Lab #10

Date: 4/6/16

Location: Lumber River Conservancy

Lab Activity: Searched under coverboards and checked pitfall traps

Habitat: Pine/Hardwood Forest

Temperature: 68 F

Wind: 3.2 mph

Humidity: 33.7%

Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor)

    We found this snake underneath one of the metal coverups, which is exactly what you expect because snakes favor the metal covers because they are warmer and drier underneath.

    Like the name suggests the Black Racer is very fast as far as snakes go and they need to be because when they grow up to be adults they prey on animals such as nesting birds, squirrels and even rabbits.

    The Black Racer are nonvenomous but you should still be careful if ever handling one of these snakes because they have several teeth and will draw blood if they bite you. Also these snakes are typically very aggressive and may try to wiggle themselves out your hands so grip them tightly behind the head and the near the end of the tail.

Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)

    You will know that you have picked up an Eastern Fence Lizard by the loose feeling on skin resulting from the arrangement of the lizard's scales which will also appear to be spikey. You will know that you have a male by the bright blue/green colorations on the throat and flanks on the underside of the lizard.

    Although sometimes the females can have slight colorations on their underside as well. The colored females are less desired by the males, but these females are often more aggressive and will sometimes be the one to initiate mating. The advantage for a male to mate with one of these colored females is that they typically have more "handsome" male offspring.

    These lizards can live a semi-arboreal life style living in wooded areas although they can also be found in grasslands. 

Eastern Five Lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus)

    Able to reach lengths of 20 centimeters, the Five Lined Skink is the second largest skink in North Carolina. They are named after the five yellow/cream colored lines which run down their body. The juveniles are more easily identified by their tail which is blue in color in order to force the attention of a predator on to that spot. If a Five Line feels threatened it will drop its tail which will remain twitching to keep the predator distracted while it runs away.

 Juvenile

    The Five Lined Skink live in wooded areas and many live a semi-arboreal lifestyle, but many also prefer to be in open areas such as a field or recently burnt section of a forest where they will be looking for insects to eat.

    

Broad Headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps)

    

    Able to reach lengths of over a foot the Broad Headed skink is the largest lizard that you are likely to find in North Carolina. They prey primarily on small insects but have been known to eat smaller vertebrates even other skinks.

    You can find these guys in pine and hardwood forests either in the trees r on the ground foraging for food or basking in the sun. The species however is primarily arboreal so if you see one and it runs away it will look for something to climb on. When we caught this female she actually tried to escape by climbing up my professor's leg.

Lab #3

Date: February 3rd, 2016

Location: Lumber River Conservancy

Activity: Placement of articial coverups 

Habitat: Pine/Hardwood Forest

Temperature: 73.1 F

Wind: 8.8 mph

Humidity: 90.4%

    During this lab, we placed cover boards in various places around the Lumber River Conservancy. A coverup is exactly what it sounds like, in the case of our lab it was just a wooden board we threw on the ground although cover ups can be made of anything. 

    There are advantages to using different material for your coverups. A wooden board will remain moist underneath and is more likely to attract amphibians to come and seek shelter underneath. Metal coverups will heat up during the day remaining dry underneath and will attract reptiles such as snakes, but would be undesirable to an amphibian which tries to retain its moisture.

 

Top tier technology.

Pine Woods Treefrog (Hyla femoralis)

    As the name suggests the Pine Woods Treefrog is a mostly arboreal species, but this one was found underneath a coverup. It may have been looking for a place to moisten up or it could have been looking for a small insect to feast on. 

    These frogs can be brown, green or gray in coloration, but if you have a male you will can identify it by the orange flares on the thigh. 

    Their diet consists mainly of animals such as ants, beetles, crickets, moths and other small arthropods.

   Pinewoods Treefrog call

Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata)

    This species was found underneath one of the pre-setup coverups, probably looking for centipedes to eat. These snakes use venom to kill their prey and though they can be quite deadly to a small insect are incapable of doing any real damage to a large mammal. 

    This is a fossorial snake, meaning it borrows underground, and is rarely seen by humans. Although if you want to find one you should start looking under rocks, logs, leaf litter and anywhere a small fossorial snake might hide.

    

Atlantic Coast Slimy Salamander (Plethodon chlorobryonis)

    This species was found underneath one of the pre-setup coverboards probably using it for shelter and gather up some moisture. It may have also been looking for some food. The slimy's main diet consists of spiders, harvestmen, and other such small terrestrial arthropods.

    You can identify this species by its solid black colored body which is covered in several tiny white dots. Adults of this species can be anywhere from 4.5 inches or as long as 8 inches from head to tail. 

    The slimy is a member of the Plethodontidae family of salamanders, commonly known as the lungless salamanders. The slimy doesn't breath with gills either as it is a terrestrial species, they instead breath through their skin and membranes lining their mouths and throats.