MID-APRIL OPHIDIANS

OPHIDIAN

This is a fairly new word for me, so I thought I'd share it along with two mid-April examples of ophidians and one from November 2013.  See link below for definition and pronunciation.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ophidian

OPHIDIAN #1

DEKAY'S BROWN SNAKE

Over the weekend I found this little Dekay's Brown Snake just inside the basement door mostly buried in the fluffy light blue pile of a small throw rug.  At first I thought I was seeing a couple dried willow oak leaves atop the rug.  Just the snake's head and a short portion of its mid-back were exposed.  Of course, I snatched up the little snake.

Outside on the deck railing, it held a pose long enough for me to get a picture of the dark "crescent" mark behind its eye.

From a different angle, one row of the paired spots along its back is fairly evident.

This is a sleek little snake that appears to be about 9-10 inches long, perhaps just a year or two old.  They grow to about 13 inches at maturity although some individuals may grow longer. These guys eat mostly earthworms and slugs.

When this picture is enlarged, the keeled scales are more evident.  A keel is a ridge that runs down the center of most of the scales along the back and sides of the snake giving the reptile a rather textured feel.  This angle also highlights the snake's nicely rounded nose.

The Dekay's Brown Snake is a fairly docile snake.  I have never had one to even offer to bite, and of course, they are so small it would not be of any consequence if they did bite. It's April in North Carolina.  Note the smudge of pine pollen on my finger.

The little Dekay's Snake slithered off into a pile of mulch behind the house after its photo session.

OPHIDIAN #2

BLACK RACER

As I was making the rounds on Tuesday to the eight Bluebird nest boxes I've placed along the perimeter of the NC State Laboratory of Public Health campus, I was delighted to come upon the special pairing below.  At first I thought there was a "pile" of snakes.  On closer inspection it was apparent that the "heart-shaped" form on the ground before me was a pair of Black Racers.

Black Racers are known for being faster than most snakes when they are "exiting the scene".  But I read recently that their top speed is only about 6.5 miles per hour, the rate at which humans move when they are taking a quick walk. 

Black Racers have smooth scales, that is, their scales do not have keels like many of the snakes I've described on this blog.  These snakes are solid black except for a white chin (not seen here) and a gray belly.  Their eyes appear larger than those of many snakes and they have prominent brow ridges. To me, they are a rather handsome snake.






About 30 minutes after I found this pair my coworker, Becky, asked me to take her out to see them.  The two racers were not at the spot I had previously found them, but within a minute or two I found the larger snake just 15 feet down the hill at the wood's margin.  The two of us stood there, talking and taking pictures of this four and a half foot individual from about 4-5 feet away.  For 10-12 minutes the racer remained motionless.  Eventually, the racer slithered off into the grasses in the edge of woods behind him.

In the spring, a mature female Black Racer will release pheromones from special skin glands that attract male Black Racers.  It appears that these "odors" play a role in selecting the males with which she will bond.  Female snakes can store reproductive material from matings with several males in special "pockets" in her body and choose which she will use at the time she is fertile.  The female snake can store this material for up to five years.  Racers are egg layers and deposit from three to as many as 36 eggs in early summer. The hatchlings emerge in late summer or early fall.

(link to info on snake reproduction - use discretion - might be considered R-rated)

There is evidence that a similar mechanism of attraction may be at work in humans as well. See link below:

(link to Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice)

OPHIDIAN #3

JUVENILE BLACK RACER

The appearance of young Black Racers is quite different than the adult of the species.  In November of 2013 two coworkers brought me this young snake that they found on their lunch break stroll along District Drive.  

Its grayish-olive body was boldly patterned with brownish-black (almost chocolaty) rather ovalish blotches along three quarters of the length of its back.  Two of these blotches were conjoined and had a "Mickey Mouse-like" appearance. It had smooth scales with no keel.   Black Racers lose this pattern when they are about a year old.





And it had the most remarkable eyes.  They were quite large in proportion to its head.  The Racer's well developed vision aids in its success as a daytime hunter. Adult snakes are known to travel with their heads elevated perhaps a foot above ground level as they search for prey and look out for predators.

Sadly, this little snake had an injury to its tail, perhaps from a roadside mower's blade.  Although initially vigorous, it died the next day.

THREE LITTLE FOSSORIAL SNAKES

This afternoon my sister Sally, who was in town visiting her son's family, sent me a text saying they had found seven little snakes under stones that serve as a perimeter around a flower bed and a small tree in Matt and Beth's front yard.  It didn't take long for me to get on the road headed that way.

The stones had been replaced after the slender reptiles had slithered out of sight. As the stones were lifted again, we found three of the snakes.  I was delighted to hold my first snakes of 2015.  It was hard to get all three heads in focus at the same time, but here are two in the photo below.

