DOCSLIB.ORG

SPATIAL ECOLOGY of the EASTERN COACHWHIP (Masticophis Flagellum

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
SPATIAL ECOLOGY of the EASTERN COACHWHIP (Masticophis Flagellum SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF THE EASTERN COACHWHIP (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) IN AN EASTERN TEXAS UPLAND COMMUNITY By Richard W. Johnson, Bachelor of Science in Biology Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Stephen F. Austin State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY May 2001 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF THE EASTERN COACHWHIP (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) IN EASTERN TEXAS By Richard W. Johnson, Bachelor of Science in Biology , Thesis Director Dr. Michael B. Keck, Committee Member &, ______________ Dr. Dennis A. Gravatt, Committee Member Dr. David L. Jeffrey Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Ten Masticophis flagellum were caught, radiotransmitters were implanted and radio-tracked between 11 April and 19 October 2000 for the purpose of determining spatial activity and habitat use. Snakes moved between successive locations 78% of the time and averaged moves of 93 m per day. Coachwhips utilized macrohabitats disproportionately to their availability. Of three available macrohabitats, coachwhips utilized open oak savannas and avoided pine monocultures and forested seeps. These snakes utilized microhabitats that offered the greatest concealment and protection from possible predators, which supports empirical evidence about the wariness of this species. Familiarity with their environment was demonstrated wherein individuals returned to previously used burrows in their large home ranges. Home range size was the largest reported for a snake species and was not correlated with mass or snout vent length. After an average of 25 locations and 68 days, home range size was 93% of maximum. i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my thesis director, Dr. Robert R. Fleet, and Dr. Michael B. Keck for initially sparking the interest of wondering what a snake does. I thank Dr. Fleet for his guidance, patience and help in the field. I thank Dr. Keck for help in surgery, statistical support and revisions of the manuscript. Without Philip Blackburn, this project would not have been possible, for he designed and built the radio transmitters. I would also like to thank Dr. D. Craig Rudolph of the U. S. Forest Service Southern Experimental Station for providing the traps used to capture snakes in this study. I also greatly appreciate Jason C. Helvey, who unknowingly committed so much time to this project as well as helping me keep my sanity during 112° F days. Lastly, but most importantly, I owe special thanks to my parents, sister and other family who supported and encouraged me to return to school and further my education. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................vii INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1 OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................. 4 LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................................5 Studies of the genus Masticophis................................................................... 5 Spatial Ecology of Other Snake Species.......................................................10 JUSTIFICATION...........................................................................................................16 METHODS....................................................................................................................17 Study Area........................................................................................................ 17 Radiotelemetry................................................................................................. 18 Transmitters.......................................................................................... 18 Snakes.................................................................................................. 19 Relocation Methods ............................................................................ 20 Data Collection.................................................................................................22 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Snake Locations 22 Random Locations................................................................................24 Analytical Methods............................................................................................25 Habitat Use............................................................................................. 25 Movement ...............................................................................................26 Home Range.......................................................................................... 