 phases, the yellow, the tiger, and the Christmas Tree, that are the most popular. All of these are normal and natural colors, designed by Mother Nature. Although they may have been line bred to “improve” or intensify color or contrast, none are the creations of hobbyist breeders. Since Christmas is tomorrow, it seems appropriate that I at least make mention of this color variation.

It was close to a half century ago when Patti and I first visited Costa Rica. On that trip we were fortunate to meet and be shepherded by Peter and Suzi Seigfried. Peter took us up mountains and down into valleys, into the forests, and along streams. And it was along the forested streams that we first became acquainted with eyelash vipers in habitat. The first we saw, a gray baby, was on an afternoon hike. As eyelash vipers go, this was a pretty “blah” but since it was my first I took photo after photo of the snake. Peter assured me that we would actually see some pretty ones before the trip was over. And he was right. The next one was a beautiful yellow (oropel) example and it was in a banana clump right next to the home of one of Peter’s friends. More pix and more assurances from Peter that we would see more of these pit vipers. Another drive and we were at a tiny hotel in Palmar Norte. The next morning we were on the road again and Peter drove us to visit another of his friends at a locale that if I ever knew I have long forgotten. But I haven’t forgotten the snake we saw. Again in bananas, Peter pointed out the most beautiful pit viper I had until then seen. It was big, it was green with pink and red trim, and although I then thought of it then as a “normal phase” I was looking upon my first “Christmas tree” (hobbyist name) eyelash viper. More pix and many, many fond memories. Herping just doesn’t get any better.

Happy Holidays to all.

Somehow this old female mud turtle had survived this, now healed, terrible injury

The big female mud turtle, a common mud, Kinosternon s. subrubrum, was walking along in the shallows at riveredge. Carl was scooting along in the canoe, and I, as usual, was a few yards upstream firmly caught in a riveredge snag that had reached out and grabbed me while I tried to take photos.

Carl, who has an intense interest in all things kinosternid had been lured to the shore by a small mud turtle basking on a barely emergent limb. It was the 3rd example we had seen on this morning. This one had dropped from its sunny perch as Carl had neared and the turtle had inexplicably disappeared in the clear shallow water. It was as he was about to accept defeat that Carl noticed the big female in the shallows.

He reached over and as he lifted her from the water he exclaimed “this turtle has had a hard life!” When I glanced over it wasn’t difficult to see what had prompted Carl’s comment. Much of the turtle’s posterior carapace was missing and scarred and a closer look disclosed that part of her lower mandible had been over broken and had healed and although almost imperceptibly healed, most flesh from one temporal area had been scraped clean leaving a noticeable difference in bilateral facial configuration. What, we wondered, could have caused this? Outboard prop? A marauding alligator snapper? The jury is hung on the causative agent but is unanimous on the fact that this old girl has had a hard – a very hard – life.

This gator snapper weighed about 50 pounds.

“Dick, bring your camera!”

Easier said than done.

I had just turned around in the canoe to take a photo of a big cypress tree when a strong wind gust blew me broadside into a barely sunken snag. And I was having a devil of a time trying to get free.

Carl, 100 yards down river had just dived to try and find a huge river cooter that had skedaddled off a fallen tree trunk into 5 feet of water. The cooter had disappeared beneath the undercut riverbank but it was obvious that Carl had seen something else while he was submerged.

Finally my snag decided to release my canoe and I was on the way towards Carl.

Carl directed me to haul out across the narrow river from him, ready my camera, and then he dove again. When he next emerged in a shallower spot it was obvious why he was excited for he brought with him a beautiful 50 pound Apalachicola alligator snapper, Macrochelys apalachicolae. Not big as the species goes (the record is 318 pounds!) it was still an unexpected find.

Within minutes photos were made, the snapper had returned to its deeper water den, and we, still buffeted by strong headwinds, were again making our slow way downriver, both wondering whether the headwinds or we would win the gusty battle. Eventually we did.

This is an adult East African gaboon viper. Note the very short rostral horns.
Stoked by a moment’s carelessness by a very experienced keeper of hot (=venomous) snakes that resulted in a bite by a Gaboon viper, as well as a number of other widely publicized incidents, the antivenomous lobby has again been awakened.

