Herp Update: Moving Snappers, Herp Activity, & Concert—July 29, 2022

Our latest video: Moving Snapping Turtles

We had been looking for an opportunity to show on video what we feel is the safest way to move larger Snapping Turtles. While doing a herp survey on a piece of St. Michael’s College property in Essex we caught an adult snapper and decided to film this new piece.

Even large Snapping Turtles can be picked up and moved off the road quite safely (for you and the turtle) if you know how to do it (grab the base of the turtle’s hind legs). Kate Kelly filmed the video and Matt Gorton edited it for us. Check it out on our YouTube station at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYTOio94loM or stream it here:

Recent Herp Activity

American Bullfrogs are still calling. We caught and photographed this male (see below) just a few days ago in Fair Haven. The yellow throat and expanded base of the “thumbs” tell us it is a breeding male. They grip the females with those large thumbs. American Bullfrogs set up a territory and hope to tempt females into it by the quality of their singing. If they are successful, they fertilize her eggs and she moves on as the male continues to guard his territory.

When they feel threatened, Common Gartersnakes will spread their jaws in what certainly seems like an effort to look like a pit viper. Pit vipers have triangular heads (contrasting with a thinner neck) as a result of their venom glands. I have attached a photo (below) of a Common Gartersnake we recently found in Fair Haven. You can see that it is widening its jaws.

October Fundraising Concert

Don’t forget to buy your tickets to our October 1 fundraising concert with Patti Casey and Colin McCaffrey here in Salisbury. For more information or to buy your tickets visit:

https://www.simpletix.com/e/patti-casey-and-colin-mccaffrey-vermont-re-tickets-109660

Jim Andrews
642 Smead Road
Salisbury, VT 05769
VtHerpAtlas.org
jandrews@VtherpAtlas.org

“Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.” (Kenneth Boulding, 1973)