27 RESULTS.......................................................................................................................29 Habitat Use.........................................................................................................30 Movement ...........................................................................................................35 Home Range...................................................................................................... 36 DISCUSSION.................................................................................................................42 LITERATURE CITED....................................................................................................48 VITA.................................................................................................................................54 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Sex, size, weight, transmitter weight, and % of body mass represented by transmitters of coachwhips in our study .........................................19 Table 2: Information regarding date of capture, surgery, release and fate of individual snakes. Date in parenthesis indicates last data point................. 20 Table 3: Data recorded in a 1 m radius at both snake and random locations. Random locations excluded Date, GPS file name, location, return to a previous location and time of day. Asterisk (*) denotes those variables not recorded at random points .......................................... 23 Table 4: Sex, snout-vent length (SVL) and mass data for radio tracked individuals. Two individuals were depredated before mass could be re-measured (151 and 582) and one individual (502) was not recaptured.............................................................................................30 Table 5: Mean values for microhabitat variables and their significance level. A significant difference was defined as P<0.05 and designated by an asterisk (*)........................................................................................................... 34 Table 6: Activity percentages for individual snakes and population Means.............................................................................................................................35 Table 7: Rate and frequency of movements of individual coachwhips from 7 July to 10 September. Overall movement rate (OMR) is calculated as the sum of the distances moved divided by the total number of days. Actual movement rate (AMR) was calculated as the sum of the distances moved divided by the number of days movement occurred. OMR and AMR were re-calculated using the meander ratio (mr) described by Secor (1995) to offer comparability. Frequency of movement, minimum and maximum movements are listed................................................................................................... 36 Table 8: Home range (ha) for all individuals. Individual is the snake and the utilization distribution is the percentage of locations in the home range. MCP is the minimum convex polygon method, HM is the harmonic mean method and the ADK is the adaptive kernel method for calculating home range. A grid cell size of 50 was used for the HM and ADK method ...............................................................37 V Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 9: Percent of home range greater than 80% of maximum and the number of locations to reach this point ...................................................... 39 Table 8: Comparison of movement rates by Masticophis in the Mojave Desert (Secor 1995) and Texas. The Texas population
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Other Contributions
    Other Contributions NATURE NOTES Amphibia: Caudata Ambystoma ordinarium. Predation by a Black-necked Gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis). The Michoacán Stream Salamander (Ambystoma ordinarium) is a facultatively paedomorphic ambystomatid species. Paedomorphic adults and larvae are found in montane streams, while metamorphic adults are terrestrial, remaining near natal streams (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). Streams inhabited by this species are immersed in pine, pine-oak, and fir for- ests in the central part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Luna-Vega et al., 2007). All known localities where A. ordinarium has been recorded are situated between the vicinity of Lake Patzcuaro in the north-central portion of the state of Michoacan and Tianguistenco in the western part of the state of México (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). This species is considered Endangered by the IUCN (IUCN, 2015), is protected by the government of Mexico, under the category Pr (special protection) (AmphibiaWeb; accessed 1April 2016), and Wilson et al. (2013) scored it at the upper end of the medium vulnerability level. Data available on the life history and biology of A. ordinarium is restricted to the species description (Taylor, 1940), distribution (Shaffer, 1984; Anderson and Worthington, 1971), diet composition (Alvarado-Díaz et al., 2002), phylogeny (Weisrock et al., 2006) and the effect of habitat quality on diet diversity (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). We did not find predation records on this species in the literature, and in this note we present information on a predation attack on an adult neotenic A. ordinarium by a Thamnophis cyrtopsis. On 13 July 2010 at 1300 h, while conducting an ecological study of A.