The bite was a most unfortunate accident for Gaboons are not difficult snakes to work with. In fact, they are among the easiest. A heavy bodied nocturnal ambush predator, Gaboon vipers (aka Gaboon adders) are usually of quiet demeanor during the hours of daylight and although more alert and active at night or when food is offered they are, except for a defensive or feeding strike, neither especially fast nor agile. Their remarkably pretty coloration and patterns render the species (here I am considering both the eastern and the western forms subspecies—Bitis gabonica gabonica and B. g. rhinoceros respectively--- rather than genetically distinct full species). That Gaboons have long fangs and are able to expend a large amount of complex venom is unquestioned. The whys, wherefores, and legalities, of these potentially dangerous snakes being kept by hobbyists perplex non-herpers. Since a Gaboon viper was one of the first exotic snakes that I, as a herper, maintained, this is not a question I dwell long upon. I need only see—or not see, as the case may be—a Gaboon camouflaged against a leafy background and the “whys” answer themselves.

This is a prettily marked adult Weller's salamanderThe little bronze on black Weller’s salamander, Plethodon welleri, was named for a tragedy. In 1931, while collecting salamanders on Grandfather Mountain in western NC, herpetologist, Worth Hamilton Weller, the discoverer of this taxon, fell to his death.

The current status of this little plethodontid is a bit questionable. Some researchers claim it to be declining and in need of management throughout its range while other researchers feel the populations in NC, TN, and VA are stable.

This high altitude species (5000’ and above in many populations, rarely lower in some locales) apparently moves underground when temps near or drop below freezing. During warmer weather, and especially dampish warmer weather, finding one or a few is not a difficult task.

Weller’s salamander is adult at about 3 inches overall length. The amount of bronze on the dorsum seems individually variable. Within a given population some examples may be liberally suffused with bronze dorsal color while others may bear only a spot or two of the color.

Because of the beauty and remoteness of the habitat utilized by this salamander, finding this species is an exciting venture. On our Oct 2015 trip Patti and I experienced sustained winds of 20 mph and occasional gusts of 40-60 mph. I can assure you that we both stayed well away from the cliff faces that are so much a feature of the landscapes in this region.

Having a bottom 2 1/2 x 3 feet and a height of 5" allows one to catch all manner of herps, fish, and aquatic insects.
The other day Mike and John came by and borrowed my Goin Dredge (see photo above) to try their luck finding small fish, aquatic salamanders and tadpoles in some of our local shallow (ankle to chest deep are fine, but waist deep seems to be preferred) waters. They had a productive day, one that hearkened me back to the days when Patti and I spent time dredging and photographing the results.

To use the dredge one wades out to floating masses of aquatic vegetation (water hyacinths being among the better plant types) slides the dredge beneath the root masses, lift the contained vegetative mass to the surface and sort through the roots and stems.

Among other things, in this way Patti and I found two-toed amphiuma, 3 species of siren including our first Everglades dwarf siren, dwarf salamanders, river frog tadpoles, mud snakes, striped crayfish snakes, various water snakes, an occasional small cottonmouth, and many interesting fish and invertebrates.

We’d return home hours later, soaked, mud-covered, and satisfied. Maybe it’s time to do this again!

This is a large and typically colored Yonahlossee salamander
A couple of months ago Patti and I were “leaf-peeping” in western NC. We had visited Grandfather Mountain, driven along US221, and accessed the Blue Ridge Parkway, and were now sitting at Yonahlossee Overlook. This of course brought back many memories. Yonahlossee— the word is said to be of Cherokee origin and to mean “the trail of the bear.” Yonahlossee Trail— once a stage coach road between Linville and Blowing Rock, NC, had also allowed access to logging crews. Trees were cut, trees regrew, and the countryside was now a gently sloping forest of greenery growing between immense boulders and outcroppings on one side of the road and a precipitous forested drop on the other.

But my memories centered more on rainy nights of about 25 years ago when, then living in Asheville, the region was but a short drive that allowed me easy access to one of the world’s most beautiful caudatans, the Yonahalossee salamander, Plethodon yonahlossee. The largest of the genus, the adult length of 8 1/2 inches rendered the big red-backed salamanders easily visible as they left the safety of the verdant, rocky, woodlands to cross the twisty-turny roadway during summer rains. Fortunately for both salamanders and me, the road was not heavily traveled at night. I actually saw very few of the caudatans fall victim to traffic and I was always ready to avoid approaching vehicles.

Fond memories—the stuff of blogs!