Early Warning System

The peninsula suffered a mild earthquake recently so it is timely to introduce you this guy.

This is the American toad (Bufo americanus).

Wisconsin is home to one solitary species of toad.

They're good to have around as they are an early warning system of sorts.

When it comes to predicting earthquakes, toads - warts and all - may be an asset.

British researchers said Wednesday that they observed a mass exodus of toads from a breeding site in Italy five days before a major tremor struck, suggesting the amphibians may be able to sense environmental changes, imperceptible to humans that foretell a coming quake.

Since ancient times, anecdotes and folklore have linked unusual animal behavior to cataclysmic events like earthquakes, but hard evidence has been scarce.

A new study by researchers from the Open University is one of the first to document animal behavior before, during and after an earthquake.

I'll let you know if I see an exodus of my toads.

But only after I beat it out of Dodge first.

You can learn more about it here. 

An Intervention

I'm not sure what this snake was thinking but it clearly bit-off more than it could chew.  There is no way a common garter snake is going to swallow a whole toad for lunch.  A leg maybe?

If one of our resident five foot long fox snakes attempted this I can assure you the toad loses.  In any event, Jill intervened and released the toad from the snake's grip.

Buddha would approve.

Snaky Panky

Allow me to introduce you to Elaphe vulpina – the Western fox snake.  This is a valuable animal to have around your yard as they dine principally upon rodents.  If you are a gardener they are your ally.  Belonging to the family of snakes that are constrictors - upon seizing their prey they coil around it to suffocate the animal.  After which they swallow it whole.  Their lower jaw is unhinged allowing this critter to swallow a rodent or bird five times the diameter of their head. Yum!

These are nonvenomous snakes and generally avoid people.  If handled they will frequently express a skunky, foxlike scent from a musk gland near their tail.  Hence the name fox snake.  If you pick one up use both hands as constrictors can be quite strong.  Wear gloves in case you get a dose of that musky discharge.  As a general rule they won’t bite.  Remember - they’re not poisonous - just in case a feisty one gives you a nip.

 

Last Tuesday there was this...

 

 

Eastern fox snakes mate in April or May, while western fox snakes mate from April to July.  Males wrestle one another to compete for females. 

In June, July, or August, the female lays between 6 and 29 leathery eggs. The eggs measure between 1.5 and 2.0 inches long and are deposited in forest debris or beneath stumps. After about 60 days, the eggs hatch. The young are independent at birth. The lifespan of wild fox snakes is unknown, but they live 17 years in captivity.

It's not often you witness snaky panky.....

 

Amphibian Chorus

The resident frog chorale is at long-last kicking it into high gear. 

 

Spring romance is in the air and the local critters have got lov’n on their mind.

 

Music to my ears.

 

From several evenings ago there was this.

 

Can't wait for the broken banjo string call of the green frogs to join-in.

 

Turn-up the volume...........

 

 

 

Guess the Critter

Wisconsin is home to only one species of this amphibian and it has been hanging out in the cool shade of the space between the front steps and the entry to the mud room.

There are rocks there to bland-in with and a a garden hose with a small leak to keep conditions damp.

It's a dandy one as large as my hand.

If I were this amphibian I might choose to live here too.

Can you locate it?

Don't Kiss The Frog!

Sunday – January 6th - was the last day of Frogs! at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  One of the most advanced traveling frog exhibitions in the country Jill and I took the opportunity to take-in and experience the vocal and visual beauty of these frogs from around the world. The exhibition has moved-on and this is the third of several postings I promised to publish over the next couple of weeks.  Be sure to check back and learn more about the herps - my favorite people.  

You do not want to kiss these frogs because the most poisonous animal around is not a snake or a spider.  It might be one of these stunningly beautiful frogs.  While most frogs produce skin toxins - these Central and South America amphibians are the most deadly of all.  The Golden Poison Frog (Phyllobates terribilis) holds enough toxin that an amount of poison equal to 2-3 grains of table salt is enough to cause the death of a human.       

From the exhibition are the Blue Poison Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus") and Dyeing Poison Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius). 

click on images for a closer look

The Yellow-banded or Bumblebee Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) and green-and-black poison frog (Dendrobates auratus).     








These poison frogs play an important role in the culture of indigenous South American hunters.  The tips of blow darts are inoculated with poison by rubbing the dart tips over the skin of a frog, stabbing or slowly roasting a frog causing it to excrete a toxic white foam.  The toxin tipped darts are destructive enough to kill bats, birds and monkeys. 

If you are wondering why these frogs can survive in the wild while sporting such brilliant and vivid coloration the answer is simple – they can.

Gigolo!

Sunday – January 6th - was the last day of Frogs! at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  One of the most advanced traveling frog exhibitions in the country Jill and I took the opportunity to take-in and experience the vocal and visual beauty of these frogs from around the world. The exhibition has moved on and this is the second of several postings I’ll publish over the next couple of weeks.  So be sure to check back periodically and learn something about my favorite people - the herps.