    [Show full text]
  • Reptiles and Amphibians of Lamanai Outpost Lodge, Belize
    Reptiles and Amphibians of the Lamanai Outpost Lodge, Orange Walk District, Belize Ryan L. Lynch, Mike Rochford, Laura A. Brandt and Frank J. Mazzotti University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; 3205 College Avenue; Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314 All pictures taken by RLL: [email protected] and MR: [email protected] Vaillant’s Frog Rio Grande Leopard Frog Common Mexican Treefrog Rana vaillanti Rana berlandieri Smilisca baudinii Veined Treefrog Red Eyed Treefrog Stauffer’s Treefrog Phrynohyas venulosa Agalychnis callidryas Scinax staufferi White-lipped Frog Fringe-toed Foam Frog Fringe-toed Foam Frog Leptodactylus labialis Leptodactylus melanonotus Leptodactylus melanonotus 1 Reptiles and Amphibians of the Lamanai Outpost Lodge, Orange Walk District, Belize Ryan L. Lynch, Mike Rochford, Laura A. Brandt and Frank J. Mazzotti University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; 3205 College Avenue; Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314 All pictures taken by RLL: [email protected] and MR: [email protected] Tungara Frog Marine Toad Gulf Coast Toad Physalaemus pustulosus Bufo marinus Bufo valliceps Sheep Toad House Gecko Dwarf Bark Gecko Hypopachus variolosus Hemidactylus frenatus Shaerodactylus millepunctatus Turnip-tailed Gecko Yucatan Banded Gecko Yucatan Banded Gecko Thecadactylus rapicaudus Coleonyx elegans Coleonyx elegans 2 Reptiles and Amphibians of the Lamanai Outpost Lodge, Orange Walk District, Belize Ryan L. Lynch, Mike Rochford, Laura A. Brandt and Frank J. Mazzotti University
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Genetics of the Imperiled Striped Whipsnake in Washington, USA
    Herpetological Conservation and Biology 15(3):597–610. Submitted: 9 March 2020; Accepted: 5 November 2020; Published: 16 December 2020. CONSERVATION GENETICS OF THE IMPERILED STRIPED WHIPSNAKE IN WASHINGTON, USA DAVID S. PILLIOD1,4, LISA A. HALLOCK2, MARK P. MILLER3, THOMAS D. MULLINS3, AND SUSAN M. HAIG3 1U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 970 Lusk Street, Boise, Idaho 83706, USA 2Wildlife Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1111 Washington Street, Olympia, Washington 98504, USA 3U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 Southwest Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA 4Corresponding author, email: [email protected] Abstract.—Conservation of wide-ranging species is aided by population genetic information that provides insights into adaptive potential, population size, interpopulation connectivity, and even extinction risk in portions of a species range. The Striped Whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus) occurs across 11 western U.S. states and into Mexico but has experienced population declines in parts of its range, particularly in the state of Washington. We analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA extracted from 192 shed skins, 63 muscle tissue samples, and one mouth swab to assess local genetic diversity and differentiation within and between the last known whipsnake populations in Washington. We then placed that information in a regional context to better understand levels of differentiation and diversity among whipsnake populations in the northwestern portion of the range of the species. Microsatellite data analyses indicated that there was comparable genetic diversity between the two extant Washington populations, but gene flow may be somewhat limited. We found moderate to high levels of genetic differentiation among states across all markers, including five microsatellites, two nuclear genes, and two mitochondrial genes.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Dimorphism, Reproductive Biology, and Dietary Habits of Psammophiine Snakes (Colubridae) from Southern Africa Author(S): Richard Shine, William R