It was soon apparent that we had two species of snakes here.  They were a little squirmy, but the cool weather tamed them a bit.  The slimmer snake on the right is a fairly young Dekay's Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi), maybe a year or two old.  The paired small dark spots along the back are a common characteristic of this species. These spots are sometimes connected.  Another diagnostic feature is the dark crescent marking near the back of the head.  These snakes eat soft-bodied insects and worms. In searching for food they actually help aerate the soil and even add a little fertilizer with their waste.  They are healthy for your garden!  

Here you can see the slight connection between some of the paired spots on the Dekay's Brown Snake as well as the crescent marking along its jaw-line.  The other two snakes are Rough Earth Snakes (Virginia striatula).  They seemed to be very mature snakes at about 12" long and a bit heavier bodied than the brown snake. The Rough Earth Snakes have a uniform brownish gray body with a creamy colored belly.  Their scales are keeled (having a ridge in the center of each scale) which gives them a bit of a "rough" texture when held.  Earth snakes share the same diet with the brown snakes and are good for your garden.  Both species are fossorial in that they prefer to stay hidden under rocks, logs, leaf litter, etc. 

The Dekay's Brown Snake has a bit more of a "neck" that separates its head from the rest of its body.  It has dark markings on top of its head and also has keeled scales.

Both of the Earth Snakes had a number of small pick-like wounds along their bodies.  It made me wonder if a cat had "played" with them over the years.  Notice the more pointed nose of the earth snake (below) in comparison the the rounded nose of the brown snake (above).  The Rough Earth Snake has a very thick neck or no neck at all!  Both of these snake species get no longer than 12 to 13 inches and are perfectly harmless. They do not grow up to be copperheads or pythons!  They are perfect reptile creatures for introducing to your children or grandchildren.

NOVEMBER HERPS

Carolina Anole

On the second Saturday of November while trimming shrubs at Big Pa's old house on Pottery Road, one of North Carolina's Scenic Byways (NC Highway 705), I happened across a pair of delightful Carolina Anoles (sounds like "uh-knoll-lee" or "uh-knoll" depending on whom you ask).  I love watching their independently rotating eyes as they stare me down. They are like little pointy-nosed dinosaurs.  

These small lizards have the ability to alternate between two basic colors, unlike chameleons which can modify the appearance of their skin to a multitude of colors to match their environment.  Anoles have three layers of pigmented cells in their skin that allows them to change their skin color. The three colors of pigmented cells are brown/black, yellow, and blue.  Typically these anoles will be a rich brown in environments that are cool, moist, and/or dark, and also when they are stressed. These are situations when an anole's activity is diminished. They will be brilliant green when they are warm, active, in bright light, and during the excitement and competition of mating season.  And of course green comes from the blend of the yellow and blue pigmented cells.  

Some individual Carolina Anoles have a light marking along the ridge of their back as in this individual.  Carolina Anoles have special toe pads that are a bit like those of geckos that allow them to climb on slick surfaces. They have a prominent ridge that runs from the eye to the nose.  

Anoles eat mostly insects and spiders.  In winter they avoid the cold in sheltered areas like under tree bark, in thick brush, or inside small outside openings in a house like under this deck where I found these two. Anoles have the features of other lizards, like dry and scaly skin, eyelids, claws, and behind the eye there is an external ear opening.  

Male Carolina Anoles have unusual territorial and dominance displays that involve doing a sort of push-up motion that causes their head to bob up and down.  Often at the same time they will extend their dewlap, a portion of skin along their neck and throat that is like a brilliant red blade.  Below are links to pictures of dewlaps, the two basic Carolina Anole colorations, and a short video of an anole changing colors.

(link to nextdoornature.files.wordpress.com picture of dewlap)

(link to Wikipedia picture of the two anole colorations)

(link to video of color change and expanding dewlap)

Some of this information on Carolina Anoles came from:

http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Anolis_carolinensis.html

and

http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/10155363/1/

Dekay's Brown Snake

On Veteran's Day as I was digging up little volunteer Nandina shrubs, I came across this small snake hiding under leaves next to the house.  This Dekay's Brown Snake is common in many habitats across the eastern US including forests and wetlands as well as the lawns and gardens of cities and towns.  They are a somewhat secretive snake and often spend their day under leaves, mulch, rocks, and landscaping timbers.  

Like all snakes, the Dekay's Brown Snake uses its tongue to gather information about the odors in the air around them as well as from items they may be considering to consume as food. These chemical "scents" attach to the tongue and are processed by the Jacobson's organ which is located in the roof of the snake's mouth.  This information is sent to the snake's brain which it interprets as a smell.

The picture below shows the snake curled up on a Formica table top. The two rows of small paired dark spots along its back are a key identifying feature.  Dekay's Brown Snakes can be light brown like this one, but can be gray or darker brown as well. This one has cream colored belly, but often the belly is grayish or pinkish.





