1 / 18

Herpetofauna: Season by Season

Eastern Hognose Snake. Green Tree Frog. Herpetofauna: Season by Season. Compiled by the Davidson College Herpetology Laboratory. Photos by J.D. Willson, K Cecala, M.E. Dorcas, Pierson Hill, A. Heupel, Eric Stein, Wayne Van Devender, Tom Luhring, John White.

clover
Download Presentation

Herpetofauna: Season by Season

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Eastern Hognose Snake Green Tree Frog Herpetofauna: Season by Season Compiled by the Davidson College Herpetology Laboratory Photos by J.D. Willson, K Cecala, M.E. Dorcas, Pierson Hill, A. Heupel, Eric Stein, Wayne Van Devender, Tom Luhring, John White

  2. What do amphibians and reptiles do during the winter? • Some Hibernate • Spend part of the cold season in an inactive state • Who Hibernates? • Snakes • Turtles • Frogs • Salamanders Common Garter Snake Eastern Box Turtle

  3. Why hibernate? • Protection from cold • Less food resources • Low energy requirements Bullfrog Worm Snake Eastern Mud Turtle

  4. Where do they hibernate? • Frogs: Bottom of ponds, under leaves, burrow under ground • Snakes: Alone or in groups • Use holes, burrows, termite mounds, cracks in rock walls, etc. • Turtles: Burrow into dirt or mud • Salamanders: Under logs, leaves or in burrows Ringneck Snakes Marbled Salamander

  5. But some species are active in winter • Frogs can be winter breeders • Spring Peeper • Call on warmer, wetter nights and during the day starting in January • Stream Salamanders can be active • Water temps can be warmer than air • Dusky Salamander • Very common and can be found year round Spring Peeper calling Dusky Salamander

  6. Spring means breeding season! Southern Leopard Frog Egg Mass • Many Frogs breed • Pickerel Frog, Southern Leopard Frog, Green Tree Frog etc. • Salamanders breed • Reptiles come out of hibernation and breed Glossy Crayfish Snake Southern Leopard Frog

  7. Bull Frog • Common in ponds and lakes • Males call after heavy rains • Largest frog in the NC Piedmont area • What do they eat?

  8. Life cycle of a frog Upland Chorus Frog Egg Mass Pine Woods Tree Frog Tadpole Cricket Frog calling Cricket Frog River Frog Metamorph

  9. Spotted Salamanders • Wetland salamanders • Breed in temporary ponds and wetlands • Warm early spring rains bring many salamanders to the ponds • Lay 200 eggs!

  10. Eastern Hognose Snake • Mate in Spring • Lays 5-500 eggs in June or July • Eggs hatch in 2 months and look just like smaller adults • Hognose Snakes have the upturned nose to dig for their favorite food… toads!

  11. Many reptiles and amphibians are active in the summer! • Summer is the warmest season • Sun provides warmth • Other animals provide food • Some frogs are still breeding • Bullfrogs, Spadefoot toads, Grey Tree Frogs • Reptiles are most active Spadefoot Toads Grey Tree Frog Eastern King Snake

  12. Worm Snake • Very common and abundant • Lays eggs in early summer • Hatch in late summer • Usually found when digging or under logs or mulch

  13. Black Rat Snake • One of the BIGGEST snakes in the U.S. • Largest are over 8 feet • Live near humans • Non-venomous and non-threatening • Active during the day • Eat rats, birds, and squirrels • How do they kill and eat their prey? • Squeeze prey to death by constricting it and then swallow it whole

  14. Box Turtle • Common residents of the woods in the Southeastern U.S. • Males have red eyes, females have brown eyes • Eat a variety of plants and animals • Live for a very long time – for 50 years or more! Box turtles

  15. In fall some salamanders breed • Marbled Salamanders • Females lay eggs in areas that become puddles when it rains • Guard eggs until they get covered by water and hatch • Give juvenile salamanders a head start on growing so they can be bigger than other salamanders in the spring! Marbled Salamanders

  16. Snakes are most abundant in the fall! • Snakes are more common in the fall than in any other season • Most snakes are born between July and September • Many baby snakes are around and going to find their first meals • Adults move around looking for good places to hibernate Juvenile Black Rat Snake Ringneck Snake

  17. The year ends… and starts over again • In the fall many amphibians and reptiles find their homes to hibernate for the winter. • And then the whole process starts over again! Smooth Earth Snake Fowler’s Toad Green Anole

  18. Any Questions? Spring Salamander

More Related