    Sexual Dimorphism, Reproductive Biology, and Dietary Habits of Psammophiine Snakes (Colubridae) from Southern Africa Author(s): Richard Shine, William R. Branch, Jonathan K. Webb, Peter S. Harlow, and Terri Shine Source: Copeia, 2006(4):650-664. 2006. Published By: The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1643/0045-8511(2006)6[650:SDRBAD]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/ full/10.1643/0045-8511%282006%296%5B650%3ASDRBAD%5D2.0.CO%3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/ terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Copeia, 2006(4), pp. 650–664 Sexual Dimorphism, Reproductive Biology, and Dietary Habits of Psammophiine Snakes (Colubridae) from Southern Africa RICHARD SHINE,WILLIAM R. BRANCH,JONATHAN K. WEBB,PETER S. HARLOW, AND TERRI SHINE Slender-bodied, diurnal ‘‘sand snakes’’ of the genus Psammophis are widespread and abundant through Africa, but the general biology of these animals remains poorly known.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ecology of the Western Whip Snake, Coluber Viridiflavus (Lacépède, 1789), in Mediterranean Central Italy (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae)
    ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Herpetozoa Jahr/Year: 1997 Band/Volume: 10_1_2 Autor(en)/Author(s): Capula Massimo, Filippi Ernesto, Luiselli Luca M., Trujillo Jesus Veronica Artikel/Article: The ecology of the Western Whip Snake, Coluber viridiflavus (Lacépède, 1789), in Mediterranean Central Italy (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae). 65-79 ©Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie e.V., Wien, Austria, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at HERPETOZOA 10 (1/2): 65 - 79 Wien, 30. Juli 1997 The ecology of the Western Whip Snake, Coluber viridiflavus (LACÉPÈDE, 1789), in Mediterranean Central Italy (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae) Ökologie der Gelbgrünen Zornnatter, Coluber viridiflavus (LACÉPÈDE, 1789), im mediterranen Mittelitalien (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae) MASSIMO CAPULA & ERNESTO FILIPPI & LUCA LUISELLI & VERONICA TRUJHXO JESUS KURZFASSUNG Der englische Sammelbegriff "Whip Snakes" [Peitschennattern, Zomnattem] bezeichnet phylogenetisch nicht näher verwancfte Schlangen (Colubridae und Elapidae), die durch bemerkenswerte Konvergenzen in verschiedenen morphologischen, ökologischen und ethologischen Merkmalsausprägungen einander ähnlich sind. Nach SHINE (1980), entwickelten sie diese Merkmalsausprägungen zur Ermöglichung einer erfolgreichen Jagd auf flinke, tagaktive Beutet- iere, mehrheitlich Eidechsen. Im mediterranen Mittelitalien (Tolfa Berge, Provinz Rom) untersuchten wir die Ökologie der Gelbgünen Zorn- natter
    [Show full text]
  • Life History Account for Coachwhip
    California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System California Department of Fish and Wildlife California Interagency Wildlife Task Group COACHWHIP Coluber flagellum Family: COLUBRIDAE Order: SQUAMATA Class: REPTILIA R052 Written by: L. Palermo Reviewed by: T. Papenfuss Edited by: R. Duke, E. C. Beedy Updated by: CWHR Program Staff, September 2000 DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND SEASONALITY Coachwhips are common to uncommon in arid regions below 2350 m (7700 ft) in California (Stebbins 1985). They are found in the deserts south of Mono Co. and the foothills of the coast ranges south of San Francisco Bay. There is an isolated population in the Sutter Buttes, Sutter Co. (Hayes and Cliff 1982). Coachwhips occur in open terrain and are most abundant in grass, desert, scrub, chaparral, and pasture habitats (Wilson 1970, Stebbins 1972). SPECIFIC HABITAT REQUIREMENTS Feeding: Diet consists of rodents, lizards and eggs, snakes (including rattlesnakes), birds and eggs, young turtles, insects, and carrion (Cowles 1946, Stebbins 1954, Wright and Wright 1957, Carpenter 1958, Cunningham 1959, Miller and Stebbins 1964). Coachwhips search actively for prey, with their heads elevated. They poke their heads in burrows, or climb trees, using both vision and olfaction to detect prey (Stebbins 1954, 1985, Miller and Stebbins 1964), which is consumed alive and whole (Ortenburger 1928, Stebbins 1954, 1985). Cover: Coachwhips seek cover in rodent burrows, bushes, trees, and rock piles (Stebbins 1954, 1985, Miller and Stebbins 1964). They hibernate in soil or sand approximately 0.3 m (1 ft) below the surface, sometimes at the bases of plants (Wright and Wright 1957). Reproduction: Little is known about nest sites.
    [Show full text]
  • An Aberrant Acephalic Metacestode and Other Parasites of Masticophis Flagellum (Reptilia: Serpentes) from Texas