In this picture you can see the pattern of scales on its belly that identifies it as a non-venomous snake.  On the right side of the picture at the snake's vent or cloaca (where the tail starts to turns downward) the scales go from a single scale across the belly to a braided pair of scales.  All of North Carolina's non-venomous snakes show this pattern of belly scales while our venomous snakes (except for the very rare Eastern Coral Snake) continue a pattern of single scales past the cloaca nearly to the tip of the tail.

In this close-up picture that I took in a white bowl, you can see a prominent dark mark behind its eye.  Another feature that you can see here are the keeled scales along its back and sides. On some of the scales, the keel is highlighted by the camera's flash as a small raised white line in the middle of the scale. These keels make this young 8 inch long snake feel a bit rough when holding it.  Dekay's Brown Snakes only grow to about 15 inches long.  Though these snakes are a bit wiggly, I have never had one even offer to bite.  They eat insects, earthworms, and slugs, etc.  Female Dekay's Brown Snakes do not lay eggs, but birth a few to as many as 20 young.

Some of this information on Dekay's Brown Snake came from: 

http://wildlifeofct.com/dekays%20brownsnake.html  

http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/species/reptiles_and_amphibians/dekays_brownsnake.php

Southern Two-lined Salamander

Also on Veteran's Day I uncovered this small amphibian while working with a gutter downspout drain.  On the wet ground under the corrugated pipe, I saw a little squiggle motion.  A quick scoop and I had this beautiful Southern Two-lined Salamander in my hand.  

One feature that biologists use to identify salamander species is the number of costal grooves along each side of the amphibian.  The Southern Two-lined Salamander has 14 costal grooves**. The salamander's ribs lie just beneath these narrow channels.  It appears the function of the grooves is to transport water across this semi-aquatic salamander's thin and fragile skin to keep it moist.   You can see several of the vertical crease-like marks in the picture below.  

The Southern Two-lined Salamander's basic color is yellow-orange with a broad pair of dark brown to black lines that run from behind the eyes and along the body nearly to the end of its tail.  It also has these dark speckles on its sides below these stripes as well as a few sprinkled between them.  Its legs are speckled, too.





Salamanders look a little bit like lizards, but are quite different.  Salamanders can breathe through their skin which is moist and smooth instead of dry and scaly as in lizards. And salamanders do not have claws or external ear openings like lizards. 

The Southern Two-lined Salamander's tail is nearly as long as the rest of its body. Salamanders can detach their tails as a way of escape from a predator or a rival. Within hours the salamander can begin growing a new tail through a process called regeneration. 

These sleek little 2.5 to 4 inch salamanders live in and around wet areas like streams, ditches, and seeps (like my gutter downspout drain), and are often found under leaves, rocks, or logs.  The adults eat a variety of prey including earthworms, millipedes, roly-polies (pill bugs), flies, beetles, snails, roaches, ants, spiders, bees, grubs, and ticks.  Yum!



It is easy to see some of the salamander's internal organs through its very thin, moist, and breathable yellow skin.  Its tail is remarkably long.

I took this picture in a white bowl with a small amount of water.  Here you can see the four toes on the front feet and the five toes on the hind feet.  There are a few salamander species that have four or fewer toes on the hind feet.

adults as including roaches, spiders, ticks, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, beetles, snails, springtails, flies, and hymenopterans.adults as including roaches, spiders, ticks, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, beetles, snails, springtails, flies, and hymenopterans.
diet of adults as including roaches, spiders, ticks, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, beetles, snails, springtails, flies, and hymenopterans.diet of adults as including roaches, spiders, ticks, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, beetles, snails, springtails, flies, and hymenopterans.
adults as including roaches, spiders, ticks, earthworms, isopods, millipedes, beetles, snails, springtails, flies, and hymenopterans.

This is a link to a photo of a pair of Southern Two-lined Salamanders.   The males of this species develop a pair of fang-like projections from their nasal area called cirri that are thought to help them locate a mate during breeding season.

 (link to Flickr.com picture of female and male with nasal cirri)

I found the link below to a very useful tool for identifying salamanders and other wildlife in a specific area. 

http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Salamanders

**  I also read that we humans have costal grooves, too.  Our costal grooves run along the inside of our ribs.  Contained in this protected channel is a grouping made up of a vein, an artery, and a nerve known as the "intercostal neurovascular bundle".   

From:  http://www.bartleby.com/107/illus122.html

Some of this information on salamanders came from: 

http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/salamanders/Eurcir/Eur_cir.html

http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Eurycea/Eurycea_sp.shtml

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eurycea_cirrigera/

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/amphibians/salamander-regrow-body-parts1.htm