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December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:50 am
by Mourits Løvholt
I’ve just got home from Norfolk, VA :)
My family and I stayed at some friends who are posted there.

At a forest located not far away from their house, I was out fieldherping one day, first some habitat shots:
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I saw a lot of small frogs, whom I couldn’t get to photograph because they jumped into the forest ponds they were staying at, and the water was completely black which made it impossible to see them, I only got the chance to species identificate one of them, an Acris gryllus, southern cricket frog.
In one of those forest ponds, something made me really happy! ;) :
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A big Nerodia e. erythrogaster, red bellied water snake! Beautiful snake, first time I’ve ever seen a snake from the Nerodia genus in real life. I caught the snake to get some close up, and spend about 1 and a half minute photographing it.
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I flipped a few rocks near another pond, 4-5 Plethodon chlorobryonis, east atlantic slimy salamanders found. Some fast little salamanders! The salamanders in Denmark are extremely slow when moving on land, these could actually run!:
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I flipped a large piece of wood laying in the sun, beneath that, I saw a group of small lizards running away, I managed to catch on of them, a small ground skink, Scincella lateralis.
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The next day, the 23. of December, I came across the area again, and had a few minutes to search. It was very cold that day, but the sun was shining. I found another east atlantic slimy salamander beneath a piece of wood, a big beautiful one!:
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That has to be the last herp I am going to find this year! ;)
just for fun, heres the first herp I’ve found this year:
Rana temporaria, 14/3:
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everybody! ;)
May 2012 be a successful herping year! :P

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 5:10 pm
by Michal Szkudlarek
Cool finds, I love salamanders and skinks. My first find this year took place on the same day and it was R. temporaria too. :)

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:06 pm
by Andre Schmid
Looks like a "Märchenwald" :) ...very cool, and nice finds. Not a bad Idea spend the worst time in the year on the other side of the world :lol:

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:06 pm
by Mourits Løvholt
Thanks guys! :)

Michal Szkudlarek wrote: My first find this year took place on the same day and it was R. temporaria too. :)


Kinda cool :P

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:30 am
by GertJan Verspui
Mourits, very nice!!

How did your hands(gloves) smell after handling the Nerodia???

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:29 pm
by Mourits Løvholt
Thanks! :-)
My gloves smelled just like they would when handling a Natrix natrix ;-)

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:33 pm
by GertJan Verspui
When I was in North Carolina in 2008 I found lots of Red-bellies, but after handling a big one, I smelled so bad for a long time, it was the same smell as Natrix natrix, but I had lots more of this on me.
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Mating...

The mating ones were with 5 snakes together.
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Adult

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:31 pm
by Mourits Løvholt
Very nice! :)
Wish I will get the chance to herp over there during spring!

Re: December herps, Virginia

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:17 pm
by Sandra Panienka
Very cool pics, Mourits. That Nerodia is a stunner. Wish I could do some herping in the States.

!

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:35 pm
by Mourits Løvholt
Thanks!
I'll highly recommend it! ;)