    J. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 57(2), 1990, pp. 140-145 An Aberrant Acephalic Metacestode and Other Parasites of Masticophis flagellum (Reptilia: Serpentes) from Texas DAVID BRUCE CONN' AND CHRIS T. McALLiSTER2'3 1 Department of Biology, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York 13617, 2 Renal-Metabolic Lab (151-G), Veterans Administration Medical Center, 4500 South Lancaster Road, Dallas, Texas 75216, and 3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 ABSTRACT: Two of 12 (17%) western coachwhip snakes, Masticophis flagellum testaceus, from Texas were found to be infected with parasites. Several aberrant metacestodes occurred free in the pericardial cavity of 1 snake. Each lacked a scolex and possessed a disorganized body musculature and a highly vacuolated parenchyma. These aberrant metacestodes were structurally similar to metacestodes reported as Sparganum proliferum (Stiles, 1908) from various mammalian hosts, but asexual proliferation could not be confirmed in the present case. This snake also harbored numerous tetrathyridia of Mesocestoides sp. Vaillant, 1863, which were encapsulated in the intestinal wall. The tetrathyridia showed no sign of deformity or asexual activity. Other parasites infecting this snake included Eimeria zamenis Phisalix, 1921, Ochetosoma georgianum (Byrd and Denton, 1938), and Physa- loptera sp. Rudolphi, 1819. The only other parasitized snake harbored Sarcocystis sp. Lankester, 1882. New host and locality records are reported herein. KEY WORDS: Cestoda, coachwhip snake, Eimeria zamenis, Masticophis flagellum, Mesocestoides, metaces- tode, Ochetosoma georgianum, Physaloptera, Reptilia, Sarcocystis, Sparganum proliferum, tetrathyridium. A large amount of information is available on (1937) reported a coccidian, Eimeria zamenis the natural history and ecology of the coachwhip Phisalix, 1921, from a single M.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eastern Coachwhip Masticophis Flagellum Flagellum (Shaw, 1802)
    98 I Litteratura Serpentium, 1991, Vol. 11, No. 5 THE EASTERN COACHWHIP MASTICOPHIS FLAGELLUM FLAGELLUM (SHAW, 1802) By: Pete Strimple, 5310 Sultana Drive, Cincinnatti, OH 54238, U.S.A. Contents: Historical - Description - Size - Range - Habitat - Food - Habits - Reproduction. * * * HISTORICAL The Eastern coachwhip was first described as Coluber flagellum by Shaw in 1802. The type locality was given as 'Carolina and Virginia'. It was later restricted to Charleston, South Carolina by Schmidt in 1953. The binominal, Masticophis flagellum was first published by Ortenburger in 1928. The generic name of Masticophis, is made up of two Greek words; mastix meaning whip, and ophis, meaning serpent. The specific name flagellum is Latin for whip. Currently there are seven subspecies of Masticophis flagellum. DESCRIPTION Adult Eastern coachwhips are generally bicolored, being dark brown or black for the anterior one-third to one-half of the body, fading to light brown or tan on the posterior portion of the body. In these specimens the venter is brown or black anteriorly, and tan to creamish posteriorly. In some parts of the range, these snakes are almost uniformly black, with a reddish colored tail. Other specimens are a uniform tan color. The pale colored scales, on the posterior portion of most specimens, are edged in dark brown or black, giving the tail a 'braided' appearance, resembling a whip. The head of the Eastern coachwhip, with its large eyes, is rather elongate and angular, but is distinct from the narrow neck. In most adult specimens, the head is unmarked, with the exception of occasional scattered light marks around the eyes and upper labials.
    [Show full text]
  • Coalescent Species Tree Inference of Coluber and Masticophis
    Copeia 105, No. 4, 2017, 642–650 Coalescent Species Tree Inference of Coluber and Masticophis Edward A. Myers1, Jamie L. Burgoon1, Julie M. Ray2, Juan E. Mart´ınez-Gomez´ 3, Noem´ı Mat´ıas-Ferrer4,5, Daniel G. Mulcahy6, and Frank T. Burbrink1 The genus-level taxonomy of the New World racers and whipsnakes (Coluber and Masticophis) has long been contentious regarding whether the two genera are mutually exclusive clades. This argument is based on morphological characters and largely single-locus analyses. Herein we examine the phylogenetic history of this group using multi-locus data in a coalescent framework, where paraphyly of Masticophis would result in support for the recognition of only a single genus (Coluber) for these species. We sample all currently recognized species and incorporate broad geographic sampling for the more widespread species groups to explore biogeographic patterns across North America. Our analyses suggest that Masticophis is monophyletic with respect to Coluber constrictor, albeit with low support. These results also demonstrate that there is undescribed cryptic diversity in this group, and we underscore additional avenues of study to further delimit unrecognized species in this clade. The biogeography of the island endemic, Masticophis anthonyi, is discussed with respect to what is known about other codistributed vertebrates. Lastly we provide an overview of the history of the arguments for or against the use of the generic name Masticophis and suggest its continued use. T is widely accepted that higher-level taxonomy should incompatible with the species history due to incomplete reflect evolutionary history, and while most modern lineage sorting (Edwards, 2009), a situation often exacerbated I researchers agree on this general principle, often current by rapid species diversification (e.g., Koblmuller¨ et al., 2010).
