Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

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byrns
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Joined: June 13th, 2012, 2:39 pm

Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by byrns »

Hey, I got the chance to herp Pasco county for 9 days. The weather was iffy and we had a few days that were only in the low 70s. We also had 2 days of heavy rain on top of that. I don't get to herp florida often being i live in new york, and was very excited when my friend invited me to stay at his house. I been in love with the state every since i was really young. The diverse wildlife and fish that live there is what brought me in. I plan on moving there as soon as possible. I was thinking about the Fort Myers area or Orlando but I have heard south florida in better for herping.

During the trip we got to herp a bunch of different parks but didn't really do as well as i expected. There wasn't much to flip except logs and palm leaves. I didn't have access to a car otherwise i would have gone road cruising. Most of the floridian species would be lifers but instead we found 4 snake species that i have already photographed in past years.

Sorry for the amateur pictures my camera sucks.

Here are some habitat shots-
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Here are some finds-

Found this cool bug, did a little research and found it is an Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus)
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These Brown Anoles (Anolis segrei) were EVERYWHERE.
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These Mediterranean Geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) were seen in copious amounts too. We also saw a few Indo-Pacific Geckos (Hemidactylus garnotti) which escaped the camera.
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These Green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) were around the house too.
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Didn't really expect to see this a pair of these Florida scrub lizards? Sorry for the awful picture.(Would be a lifer)
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One of the snakes we were able to find on the trip were 5 Brahminy Blind Snakes Ramphotyphlops braminus, which seem to be very common in this area. A few years back i found a pair of them along a canal in Pinellas County.
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Found this little Racer (Coluber constrictor) under a downed palm leaf.
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I found this Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata) (atleast i think so) while walking in from snorkeling on a saltwater beach. He was just swimming along on the shoreline.
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We found a few Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) grazing. (LIFER)
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We went wading in the lake in my friends backyard and netted two turtles.
Yellowbellied slider? (would be a lifer)
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Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox) (LIFER)
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We also found a Southern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis Punctatus) when i didn't have a camera on me.


I need help with some other ID's. I know this is Field HERP Forum but i figured someone might be able to help me ID these..
I caught a ton of these panfish. They look like bluegill but i dont think they are. I bet they are some kind of sunfish.
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Two of these birds came right up on my friends dock almost every day.
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I also saw this skink with unique coloring and pattern. Im pretty sure its a Southeastern Five lined
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I found these toads while walking to the store one night. Southern Toads?
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Found this one during the day- My guess is Bufo americanus
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Thanks guys ill continue to post on my long island excursions throughout the summer and ill also be down in north carolina in july.
simus343
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Location: Okaloosa ca, Fla.

Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by simus343 »

Slider is a tough call without a side-shot of the head. Yellow belly sliders have a big yellow spot on the side of their head while coots just have yellow lines.

And yeah, only flipping cover in Florida is natural cover unless on private property.
byrns
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Joined: June 13th, 2012, 2:39 pm

Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by byrns »

simus343 wrote:Slider is a tough call without a side-shot of the head. Yellow belly sliders have a big yellow spot on the side of their head while coots just have yellow lines.
After looking at pictures of both species, it was a cooter.
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Noah M
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by Noah M »

Your toads are all Anaxyrus terrestris. The others I don't think range this far south.

Your water snake I think is a N. clarkii. Anybody else agree?

The boat dock birds are Black-crowned Night Herons.
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Nope- the first two toads are Cane toads (marinus).
The third is a terrestris.

Clarkii is what popped into my mind for the water snake, but I am going to let one of the Florida boys weigh in. I've never seen any of that complex in person....there may be a little banded water in it, but it is not a pure one for sure.

Very cool color on the skink!

Did you play with the click beetle any? I find it hilarious to watch them 'pop and lock' and jump all over the place.

--Berkeley
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Noah M
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by Noah M »

Nope- the first two toads are Cane toads (marinus).
The third is a terrestris.
I see it now. I just knew they were not americanus
byrns
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by byrns »

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byrns
Posts: 22
Joined: June 13th, 2012, 2:39 pm

Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by byrns »

Berkeley Boone wrote: Did you play with the click beetle any? I find it hilarious to watch them 'pop and lock' and jump all over the place.
I tried to get it to move with my snake hook but it wouldnt.
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Definitely a Saltmarsh Snake; and full blooded (not hybridized) if you found him in salt water. From the looks of him I would guess it's a mix of Mangrove (N. c. compressicauda) and Gulf Coast (N. c. clarkii); and I'm pretty sure that's right for the range (I don't have the range map in front of me, but I think you get hybrids from Tampa to Cedar Key).
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Thanks for the verification, Josh. A little clarification from my statement above- when I said 'not a pure one', I was referring to it not being a pure banded water snake. I knew it was one of those saltmarsh snakes, but I can never keep the clarkii/compressicauda species level thing straight.... I just need to see a couple of them live, I guess!

Byrns, to respond to your other question, yes that is a bluegill. And they are indeed a type of sunfish (Lepomis)

--Berkeley
byrns
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Joined: June 13th, 2012, 2:39 pm

Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by byrns »

[/quote]="Berkeley Boone"

Byrns, to respond to your other question, yes that is a bluegill. And they are indeed a type of sunfish (Lepomis) [/quote]

They looked different from bluegills i have caught up north. Theres a lot of purple on the adults.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by mtratcliffe »

Yuck - I didn't know we had cane toads in the Tampa Bay region!

Congrats on the scrub lizards - were those in Pasco Co. as well? Wasn't aware they lived this way. Also, nice shots of the black-crowned night herons! They are elusive birds but one of my favorite sights!
byrns
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Joined: June 13th, 2012, 2:39 pm

Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by byrns »

mtratcliffe wrote:Yuck - I didn't know we had cane toads in the Tampa Bay region!

Congrats on the scrub lizards - were those in Pasco Co. as well? Wasn't aware they lived this way. Also, nice shots of the black-crowned night herons! They are elusive birds but one of my favorite sights!
The scrub lizards were on a firewood pile in pasco county. There were two night herons who walked right up next to us. I had no idea about the cane toads as well. I was thinking cane toads when i first saw them but didnt think they came up this far north.
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Pasco County 4/11-4/20 (Multiple ID's needed)

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Berkeley Boone wrote:Thanks for the verification, Josh. A little clarification from my statement above- when I said 'not a pure one', I was referring to it not being a pure banded water snake. I knew it was one of those saltmarsh snakes, but I can never keep the clarkii/compressicauda species level thing straight.... I just need to see a couple of them live, I guess!

Byrns, to respond to your other question, yes that is a bluegill. And they are indeed a type of sunfish (Lepomis)

--Berkeley
Yeah, I understand, but yeah: an intergrade, not a hybrid. And come on down, we can find a few.
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