wes_von_papineäu
Our Roving Correspondent
HANCOCK COUNTY JOURNAL PILOT (Carthage, Illinois) 14 May 08 Sherman's salamander first of its kind (Doug Endres)
Kane Sherman has contributed to the state's body of information on salamander sightings in Hancock County.
Sherman found a smallmouth salamander near Carthage Lake two weeks ago. Once identified, it turned out to be the first-ever recorded sighting of the amphibian in the county going back to 1830.
The salamander makes its nearest home in McDonough County. Christopher Phillips, associate professional scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, said it's likely the salamander was always in the county.
“The species has probably always been in Hancock County, but no scientist has ever looked for it there, or if one did, they didn't find it because it isn't found just anywhere in the county,” said Phillips. “This species needs fishless wetlands (ponds, marshes, puddles) for breeding and these aren't all that common on the landscape.”
Sherman found the salamander while driving around Carthage Lake. He was going up Dump Hill when he saw what he thought was a lizard crossing the road.
“I'd never had the chance to find one to possibly keep as a pet,” said Sherman. “I stopped and picked him up.”
Sherman quickly realized it wasn't a lizard. His dad, Stephen, a long-time resident of Carthage, had never seen a salamander in the area before. They hit the Internet to look at photos to determine what kind of salamander they had.
After looking at photos, they thought they had a silvery salamander, which is an endangered species. The family emailed Phillips about their find. They sent him photos upon request and he identified it as a smallmouth salamander. He confirmed it as the first sighting in the county.
“I average about 35 calls and emails like this a year,” said Phillips. “It is a very significant source of information, especially now that almost everyone has a digital camera and email. They can just snap an image and zip it off to me.
“Every once in a while, I get a gem like the smallmouth salamander Kane sent me.”
Phillips said if the species has been previously documented it can still be important if the sighting was a long time ago. The new sighting is documented and recorded.
The Shermans kept the salamander in a clear plastic box with moist leaves and rocks. Kane fed it worms. It stayed with the family for four days before they decided to release it at Carthage Lake.
“It stopped eating the worms we were feeding it,” said Sherman. “We decided to let him go so he wouldn't die.”
Phillips said his database is composed of specimens from 35 museums around the country. He wrote the 35 museums and asked for a list of all their Illinois specimens of amphibians and reptiles, the location and date of collection, the collector's name, and other information. He now has access to a database of over 40,000 specimens of amphibians and reptiles from Illinois dating back to 1830. He also has his own sight records and those from other scientists who can properly identify amphibians and reptiles.
The Shermans granted permission for Phillips to use the photos they took for his database. He plans to update the website map to reflect Kane's finding.
http://www.journalpilot.com/articles/2008/05/14/news/news1.txt
Kane Sherman has contributed to the state's body of information on salamander sightings in Hancock County.
Sherman found a smallmouth salamander near Carthage Lake two weeks ago. Once identified, it turned out to be the first-ever recorded sighting of the amphibian in the county going back to 1830.
The salamander makes its nearest home in McDonough County. Christopher Phillips, associate professional scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, said it's likely the salamander was always in the county.
“The species has probably always been in Hancock County, but no scientist has ever looked for it there, or if one did, they didn't find it because it isn't found just anywhere in the county,” said Phillips. “This species needs fishless wetlands (ponds, marshes, puddles) for breeding and these aren't all that common on the landscape.”
Sherman found the salamander while driving around Carthage Lake. He was going up Dump Hill when he saw what he thought was a lizard crossing the road.
“I'd never had the chance to find one to possibly keep as a pet,” said Sherman. “I stopped and picked him up.”
Sherman quickly realized it wasn't a lizard. His dad, Stephen, a long-time resident of Carthage, had never seen a salamander in the area before. They hit the Internet to look at photos to determine what kind of salamander they had.
After looking at photos, they thought they had a silvery salamander, which is an endangered species. The family emailed Phillips about their find. They sent him photos upon request and he identified it as a smallmouth salamander. He confirmed it as the first sighting in the county.
“I average about 35 calls and emails like this a year,” said Phillips. “It is a very significant source of information, especially now that almost everyone has a digital camera and email. They can just snap an image and zip it off to me.
“Every once in a while, I get a gem like the smallmouth salamander Kane sent me.”
Phillips said if the species has been previously documented it can still be important if the sighting was a long time ago. The new sighting is documented and recorded.
The Shermans kept the salamander in a clear plastic box with moist leaves and rocks. Kane fed it worms. It stayed with the family for four days before they decided to release it at Carthage Lake.
“It stopped eating the worms we were feeding it,” said Sherman. “We decided to let him go so he wouldn't die.”
Phillips said his database is composed of specimens from 35 museums around the country. He wrote the 35 museums and asked for a list of all their Illinois specimens of amphibians and reptiles, the location and date of collection, the collector's name, and other information. He now has access to a database of over 40,000 specimens of amphibians and reptiles from Illinois dating back to 1830. He also has his own sight records and those from other scientists who can properly identify amphibians and reptiles.
The Shermans granted permission for Phillips to use the photos they took for his database. He plans to update the website map to reflect Kane's finding.
http://www.journalpilot.com/articles/2008/05/14/news/news1.txt