    [Show full text]
  • Tracking the Endangered Northern Black Racer, Coluber Constrictor Constrictor, in Maine to Determine Areas of Conservation Importance
    Colby College Digital Commons @ Colby Honors Theses Student Research 2019 Tracking the endangered Northern Black Racer, Coluber constrictor constrictor, in Maine to determine areas of conservation importance Josiah Johnson Colby College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses Part of the Population Biology Commons Colby College theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed or downloaded from this site for the purposes of research and scholarship. Reproduction or distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the author. Recommended Citation Johnson, Josiah, "Tracking the endangered Northern Black Racer, Coluber constrictor constrictor, in Maine to determine areas of conservation importance" (2019). Honors Theses. Paper 962. https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/962 This Honors Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Digital Commons @ Colby. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Colby. Tracking the endangered Northern Black Racer, Coluber constrictor constrictor, in Maine to determine areas of conservation importance An Honors Thesis Presented to The Faculty of The Department of Biology Colby College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors by Josiah Johnson Waterville, ME May 13, 2019 Advisor: Catherine Bevier _______________________________________ Reader: Justin Becknell ________________________________________ Reader: Manuel Gimond ________________________________________ Abstract The Black Racer (Coluber constrictor) is a large-bodied snake species found across North America. One subspecies, the Northern Black Racer (C. constrictor constrictor) is listed as endangered in Maine because of its restricted range in York County.
    [Show full text]
  • Reptiles and Amphibians of the Verde Valley
    Alligator Lizards Anguidae Madrean Alligator Lizard Elgaria kingii Notes Venomous Lizards Helodermatidae Reticulate Gila Monster Heloderma suspectum _________________ Slender Blind Snakes Leptotyphlopidae _________________ Western Blind Snake Leptotyphlops humilis _________________ Reptiles Colubrids Colubridae _________________ Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus _________________ and Red Racer Masticophis flagellum _________________ Striped Whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus _________________ Amphibians Sonoran Whipsnake Masticophis bilineatus _________________ Western Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis _________________ Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer _________________ Glossy Snake Arizona elegans _________________ Common Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula _________________ Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis pyromelana PLEASE Long-nosed Snake Rhinocheilus lecontei LEAVE REPTILES AND Black-necked Garter Snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis Narrow-headed Garter Snake Thamnophis rufipunctatus AMPHIBIANS IN THE WILD Mexican Garter Snake Thamnophis eques FOR OTHERS TO ENJOY. Wandering Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans vagrans ***** Ground Snake Sonora semiannulata THE COLLECTION OF HERPS CAN Southwestern Black-headed Snake Tantilla hobartsmithi RESULT IN REDUCTION OF LOCAL Night Snake Hypsiglena torquata POPULATIONS, TRANSMITTAL OF RIMIROCK AREAS Of the CAMPVERDE, AND Lyre Snake Trimorphodon biscutatus DISEASES, AND INTRODUCTION OF Coral Snakes Elapidae Verde Valley SEDONA, COTTONWOOD, NON-ENDEMIC SPECIES. Arizona Coral Snake Micruroides euryxanthus
    [Show full text]
  • A Naturalist in Show Business
    A NATURALIST IN SHOW BUSINESS or I Helped Kill Vaudeville by Sam Hinton Manuscript of April, 2001 Sam Hinton - 9420 La Jolla Shores Dr. - La Jolla, CA 92037 - (858) 453-0679 - Email: [email protected] Sam Hinton - 9420 La Jolla Shores Dr. - La Jolla, CA 92037 - (858) 453-0679 - Email: [email protected] A Naturalist in Show Business PROLOGUE In the two academic years 1934-1936, I was a student at Texas A & M College (now Texas A & M University), and music was an important hobby alongside of zoology, my major field of study. It was at A & M that I realized that the songs I most loved were called “folk songs” and that there was an extensive literature about them. I decided forthwith that the rest of my ;life would be devoted to these two activities--natural history and folk music. The singing got a boost when one of my fellow students, Rollins Colquitt, lent me his old guitar for the summer of 1935, with the understanding that over the summer I was to learn to play it, and teach him how the following school year.. Part of the deal worked out fine: I developed a very moderate proficiency on that useful instrument—but “Fish” Colquitt didn’t come back to A & M while I was there, and I kept that old guitar until it came to pieces several years later. With it, I performed whenever I could, and my first formal folk music concert came in the Spring of 1936, when Prof. J. Frank Dobie invited me to the University of Texas in Austin, to sing East Texas songs for the Texas Folklore Society.
    [Show full text]