Checking traps in New Mexico

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
herpseeker1978
Posts: 1139
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:05 am
Location: Albuquerque

Checking traps in New Mexico

Post by herpseeker1978 »

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:
Image
Hernandez's Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi hernandesi) - these are less common than the round-tails:
Image
Image
Great Plains Skink (Plestiodon obsoletus) - These avid biters are are fairly common. We give water to animals that look dehydrated:
Image
Longnose Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) - these also like to bite and are fun to noose!
Image
Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) - These are the biggest lizards we get
Image
Image
Image
New Mexico Whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicana) - these are one of the most common finds
Image
Image
Chloe likes to help!
Image
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!
Image
Image
Image
Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis) - this whiptail doesn't show up very often
Image


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!
Image
Sonoran Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis) - we see these fairly frequently:
Image
Plains Black-headed Snake (Tantilla nigriceps) - a few of these small snakes show up now and again
Image
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!
Image
Image
Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) - these are the most common rattlesnakes encountered
Image
Image
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:
Image
Image
She gave us her lunch of 5 spadefoot metamorphs and tadpoles
Image
Image

Toads

Chihuahuan Desert Spadefoot (Spea multiplicata stagnalis) - these guys show up when it rains
Image

Sometimes we find some strange things in the traps...
Image
Image
Image
Image

We also get some invertebrates in the traps:
Solpugid:
Image
Vinegaroon:
Image
Caterpilars:
Image
Image
Image
Image
Dragonfliy:
Image

Thanks for looking! I will be doing a post about my other field herping for the year soon!

Josh
Ecto Hunter
Posts: 276
Joined: August 27th, 2010, 3:00 pm
Location: AL & GA

Re: Checking traps in New Mexico

Post by Ecto Hunter »

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
kevinb
Posts: 56
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:53 am
Location: Stroud , UK

Re: Checking traps in New Mexico

Post by kevinb »

Nice report and some good pictures
troy hibbitts
Posts: 57
Joined: July 20th, 2010, 5:50 pm

Re: Checking traps in New Mexico

Post by troy hibbitts »

"dragonfly" = White-belted Ringtail (Erpetogomphus compositus)
User avatar
Fieldherper
Posts: 252
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 10:46 am

Re: Checking traps in New Mexico

Post by Fieldherper »

Awesome stuff. I would think that you'd turn up some hognose and the occasional milk in the pit traps?
User avatar
herpseeker1978
Posts: 1139
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:05 am
Location: Albuquerque

Re: Checking traps in New Mexico

Post by herpseeker1978 »

Thank you for all the comments!
Fieldherper wrote:Awesome stuff. I would think that you'd turn up some hognose and the occasional milk in the pit traps?
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.
Post Reply