Behold Trachycephalus resinifictrix – the Amazon Milk Frog. 

click on image for a closer look

 

This frog’s range includes French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon. 

It lives and breeds in wet tree tops of the tropical forest.  During the breeding season the calling of the male milk frog lures a female to deposit two to three thousand eggs in his water-filled tree hole.  She leaves the male to fertilize them and care for the young.  After a couple of weeks and the tadpoles hatch the male lures another female to lay her eggs in the same water hole.  He doesn’t fertilize the second batch of eggs but uses them to feed his hungry tadpoles.  By feigning a love interest he tricks the second female into delivering food for babies that are not hers. 

Gigolo.

Herps!

Herpetology (from the Greek ἑρπετόν herpetón, meaning reptile or creeping animal) is that branch of zoology focused-upon the study of reptiles and amphibians.  You know – snakes, turtles, lizards, toads, frogs, salamanders and other associated critters.  

Not many people know this but frogs and toads are both amphibians and while they share many similarities they are also different.  As a general rule - frogs spend most of their lives in or near water while toads are more terrestrial.  A frog’s skin is smooth and a toad's skin is bumpy.  Technically-speaking a toad is a type of frog and Wisconsin is home to twelve species of frog - including the American Toad.  Got that straight?  Herps are some of my best kind of people.  But I digress. 

Sunday – January 6^th - was the last day of Frogs! at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  One of the most advanced traveling frog exhibitions in the country Jill and I took the opportunity to take-in and experience the vocal and visual beauty of these frogs from around the world. 
The exhibition has moved on but stop-by and visit the blog from time-to-time as I’ll publish some additional postings over the next couple of weeks.   

This is not a cow pie or Jabba the Hutt – it’s an African bullfrog.  Capable of growing up to eight inches in diameter they eat just about anything that moves – including small birds and mammals.  In the wild this frog can burrow underground and go without food and water for months at a time. With the arrival of the seasonal rains they emerge to feed and mate.  The male guards the tadpoles that swim around him for protection.  While protecting the swimming tadpoles the adult will also feed on them.  After metamorphosis the froglets often eat their smaller siblings. 

This guy is fed rodents once a month after which he sleeps it-off.

click on the image for a closer look

Herps

It is said that if you enjoy the company of an abundance of reptiles and amphibians on the premises you likely are blessed with a healthy ecosystem.  These are critters that often serve as the ecological equivalent of the canary in the coal mine and when their numbers diminish it is a reliable sign of a decline in suitable wildlife habitat or a degradation of the environment. 

Herptiles – herps for short – is a term used to encompass both reptiles and amphibians.  With a sunny 68 degree day today I encountered a couple of half dollar-sized herps on the driveway.    

click on images to enlarge

Following mating female turtles of most Wisconsin species excavate a depression in softer or sandy soils for laying their eggs.  We must have some appropriate soil types around the house inasmuch as encountering hatchling turtles is not uncommon several times throughout the year.  

Anyway, after depositing her eggs mother turtle covers the clutch with dirt, leaf litter and debris - and she departs.  She does not stay to protect the nest site, nor return to nurture or raise the newly-hatched turtles. The leathery, ping pong ball-sized eggs harden over time and with no small amount of luck will survive until hatching and beyond.   Most nests are predated by mammals such as raccoon, skunk, fox and coyote.  Hatchlings often fall victim to the same predators along with gulls, cranes and herons eating their fill.  Only a small percentage of hatchlings survive and grow to adulthood and reproductive age.    

As a rule of thumb if the eggs incubate in ground temperatures of 84 to 86 degrees they generally result in females, cooler nests of 76 to 77 degrees will yield males with a mixed brood incubated at 82 to 84 degrees.   

The offspring of some species that hatch in later September or October will remain hidden underground until spring warms the earth.   Unlike hibernating toads and frogs that freeze during winter the bodies of turtles do not. A turtle's metabolism runs at very low pace and they remain alert to changes in light and temperature that signal the arrival of spring.. From time-to-time a sober ice drinker will report a turtle sighting thru a hole in the winter ice.

Turtles like these (and the ones in the photos) dig their way out from their nest with the arrival of spring, reveal themselves and set out in search of water.   

If you see an adult turtle on the road in the summer it will likely be a female seeking a nesting site.  Turtles on the road in the fall are of both sexes looking for a location to overwinter.  If you see a turtle on the road please give it a brake.  If it’s not a snapper give it a lift to the safe side of the road they’re heading for.    

The red markings suggest that these are Painted turtles – Chrysemys picta.  They’re a common turtle around here along with the snapping turtles that inhabit the ponds, creek and wetlands on the property.