Search found 269 matches

by mfb
November 1st, 2014, 6:24 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Sometimes it pays to stop and watch a Uta.
Replies: 8
Views: 3495

Re: Sometimes it pays to stop and watch a Uta.

Poor Uta, but that is a great observation!
by mfb
September 6th, 2014, 10:07 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Why are Herps Awesome?
Replies: 28
Views: 14417

Re: Why are Herps Awesome?

Wonderful thread idea. Love the points already made, and especially Owen's metamorphosis photos. Metamorphosis is one of the things I find most fascinating about herps. I'm teaching herpetology this semester, and it is one of my favorite classes to teach. Below is a video I showed my students last w...
by mfb
August 31st, 2014, 3:09 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Observation of "Basking" Behavior in Adult N. viridescens
Replies: 9
Views: 4256

Re: Observation of "Basking" Behavior in Adult N. viridescen

Very neat observation and photos, thanks for posting.

It certainly could be a strategy to fight off fungal or bacterial infections. Here's an interesting paper from Cori Richards on that topic:

behavioral thermoregulation and disease
by mfb
August 25th, 2014, 3:51 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: interesting field observation
Replies: 8
Views: 3556

Re: interesting field observation

Hi salamanderhunter,

You do need to sign up for flickr to join and add photos. However, you should be able to view nearly all the photos and videos without joining flickr.

Hope you join up!

Mike
by mfb
August 23rd, 2014, 9:38 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: interesting field observation
Replies: 8
Views: 3556

Re: interesting field observation

That is a really fantastic observation! As a kid I used to watch black rats in PA crawling around porch rafters, but never saw one trying to catch prey. Would love to see that. I moderate a flickr group dedicated to Snakes eating in nature . There are now over 1,000 images of various snakes catching...
by mfb
June 30th, 2014, 3:45 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Research in Illinois
Replies: 6
Views: 2360

Re: Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Research in Illinois

Chad, this is great that you are helping out the research. It sounds like you will be ending the funding drive soon. Since people might find this thread and want to provide more funds for Dr. Phillips' snake work in the future, they can donate directly to the INHS here: http://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/...
by mfb
May 31st, 2014, 11:02 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns
Replies: 14
Views: 2893

Re: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns

I spent last week going through the southern Appalachians, and while I don't have long-term data on the salamanders there, I did notice finding Plethodons was very hit and miss. In some areas, I could find salamanders under every third log, and in others I could flip for hours and not come up with ...
by mfb
May 31st, 2014, 10:50 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Rough Green capturing a spider...link to my youtube video.
Replies: 9
Views: 2559

Re: Rough Green capturing a spider...link to my youtube vide

Excellent! I have always wanted to see one of these eating a spider in the wild.
by mfb
May 31st, 2014, 10:48 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herper and a fan of Heavy Metal Music? Check it....
Replies: 39
Views: 10049

Re: Herper and a fan of Heavy Metal Music? Check it....

Fascinating to see a cassette tape - takes me back to the 80s and 90s. Is there a reason to make a demo on a cassette now rather than cd? Scott- Just listened to the web-isode. Loved it- I love how it was set up- interview, tunes, and information about the bands- flawless. You may find the cover of ...
by mfb
May 31st, 2014, 10:46 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: goodbye carl
Replies: 38
Views: 16750

Re: goodbye carl

What terrible news. I did not know him personally, but greatly enjoyed his posts and he seemed like a wonderful person. Condolences to his friends and family.
by mfb
May 26th, 2014, 3:33 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns
Replies: 14
Views: 2893

Re: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns

Hi Justin, Thanks for the suggestion!

