Lab #9

Date: 3/30/16

Location: Lumber River Conservancy

Lab Activity: Radio Tracking Box Turtles

Habitat: Pine/Hardwood Forest

Temperature: 72.6 F

Wind: 2.4 mph

Humidity: 37.3%

    We used a technique known as radiotelemetry, which works by capturing a species and placing a radio tracking device somewhere on it, making sure that the tracker is only 5% of the individuals body weight or it will overburden the animal.

You then later come back to the site you believe your marked animals to be and use a radio tracking device. The device has a series of antenna and uses this detect the strength and direction of a radio signal. Basically you wave an antenna around and it beeps at you to tell you which way the turtle is.

    The box turtle is primarily a terrestrial species, which technically makes it a tortoise although they can spend a limited amount of time in the water. There are also some distinct features which differ between the males and females. The males typically have redder eyes than the females although females can also have red eyes so this isn't the best way to determine gender on a turtle; the best way is to turn the turtle over and look at the plastron, the males have a concave indentation in their shell for the purpose of supporting themselves when mounting a female. 

We tracked three turtles while out on this lab.

Turtle #152:

Y- 0650292

X-3863285

520 grams

147.2 mm carapace

Male

Turtle #191:

Y-3864245

X-0650494

520 grams

132 mm carapace

Female

Turtle #630

Y-3863834

X-0650585

570 grams

137.1 mm carapace

Female

Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

    Commonly mistaken for minnows the Mosquitofish is a member of the family Poeciliidae, the livebearers. This means that the Mosquitofish gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. 

    You can find them as far north as Indiana and stretching south through the Mississippi River and east in the coastal plain.

They are important for controlling the populations of many insects which have an aquatic larval stage such as mosquitos, but they will also feed on zooplankton and small insects.

Lined Topminnow (Fundulus lineolatus)

    Found natively as far north as southern Virginia and as south as Florida, the lined topminnow is a member of the family Fundulidae. Although they have been introduced as an invasive species probably by people dumping their bait buckets into these freshwater systems.

    You can tell the difference between a male and a female by looking at the lines on their sides. The males have very pronounced vertical lines while the females vertical lines are equally noticeable to the horizontal lines which both genders have.

Bluespotted Sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus)

    A member of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, the Bluespotted can be found in freshwater habitats such as ponds and lakes all over the eastern United States. They have been introduced in some new regions such as the Mississippi watershed. They prefer the still or sluggish water habitats such as a pond or an oxbow.

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

    Named for the blue marking on its gill the Bluegill is a member of the family Centrarchidae thus making it a sunfish. You can find these guys in freshwater systems from Quebec to Mexico.

    They typically eat small invertebrates such as snails and tiny crustaceans. However they wouldn't pass up a small fish such as a minnow if the opportunity were to arise.

    

Black Banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon)

    The Black Banded are members of the family Centrarchidae and can be found in freshwater habitats everywhere from New Jersey to central Florida. They feed on typically on aquatic larvae, but they will also feed on small aquatic insects and zooplankton.

Pirate Perch (Aphredoderus sayanus)

    The pirate perch can be found in freshwater systems all the way from here in North Carolina to southeastern Texas. The can be found in lakes, ponds and rivers and the lay their eggs in borrows. It is the behavior of laying these eggs in borrows which gave rise to a strange anatomical feature. The pirate perch's anus is not located in front of the anal fin like most fish it is instead anteriorly located just between the gills. The purpose of this is so that when the pirate perches go head first into these holes, the fish can get them as far back as possible.

Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia)

    The lesser siren is the smaller of the two siren species found in North Carolina, the other being the Greater Siren. You can identify siren by its long slender eel like body, with its little forelimbs and exposed gills.

    The lesser siren is an amphibian and a member of the Sirenidae; you can find them in various freshwater systems but often in ditches and narrow creeks. They are aggressive predators and like to feed on small arthropods and gastropods. 

     

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

    The Spring Peeper, which is distinctively recognized by the X shaped marking on its back, is a member of the family hylidae which makes it a tree frog. These guys will call out in huge choruses and often drown out the sound of any other frogs calling and they start peeping right around the beginning of spring. 

 Spring Peeper Calling in Chorus

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.

Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

    The green anole is that lizard species that I find all over my property near the coast, but you can find them throughout the southern USA and the Caribbean Islands. We didn't find this species underneath a pre-setup coverboard like the other species we found during this lab. 

    Green Anoles are capable of changing colors, they can switch between green and brown. The change color as a means of temperature control. When the lizard is cold it will turn brown to maximise the amount of the sun's rays that it absorbs and when its warm it turns green to reflect the rays. These colors also have the added bonus of being the primary colors of their habitat.

    Male Green Anoles are extremely territorial and when they encounter another male will extend their dewlap and begin doing pushups. The dewlap is the red structure located on the underside of the male anole's neck, the purpose of this is to act as a warning. In the scenario that the opposing male did not back down, the two males will end up fighting.