December herps, Virginia

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

December herps, Virginia

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:50 am

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
Sincerely

Mourits
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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Tue Dec 27, 2011 5:10 pm

Cool finds, I love salamanders and skinks. My first find this year took place on the same day and it was R. temporaria too. :)
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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby Andre Schmid » Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:06 pm

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:
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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:06 pm

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
Sincerely

Mourits
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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby GertJan Verspui » Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:30 am

Mourits, very nice!!

How did your hands(gloves) smell after handling the Nerodia???
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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:29 pm

Thanks! :-)
My gloves smelled just like they would when handling a Natrix natrix ;-)
Sincerely

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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby GertJan Verspui » Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:33 pm

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
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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:31 pm

Very nice! :)
Wish I will get the chance to herp over there during spring!
Sincerely

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Re: December herps, Virginia

Postby Sandra Panienka » Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:17 pm

Very cool pics, Mourits. That Nerodia is a stunner. Wish I could do some herping in the States.
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!

Postby Mourits Løvholt » Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:35 pm

Thanks!
I'll highly recommend it! ;)
Sincerely

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