Hi Kyle, Thanks for the information, that's really interesting. I hadn't known macrodactylum would do that. Do you have any photos of wood frogs from Alberta? I'd be interested in seeing them.
by mfb
May 19th, 2014, 7:02 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Newt Leg Regeneration
Replies: 6
Views: 16409

Re: Newt Leg Regeneration

very cool!
by mfb
May 19th, 2014, 7:01 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns
Replies: 14
Views: 2893

Re: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns

Hi Carl and beemaster, thanks for sharing your observations. And Carl, I would love to have wood frogs and toads in my yard! Hi Kyle, I was also confused by the comment that Andy mentioned. Are you referring to adult paedomorphic tiger salamanders in Alberta? The site we are monitoring consists of a...
by mfb
May 18th, 2014, 6:49 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns
Replies: 14
Views: 2893

Re: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns

Hi Andy and Kyle, Thanks for the info, glad to hear your populations are going strong! I'm not sure we would have noticed the dip in numbers of individuals if we hadn't been trapping adults. But from the numbers of adults captured in traps (even without the CMR data), there was a clear dip in our po...
by mfb
May 17th, 2014, 12:14 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns
Replies: 14
Views: 2893

How were your Ambystoma this year? plus belly patterns

Hi Folks, I would be curious to hear about your impressions of adult Ambystoma numbers at breeding sites this year, especially if you've been following populations for multiple years. I have been estimating population size in a group of smallmouth + hybrid salamanders in Northeast Ohio since 2011. T...
by mfb
May 17th, 2014, 12:03 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Some good southeastern stuff from last fall up until now
Replies: 15
Views: 4525

Re: Some good southeastern stuff from last fall up until now

Great photos! The cirri on that Eurycea are really fantastic. Also really like that crazy vocal sac on the oak toad.
by mfb
May 12th, 2014, 4:50 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Woodhouse's Toad eggs and larva
Replies: 5
Views: 1896

Re: Woodhouse's Toad eggs and larva

Great close-up shots!

I think the insect with the tadpole may be a hydrophillid beetle larvae. If you have more photos of it, could probably confirm.
by mfb
April 14th, 2014, 7:29 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Springtime in the Adirondacks
Replies: 3
Views: 1771

Re: Springtime in the Adirondacks

That is fantastic! Never seen a snapper on ice like that. Thanks for sharing.
by mfb
April 10th, 2014, 5:23 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Flute, Horn, Treefrog
Replies: 2
Views: 993

Re: Flute, Horn, Treefrog

I don't know, I was thinking Billboard top 100! Royalties rolling in ...
by mfb
April 9th, 2014, 6:32 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Flute, Horn, Treefrog
Replies: 2
Views: 993

Flute, Horn, Treefrog

I enjoy recording frog calls while out herping, and have posted a number of frog call audio clips and videos out on the web. I had never thought much about the recordings or who would be listening to them, until I recently received an email from Spencer Arias, a music composer in NYC. He wanted to i...
by mfb
March 30th, 2014, 5:37 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: When will Midwestern Salamanders move
Replies: 40
Views: 15972

Re: When will Midwestern Salamanders move

Seems like Cuyahoga County is more popular than I thought! Bummer indeed, Trey, but there will be more days! mfb- Are there any pure smallmouths in the county? I've seen one in central Ohio years ago but finding one close to home would be far more convenient. I typically see hybrids, such as this f...
by mfb
March 29th, 2014, 1:29 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: When will Midwestern Salamanders move
Replies: 40
Views: 15972

Re: When will Midwestern Salamanders move

small numbers of Ambystoma texanum / hybrids plus a few eggs in some ponds in Cuyahoga county. looks like the big migration has not yet happened at these ponds.
by mfb
November 11th, 2013, 7:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Ambystoma Appreciation Thread
Replies: 36
Views: 14047

Re: The Ambystoma Appreciation Thread

Male tiger salamander and wood frogs:



Spotted salamander at breeding site:

Image
by mfb
August 25th, 2013, 6:13 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: California newt life history and population status
Replies: 23
Views: 10359

Re: California newt life history and population status

Sam, Thanks for the extra info, I'll have to visit So Cal for some newting sometime. Fascinating the differences between North and South. One of the other things about Taricha that have fascinated me is their impressive ability to move. Migrating kilometers to a particular site to breed, then migrat...
by mfb
August 21st, 2013, 3:48 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: California newt life history and population status
Replies: 23
Views: 10359

Re: California newt life history and population status

Sam, this is a great post, thanks for putting it together! I spent a lot of time at ponds and creeks in Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties from 2000-2010 mostly working on pacific chorus frogs, but you can't miss the newts too. One thing I have wondered was how much newt populations were boosted by the ...
by mfb
August 17th, 2013, 4:50 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: summer herps 2013 (same as SE chapter post)
Replies: 15
Views: 4242

Re: summer herps 2013 (same as SE chapter post)

Great stuff! That first redback is pretty wild.
by mfb
August 17th, 2013, 4:47 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Peruvian Amazonia, or is that Amazonian Peru?
Replies: 63
Views: 109664

Re: Peruvian Amazonia, or is that Amazonian Peru?

