This year started off slow. We spent the winter visiting the zoo and attending to my collection to get our herp fix. The zoo had a Reptile Awareness Day. We attended that, you can see an account of that here: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... 35&t=17965
For our anniversary, we took a back tour of the zoo. An account of that can be found here: herps: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... 35&t=17965 mammals: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... 38&t=17966
Every year, we check traps through the New Mexico Herpetological Society on Sandia Pueblo lands. This year we were on the 4th year of surveying the plains. One more year and we'll move into the foothills of the Sandias! Despite this being the 4th year, we still turned up a new species this year. I should clarify, a new species to the survey, not new to science! Here is some of what we have seen:
Lizards
Round-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum) - these are the most frequently sighted horned lizards we find:
Hernandez's Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi hernandesi) - these are less common than the round-tails:
Great Plains Skink (Plestiodon obsoletus) - These avid biters are are fairly common. We give water to animals that look dehydrated:
Longnose Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) - these also like to bite and are fun to noose!
Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) - These are the biggest lizards we get
New Mexico Whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicana) - these are one of the most common finds
Chloe likes to help!
Eastern Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana stejnegeri) - This sexually dimorphic lizard is probably the most commonly found herp. One time we had 8 in the same trap!
Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis) - this whiptail doesn't show up very often
Snakes
Regal Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus regalis) - we see about one of these a year, usually after a rain. This one was found during an extreme dry spell. It never ceases to amaze me how these animals work!
Sonoran Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis) - we see these fairly frequently:
Plains Black-headed Snake (Tantilla nigriceps) - a few of these small snakes show up now and again
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - we didn't see one of these until the 2nd year, then two on the 3rd and one this year. The one this year had just bit a wood rat. We left it and next time we were there, the rat and the snake were gone!
Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) - these are the most common rattlesnakes encountered
Western Black-necked Gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis) - This was the new species for this year. The rains came and filled up the pond behind a burm in one of the areas. It was filled with spadefoots and I caught this big girl:
She gave us her lunch of 5 spadefoot metamorphs and tadpoles
Toads
Chihuahuan Desert Spadefoot (Spea multiplicata stagnalis) - these guys show up when it rains
Sometimes we find some strange things in the traps...
We also get some invertebrates in the traps:
Solpugid:
Vinegaroon:
Caterpilars:
Dragonfliy:
Thanks for looking! I will be doing a post about my other field herping for the year soon!
Josh
Checking traps in New Mexico
Moderator: Scott Waters
- herpseeker1978
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Re: Checking traps in New Mexico
Very cool. It is amazing that those lizards are willing to drink while being restrained, but I guess water is a hot commodity in the desert
Re: Checking traps in New Mexico
Nice report and some good pictures
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Re: Checking traps in New Mexico
"dragonfly" = White-belted Ringtail (Erpetogomphus compositus)
- Fieldherper
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Re: Checking traps in New Mexico
Awesome stuff. I would think that you'd turn up some hognose and the occasional milk in the pit traps?
- herpseeker1978
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Re: Checking traps in New Mexico
Thank you for all the comments!
You would think. I think we have turned up one hognose. Milks are very secretive and very hard to come by in this area. I wouldn't say it's impossible, but it is pretty close to impossible.Fieldherper wrote:Awesome stuff. I would think that you'd turn up some hognose and the occasional milk in the pit traps?