Creature Feature: Northern Red Salamander

Adult Northern Red Salamander

The Northern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) is native to many areas along the east coast of the United States and is present in many aquatic habitats in a majority of the Appalachian mountains. This salamander tends to prefer slow moving streams containing few fish, mountain seeps, and can sometimes even be found in upland habitats near water.

The juvenile red salamander is exclusively aquatic and has external gills.  As the salamander grows the gills slowly shrink away and the brown juvenile attains a red color.  When the juvenile first turns red the color is usually very bright but tends to fade a bit with age.  The tail in the juvenile is also paddle-like to aid in aquatic locomotion where the adults tail is much more cylindrical in shape

Juvenile Red Salamander-Gills still present

Lesser Known Fact: The juvenile red salamander doesn't reach the adult stage until it is almost three years old!

Creature Feature: Eastern Mud Snake

This fascinating species of snake is primarily aquatic, usually only leaving the water in search of prey or finding a mate.  Found from Southern Virginia all the way into Florida, the Mud snake primarily inhabits swamps where there is an abundance of sirens and amphiumas, the Mud snakes favorite prey.  These snakes are very strong snakes but rarely, if ever, bite when handled.  The most common reaction to being handled is that the Mud snake will poke it's captor with its harmless pointed tail.  Moving from bodies of water primarily at night also make this species one that is rarely encountered by people but is also a reason why these snakes suffer a high road mortality rate.  While these snakes are believed to exist in high numbers little is known about their actual population numbers due to their secretive existence.

Lesser Known Fact: Mud Snakes have been witnessed using their pointed tail as an anchor in the mud for extra leverage while subduing prey.

Creature Feature: Northern Diamondback Terrapin

The Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a very unique turtle.  Occupying primarily coastal habitats from Massachusetts all the way down South along the coastline through Texas this species has adapted well to survive in brackish estuaries, bays, and rivers.  There are seven subspecies of Diamondback terrapins, but here in the Northeast we have the Northern subspecies.  These turtles love to eat a variety of crustaceans and mollusks with their powerful jaws which have evolved to crush this type of hard shelled prey.  Females tend to be larger than males attaining a size of about nine inches in shell length.  These turtles typically nest in sandy habitat in the spring and their babies hatch mid to late summer.

In Maryland there are many projects underway to help protect the terrapins native to the Chesapeake Bay.  Many organizations spend a lot of time protecting nesting habitat by installing protective fences around nests to keep out predators like foxes and raccoons.  One of the biggest threats is not just the collecting by humans for consumption but the loss of habitat due to the disappearance of the islands in the bay as a result of sea level rise and powerful storms eroding away viable nesting habitat.  Many of the islands acted as a sanctuary for nesting turtles.  On the islands many animals  that predate turtle eggs are absent from these islands which greatly increases turtle hatch numbers.

One of the most important projects has been the recreation of these islands.  Poplar Island is one of the bigger projects which is restoring a lot of lost habitat.  For more information visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website which has more information on the project.

http://www.fws.gov/ChesapeakeBay/Newsletter/Summer05/Poplar%20Island/Island.htm

Lesser Known Fact:  Not only has the Terrapin been the University of Maryland's Mascot since 1933, it was also designated as the official state reptile of Maryland in 1994!  Maryland is one of 26 states to adopt an official state reptile.

Creature Feature: Five-lined Skink

Adult Male Five-lined Skink

Juvenile Five-lined Skink

The Five-lined Skink is one of the most versatile lizard species in the United States with a range from Southern Texas North into Canada. These lizards are well adapted to their environment throughout their range.  The Five-lined Skink has many forms so don't be fooled into thinking you are seeing a different species!  The beautiful juvenile with its yellow stripes and bright blue tail grows up into a lizard with a more uniform brown color. During the spring breeding season the brown colored males show off a bright red head as well!

In some cases you may actually be seeing a Broad-headed Skink which can look very similar to the five lined with some subtle differences in scale arrangement, coloration, and overall maximum size. This little lizard can be commonly found in sunny areas basking on logs and likes to eat many types of insects, worms, spiders, and sometimes even baby mice!

Female Five-lined Skink guarding her eggs

Lesser Known Fact: Unlike most lizards the female will actually tend the eggs until they hatch!

                                                                                                               

Creature Feature: Eastern Kingsnake

The Eastern Kingsnake is a fascinating species native to the East Coast of the United States.  This nonvenomous snake is a medium sizes snake with an average adult size ranging from 36"-48".  If you don't like snakes, one good reason to like the kingsnake is that their diet consists mainly of other snakes with venomous snakes being one of their favorite menu items!  The Eastern Kingsnake will also mimic the behavior of other snakes, twitching its head around like a venomous snake and shaking its tail fast in leaf litter, mimicking a rattlesnakes rattle.

Usually very calm snakes, the kingsnake is not know to bite unless provoked.  If you find one in the wild please leave it wild, but if you desire to have one as a pet some people captive breed snakes so this would be a good way to acquire one to keep as a pet!  It was a real treat to see these snakes in the wild on one of our hikes and we hope to see more slithering around out there!

Lesser known fact: Many other nonvenomous snakes mimic the behavior of other venomous snakes by shaking their tails in leaves mimicking rattlesnakes, opening their mouths wide mimicking cottonmouths, forcing their heads back in an attempt the have a triangular shaped head, and flattening out their necks mimicking cobras (common in hognose snakes).  Another important note is that a cats eye is not always an indication that a snake is venomous (many pythons have these types of irises).  So to play it safe, know what snakes are in the area you are hiking and leave any wild snakes untouched and unharmed!

Creature Feature: Spotted Salamander

The spotted salamander is classified as a type of mole salamander. This is a group of salamanders that spends most of their life underground which is what makes them so difficult to find unless the time of year is just right to find them! During the spring these salamanders migrate to pools of water where they will meet, breed, lay their eggs and then return back to land and move back underground only to repeat the process next year! The baby salamanders grow underwater and actually have external gills.  After a few weeks these gills will decrease in size until they are completely gone and the spotted salamander young will join their parents in the underground lifestyle.

Lesser Known Fact: These little critters are mildly poisonous and many predators that try to eat them usually give up after a few bites due to their horrible taste!

Creature Feature: The Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is easily distinguished from other birds by its large white head, white tail, and nearly all black body.  A juvenile may not be so easily distinguished due to the lack of white plumage, but its overall size makes it easy to identify.  These raptors are opportunists and feed on what is available including other birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.  This formerly endangered species was brought back from near extinction when the pesticide DDT was banner.  The bioaccumulation of DDT in Bald Eagles caused the eggs they laid to be brittle and usually fail to hatch.  Today the Bald Eagle is still protected and remains an amazing sight to see out in the field.

Lesser known fact: Most of the time the sharp call of a hawk is played on many television shows and movies while a bald eagle is shown in flight.