What an amazing trip! Thanks for posting all the great photos.
by mfb
June 29th, 2013, 11:00 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Oman, June 2013
Replies: 20
Views: 9745

Re: Oman, June 2013

This is an amazing and inspiring post. I'd love to visit the middle east sometime. Do you speak any Arabic?

Those herps are great - the white toes on the gecko are especially fascinating!

Mike
by mfb
June 29th, 2013, 10:49 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Cool sighting while fishing
Replies: 3
Views: 1492

Re: Cool sighting while fishing

Excellent sighting! I am often amazed by how snakes eating prey in the wild seem to ignore people watching them.
by mfb
May 27th, 2013, 9:59 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Gilled newt
Replies: 2
Views: 1633

Re: Gilled newt

Hi John, Neat observation. They can be regularly found in the permanent bodies of water on the ESGR. Here are a couple photos of one. Mike Gilled Newt in SE Michigan http://www.mister-toad.com/photos/salamander/Notophthalmus_viridescens_Sept07bSIG.jpg http://www.mister-toad.com/photos/salamander/Not...
by mfb
May 26th, 2013, 4:30 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: New Flickr
Replies: 70
Views: 34672

Re: New Flickr

I've long been a proponent of flickr, but I am very frustrated with the changes. I've had a great time meeting people and learning natural history through flickr. I have not yet decided if I'll delete my account.
by mfb
April 27th, 2013, 5:31 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Photo piracy
Replies: 16
Views: 3480

Re: Photo piracy

Alex (the author of the scientific American article) also has a great entomology/natural history/photography blog that I think many here would enjoy: http://myrmecos.net/ I understand that many people are happy to make their photos available to anyone for free. But just because others share their ph...
by mfb
April 27th, 2013, 5:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Ophiophagus dessertii
Replies: 10
Views: 2332

Re: Ophiophagus dessertii

Fantastic!
by mfb
February 23rd, 2013, 9:09 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anoles - enough said
Replies: 34
Views: 23650

Re: Anoles - enough said

That is a really enjoyable post! Seeing those anoles was a real treat. You are probably familiar with Anole Annals ? I would be interested in getting your opinion on the identity of an anole I saw in the Yucatan (near Tulum) a few years ago. Unfortunately, the photo quality is pretty poor. I've gott...
by mfb
January 3rd, 2013, 6:17 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snakes on the hunt- a question.
Replies: 31
Views: 6283

Re: Snakes on the hunt- a question.

salamanderhunter - that is an interesting story about the Storeria. I wonder why they weren't scared by your approach? I've been able to closely approach a number of snakes in the middle of a meal, but when they are hunting, I've found them to be much more wary. More photos and info that you may fin...
by mfb
January 1st, 2013, 12:35 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snakes on the hunt- a question.
Replies: 31
Views: 6283

Re: Snakes on the hunt- a question.

Fantastic idea for a thread! I haven't seen vipers that were clearly on the hunt. However, I was sitting by a pond around noon one day in late April, and saw a big northern pacific rattlesnake cruise out of the chapparal and down to the edge of the pond, going rectilinear all the way. I believe it w...
by mfb
January 1st, 2013, 11:13 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: southern Ohio, 2012
Replies: 15
Views: 6513

Re: southern Ohio, 2012

Great year illustrated with great photos! I especially like all your close-up detailed photos of the salamander larvae. They are often overlooked, but some of the patterns of lines and spots on their heads and bodies is truly fantastic. Good luck in 2013!
by mfb
December 30th, 2012, 11:53 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 5 Footed Salamander! - and other pics
Replies: 14
Views: 4526

