South Carolina- Spring Break '03
Clockwise from bottom left: Me, Taylor, Bob, Laurie, Luke, Missy, Heyward Clamp, Ted Clamp, Dr. Rudolf Arndt, Bonnie, and Jim Groeber.
During March 15-23 2003, I traveled to South Carolina with Dr. Rudolf Arndt and a group of selected upperclassmen from the Richard Stockton College of NJ. We were in serach of the Carolina Darter (Etheostoma collis) as we were trying to find the relation, genetically, of two disjunct populations. We met up with Fritz Rohde who co-authored "Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware" with my professor, Dr. Arndt and two other colleagues. During our travels, we also spotted many herps, birds, and some great fish.
We spent the first several days in the piedmont of NW South Carolina where we did not see many herps besides some Ranidae. We did get a brown snake (Storeria dekayi) snd some brown water snakes (Nerodia taxispilota). However, it was when we got to the coastal plain that we started seeing some great herps.
Fritz and Bob hanging out roadside after an exhausting seine at a site which contained many large slippery stones. We even had to cross barbed wire in the middle of the stream to access the other side.
There I am getting ready to go into the stream to dip net for specimens.
Final herp tally: (TMTC= too many to count)
TMTC southern black racers
TMTC southern ringnecks
1 Jasper Co corn snake
2 Dekay's snakes
2 eastern kingsnakes
3 brown water snakes
TMTC southern copperheads
1 cottonmouth
1 "canebrake" timber rattlesnake
TMTC southern cricket frogs
Several bullfrogs
several green frogs
TMTC spring peepers
Heard but not seen: Gray and Green tree frogs
TMTC southern toads
TMTC Dusky and Mountain Dusky Salamanders
TMTC 2 lined Salamanders (All salamanders were taken in seine nets while searching for fish)
TMTC green anoles
Several Southeastern as well as 5 lined skinks
3 ground skinks
TMTC American Alligators
Notable non-herp sightings:
2 Armadillos
TMTC dor Gray foxes
1 dor cougar on I-95!! (endangered in SC)
1 dor bobcat on I-95 as well!
TMTC Black vultures and tri-color herons (rare here in NJ)
~12 cattle egrets (Seen on the way down in pasture, my first time spotting them)
1 Swallow-Tailed Kite-> What a beauty! Seen on Edisto.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) I found a bunch of these guys at night with flashlights along a waterway neighboring a waste management site.
Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus ) I found these at the same site as the peepers, but they were not calling from the water's edge. They were instead calling from water filled depressions in the dirt road of the waste management site.
Mystery frog, though I am thinking it is an odd looking gryllus.
Mountain Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) These guys were found in extremely cold running water!
Southeastern 5-Lined Skink (Eumeces inexpectatus) I found Southeastern 5-lined skinks as well as the nearly identical 5-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) under bark and human debris.
Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor priapus) I managed to find several of these quick snakes under tin and other debris.
Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) These snakes proved to be very common under human layed debris such as plywood and tin. Not one, in my experince, has tried to bite, even while being handled with a snake stick.
Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus) I found one of these snakes sunning itself on the road in the Savannah River Wildlife Refuge.
Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula getula) I found this guy sunning himself after rain on Edisto Island.
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) We saw many of these large creatures at the various refuges and river systems.
Here's the money shot!
It's always fun sneaking up on these guys in the cool weather. Zoom lenses don't hurt either!
"Canebrake" Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) I found this guy recently hit on a road right after leaving Heyward's Serpentarium. He still had a lil life in him and had venom oozing out of his fangs when picked up.
Southern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus punctatus) These guys proved to be common as well under smaller debris. There were often several together.
Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttata) This guy was found under a fallen door in front of a run-down store. Terrible pic, but he was a stereotypical Jasper corn.
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) Gotta love these lil predatory birds that stay still and try to blend in when they sense a threat!
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) I caught this guy drying off after an afternoon shower!
Heyward Clamp and I at the Edisto Serpentarium. What a classy guy with a great family and a beautiful place over there in Edisto.
Back to home