Reptiles and Amphibians

Tadpole 101 and Identification

Tadpoles (Photo: Benny Mazur, Flicker Sharing)

Tadpoles (Photo: Benny Mazur, Flicker Sharing)

Do Tadpoles Really Have Teeth?

It's Spring, and despite the weather doing its bipolar dance of 40's to 70's and back, the animals and plants are already starting to bloom, call, sing, mate, and lay eggs.  Here where I live spring peepers are vociferously calling every night. Soon they will be joined by cricket frogs, bull frogs, leopard frogs, green frogs, grey tree frogs, pickerel frogs, wood frogs, and toads. Already there are quite a few tadpoles of mixed origin gracing our vernal pools and ponds, which leads me to today's post about tadpoles. Tadpoles are the larval stage of amphibians. Most people only think about tadpoles as being frogs, but don't leave out their moist cousins (which have larval tadpole stags too) such as salamanders and toads. With that said, let's dive into the world of tadpoles.

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An Introduction to Spring Peepers


Spring peeper sitting on a finger (Photo: Flicker Sharing, Speklet)

Spring Peeper Basics

As surely as crocuses and daffodils mark the arrival of spring, so too do the calls of spring peepers (Pseudacris cruicifer). If you live in the Eastern US you're hearing the northern spring peeper (Pseudacris cruicifer crucifer), and if you live in the Southeastern US (roughly from Texas and Georgia to Florida, along the Gulf coast) then you might be hearing the southern spring peeper (Pseudacris cruicifer bartramiana). Both subspecies belong to a genus of frogs in the family Haylidae (hay-la-day), which is commonly known as the "chorus frog" family. These guys can belt it out! There are mountain chorus frogs, upland chorus frogs, striped chorus frogs, and more. Remember the singing frog from Bugs Bunny? Chorus frogs, and spring peepers, would qualify as champs up there with this guy.

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10 Facts About How A Snake Can Smell

garter snake ken hip flicker sharing

Garter snake with forked tongue (Photo: Ken Hipp, Flicker Sharing).

The World of Snake Smell-Tasting

When you ask people what creeps them out about snakes, it's often something like, "They're slimy" (which they aren't) or "When the stick their tongue out at me it's scary." This got me to thinking about an idea for this blog  post, because most people don't really understand why a snake sticks it tongue out at you and what it's really doing. There's a lot more going on than snake razzberries or just "smelling", especially when the tongue goes back in the snake's mouth. So, here are 10 facts about how a snake can smell:

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Answers The Question: What Do Snapping Turtles Eat?


Juvenile common snapping turtle (Photo: Karen McDonald)

Food Preference of Snapping Turtles

You're driving down the road on a perfectly nice Spring day and you spot a turtle. Being the good Samaritan that you are, you decide to get out and help it.  First, you have to identify it, then figure out if it's going to bite you, and if it's safe to move.  I've found myself in this position countless times, usually in sandals and standing a few feet from said turtle wondering if it was going to try to bite. How can you tell if the turtle you're facing is a snapper? Check out these photos:

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Frogs Make Sounds and Hear in Surprising Ways


Green tree frog calling (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Frog Sounds and Listening

As warm weather is setting in the chorus of frogs is starting up once again. Every time I pass a pond or water filled ditch I'm amazed at the cacophony. One pond I like to visit is devoid of any man-made lights or nearby sounds, so when you close your eyes and listen, just sitting in the dark is like being in a sensory deprivation chamber of just frog calls, quite stirring. This all got me to thinking, how do frogs make sound? Also, since they don't have external ears how do they hear those sounds?

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Turtles Breathe Through Their Butts

flicker Brent Myers

Red Eared Slider (Photo: Brent Myers, Flicker Sharing)

Vent Breathing Through Cloacal Bursae


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Toad Houses: Fun and Useful For The Garden

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How to Build Toad Houses




A common American toad (Photo: Karen McDonald).





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Copper Head Snakes and Water Snakes

Michael McCarthy flicker sharing 3 copperhead

Copperhead snake (Photo: Michale McCarthy, Flicker sharing)



Let's Begin with Copperheads....


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An Introduction to the Teaching and The Citizen Science Website Journey North

Journey North 3

Journey North, a Citizen Science Website for Everyone



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Cricket frog (Photo: Karen McDonald)

Where To Find Helpful Frog Call Resources



Lithobates_pipiens N. leopard wiki

Northern Leopard Frog (Photo: Wiki Commons)



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Salamander Emergence is Coming Soon, Reptile and Amphibian Hunting Tips


Spotted salamander (gravid) found during nocturnal survey. (Photo: Karen McDonald)

Herp. Hunting Etiquette Tips for Safe Nocturnal Searches This Spring

Spring thaw is just around the corner, and although it's hard to believe the salamanders will be moving soon they will be coming out withing the next few weeks. Conditions have to be just right for salamanders to migrate from their wintering grounds to breeding ponds. Some of the earliest movers for the Eastern US region are the spotted salamanders though marbles and others are close behind.

To view these early emergent visitors you should look for the the perfect conditions (often nocturnal, including at least 45-50 degree temperatures (Fahrenheit), light rain, and lengthening days. Usually these conditions in our region (Maryland) are met around the second or third week of February though this can be variable from year to year. It's not unheard of to see salamanders moving through snow piles to reach their ponds.

There are environmentally friendly ways to look for salamanders and early herps (meaning the study of reptiles and amphibians, short for herpetological), and methods that can cause major harm to an ecosystem. This post is about spring herp hunting etiquette.

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A Short Comparison of Hibernation and Brumation


The Difference Between Hibernating Mammals in Deep Continual and Physiological Sleep and Brumating Reptiles in Dormancy with Punctuated Activity

When I teach outdoor programs in the winter it's easy to slip into the habit of suggesting that those animals that don't stay awake and active all winter "hibernate," but this term isn't the most accurate to use. In fact, I wasn't even aware of the fine distinctions of hibernating mammals and brumating reptiles until pretty recently so I thought a blog post might be in order.

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Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) Freeze Solid Over Winter and Then Come Back to Life in Spring

Flicker DAve Huth Wood Frog

Wood Frog (Photo: DaveHuth Flicker common use)

Here in North America there are a wide variety of toads and frogs but perhaps none are so unusual as the wood frog. These frogs are found in Eastern North America, Canada, and up into Alaska. On a warm spring night you might hear them singing(click her for sound clip) near bogs, vernal pools, or upland forests but something remarkable happens to them this time of year in the winter, they freeze solid. Now freezing solid isn't remarkable by itself, but what is remarkable is that the frogs will literally come back to life in the Spring after having no heartbeat or brain activity, and they don't breathe, for up to eight weeks! This baffles and amazes scientists, who are actively studying them even now.

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