Re: 5 Footed Salamander! - and other pics

Neat observation on the deformity! Has anyone seen a deformity like the photo below? It shows a spike-like deformity coming out of the side of the tail of an adult california newt observed during the breeding season. http://www.mister-toad.com/photos/salamander/Taricha_torosa_tail_deformity_2010_02_...
by mfb
September 15th, 2012, 11:59 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Just a snake in a log
Replies: 8
Views: 3475

Re: Just a snake in a log

Looks like your project is pretty exciting! How many snakes have you been able to track? What's the longest distance you've seen them move?
by mfb
July 30th, 2012, 6:10 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Giant Water bug Predation
Replies: 9
Views: 4116

Re: Giant Water bug Predation

Water bugs eating adult anurans is a topic that has interested me for over a decade. I ran a quick 'web of knowledge' search for "palustris and lethocerus" and did not turn anything up. I checked a couple other searches, and didn't find anything specific on pickerel frogs and giant water b...
by mfb
June 24th, 2012, 8:26 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Desmognathus courting(videos)
Replies: 3
Views: 1365

Re: Desmognathus courting(videos)

What a great series of videos! The arm raising behavior is fascinating. This is probably one of the coolest things I've seen on fieldherpforum. Mike
by mfb
June 12th, 2012, 5:00 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Red-spotted Newt Longevity
Replies: 7
Views: 1695

Re: Red-spotted Newt Longevity

Petranka's book "Salamanders of the United States and Canada" is an excellent resource for this type of information. It belongs in every herper's library. You can also find a good summary of studies at amphibiaweb: http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Notophthalmus&where...
by mfb
June 10th, 2012, 4:53 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Garter Snake eating Toad
Replies: 3
Views: 1516

Re: Garter Snake eating Toad

Neat observations! A few weeks ago a group of us spotted a northern water snake chowing down on a toad. Mike
by mfb
June 10th, 2012, 4:44 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: All-you-can-eat in Texas
Replies: 6
Views: 1808

Re: All-you-can-eat in Texas

Nice!
by mfb
June 10th, 2012, 4:43 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Biting off more than one can chew?
Replies: 14
Views: 3172

Re: Biting off more than one can chew?

That's awesome! Anyone know what comprises the majority of an Eastern Milk's diet in the wild? Are garters thier preferred food item? When I was a kid I caught one and it never ate rodents ( or anything for that matter) so I released it after a while....funny it never occurred to me that they might...
by mfb
June 10th, 2012, 4:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 150 year old Bufo specimen - a puzzle
Replies: 12
Views: 2774

Re: 150 year old Bufo specimen - a puzzle

What a great find! That is incredibly valuable.

Are you thinking of using the specimens in your herpetology class? Have you thought about donating the specimens to a larger museum, possibly in exchange for specimens?

Thanks for sharing it!

Mike
by mfb
May 12th, 2012, 6:15 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Storeria occipitomaculata
Replies: 16
Views: 4984

Re: Storeria occipitomaculata

Great idea John, Both Storeria are very under-appreciated snakes. I don't have any photos, but I do have a natural history anecdote. Over the last three summers in Ohio, I've worked in the same field (the mesocosm field John V knows). For the first two summers we frequently saw milk snakes, but rare...
by mfb
May 5th, 2012, 10:42 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Alternatives to Conant & Collins Peterson Guide?
Replies: 11
Views: 2123

Re: Alternatives to Conant & Collins Peterson Guide?

Yes. I prefer the older Conant & Conant. The Latin names aren't up to date, but you can more readily identify the animal and then convert Natrix to Nerodia with something newer. I'm an old guy...... I've got the newest version, but I also pick up old editions for a different reason. I really li...
by mfb
May 5th, 2012, 10:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis calling side by side
Replies: 22
Views: 3878

Re: Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis calling side by si

That is fantastic! I think this is the first recording of heard taken of the frogs calling at the same time and place. It really illustrates the call differences much more clearly than listening to two separate recordings.
by mfb
April 6th, 2012, 3:55 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Bullfrog combat!
Replies: 4
Views: 625

Re: Bullfrog combat!

That is a very cool interaction to document! The pattern on the frogs is pretty interesting too. Whereabouts did you see them?

Thanks for posting!