Herps at Telogia Creek

A Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti) that I  came face to face with as I climbed some stumps.  I could tell that this one was about to shed because the eye is cloudy blue and the skin is pale.

      In scientific fields it is often important for one to specialize in a certain area of study.  As you probably already know, I am specializing in conservation of endemic fishes.  However, I have rarely met a biologist who hasn't had at least a general understanding of other organisms around them, and based on my personal experience, I think it is safe to say that most are still interested with groups of organisms (biologists call these groups taxa) that aren't within their particular specialization.  For example, I am always noticing the native plant life around my and I also like herps (reptiles and amphibians).  So, even though I didn't catch any of the fish I was looking for on my last collecting trip, I still had a good time because I encountered some cool reptiles and amphibians.
      When we got to the creek, the water was much lower than it was on our previous trip.  I hoped this wouldn't affect our collecting, but it did.  After about an hour of seining where we previously found our target species we decided to get a little creative.  Two of us would hold a net near some submerged stumps or brush while the third stomped and jumped on the debris to flush the fish into the net.  Using this method, we ended up catching more fish, but still not our target species.  When it was my turn to thump around on some logs I had a little excitement.  Firsts, I noticed a hatchling turtle basking on one of the logs.  I think it is a loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), but I am not sure.  I took two photos, but I didn't spend too much time with the turtle because I was at work.

I think this is a juvenile loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor).

 

I tried (unsuccessfully) to capture the triangular cross-section of the shell.  Like I said, I was working and didn't want to spend too much time with this little guy.

      After releasing the turtle, I climbed right into a dense pile of logs and brush.  I was surprised, though not really alarmed, to see a Florida water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti) resting on a limb that I was using as a handhold.  I've had many previous experiences with moccasins in the past and they never seem nearly aggressive as local lore would lead one to believe.  I'm not going to beat a dead horse, but snakes really aren't as harmful as most people think, unless someone is being careless.  For more information check out Living Alongside Wildlife.  Still, I learned to look before I put my hand somewhere.  In my defense, I was reaching above my head, and really couldn't really see anyway.  My lab mate, Jenna, recently moved from Maine and was very excited to see her first wild viper, so we took a minute or two to take some photos (cover photo).  Unfortunately, the particular snake was about to shed, indicated by the cloudy, glazed look on his eye, and the pale color of his skin.  I'm sure Jenna will get to see a more colorful moccasin before she leaves the southeast.
      The "cottonmouth", as locals call them, wasn't the last snake we saw that day.  While we were seining near a half-submerged log, I noticed a water snake coming out of a hole in the log.  I couldn't get close enough to positively identify it, but based on our location I am guessing it was a Nerodia sp.

This picture really only confirms one thing, I couldn't get close enough to the snake to get a good look at it.  I still thought it was cool to see it coming out of the log though.

      A less joyful part of the day was finding some alligators, but they weren't alive.  There were actually a few cleaned carcasses thrown under a bridge.  I don't know if they were harvested legally or illegally, but the scene was a little suspicious, so I reported the carcasses to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.   I spent a lot of quality time with alligators growing up in Florida, but I was hoping to point one out to Jenna.  All I could find were dead ones.  We did, however, see some tracks and slides!
      Our last herpetological find was a three-lined salamander (Eurycea guttolineata) under a log in the parking lot.  He was really skittish and did not sit still long enough for me to take a good photograph.  I had to borrow one from Jenna.

The three-lined salamander (Eurycea gluttolineata) that refused to pose for a photograph.  (Photo by Jenna Crovo, used with permission.)

      We stopped at a few other sights along the way home, mostly along the Flint River.  We didn't see any other herps, but my other lab mate, Erica, was pretty excited because we spotted (and heard) some bob-white quail and a beautiful pair of pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus).  After that, it was a nice drive home through a healthy longleaf pine forest with no fish, but some cool experiences.