Herpetology
Herpetology covers amphibians and reptiles. I was introduced to garter snakes at a very young age and did not run away screaming so my family figured I would be bringing home lots of wildlife. They were right on. A few primary school teachers became persistant at checking me at the door when they saw me coming in last after recess from the nearby pond. I would be asked to show them what I had in my hands and pockets and sent back to release whatever it was regardless of my justifications for keeping it for show and tell. I was a resource in 10th grade biology.
Snapping Turtle This turtle is about 6 years old now. We got him as a hatchling. It is a surprisingly calm animal. It only attepts to bite me when I take it out of its aquarium. | |
Black Rat Snake | |
| | Garter Snake The image to the left shows the defensive posture a garter snake will take when cornered. It flattens its body and head to appear larger than normal. In this pose, it will strike and bite. Though it has no fangs, the teeth are sharp and will draw blood. |
| | Milk Snake Here is a baby milksnake. You can get an idea of its size from part of my hand on the left. In my area, they seem to be feeding on garter snakes but I have yet to see what a baby like this could eat. A baby garter snake is almost the same size. |
| Water Snake | |
| | Redback Salamander The salamander represents a group of salamanders which do not have lungs. They are two to three inches long as adults and may live to be 20 years old. They rely on a moist skin and capillaries in the skin to obtain oxygen by diffusion. The female deposits its eggs on land in moist areas in the Spring and guards them until they hatch. There is no aquatic stage in its development. |
| | Eastern Newt Several people have these in their ponds in Livingston county. Their skin is toxic to most predators which might attempt to eat them. The orange colored individuals are juveniles which spend one or more years on land. The olive green adults return to the water and remain aquatic. |
| Yellow Spotted Salamander | |
| | Blue Spotted Salamander The amphibian can be 5 inches long with blue specs on its body. It is much heavier than the red back. It returns to water to breed. Tadpoles emerge from the eggs and go through a metamorphosis limilar to frogs. |
| | American Toad This toad is common in my yard and garden. They hang out at night under the light on my garage where they feed on insects. They will eat almost anything moving and small enough to fit in the mouth. |
| | Green Frog The frog is slightly larger than the leopard frog and smaller than a bullfrog. Occasionally I find juveniles in my yard at night in late Summer and early Fall. It is too dry for them during the day. |
| Leopard Frog | |
| Bull Frog |
Updated 04/16/2011