First Herpetology Class Field trip

[Lamb]

This year, I'm taking small groups from my university's Herpetology class out on day trips to find sallies, among other critters. Today was the first trip with 3 of the students from class. We spent our time in Jackson Co., MS, searching a handful of small, first order, ravine-type streams that flowed directly in to a large floodplain of a high order tributary.

Our efforts turned up many Eurycea cirrigera larvae, including very recent Eurycea hatchlings that look like they would be E. cirrigera (first and second photos), and a couple adults of the same species. We also caught many, plainly patterned Desmognathus (third photo), as well as a few more brightly colored larvae (fourth photo). Side note - the Desmognathus adults from this sampling locality are always much more dully colored than those I find at central MS sites. Even better yet, we caught 5 larval Pseudotriton, including a very small larvae that, based on the what I've found at this site, I'm assuming is P. ruber vioscai (fifth and sixth photos). These Pseudotriton larvae traveled back to the lab with us, and will be raised through metamorphosis for one of my studies.

 

[Lamb]

As well as many slimy salamanders (P. mississippi, which look like they were made from the night sky.

 

[jaster]

That is a really pretty slimy. Reminds me of the Tellico salamander. Those larvae are young! Interested to see how they develop.

How big is your class? We had about 30 students split in two lab groups which would go out once a week. Awesome stuff.

 

[Lamb]

That is a really pretty slimy. Reminds me of the Tellico salamander. Those larvae are young! Interested to see how they develop.

How big is your class? We had about 30 students split in two lab groups which would go out once a week. Awesome stuff.

Wow, Telico salamanders look really cool. I sometimes wish we had more Plethodon in the southern half of the state.

The class (and lab) has 22 students in it, which I think is the most we've had enrolled at one time. Prior to this year, the classes always went out in one large group, and this is our first year splitting them up in to such small groups. They'll still go on a handfull of outings as a large group. I just didn't want 22 students tromping through some of these seepage sites all at once. There is a lot of hog damage in the area, and I don't want to add to that. Seeing how small the Eurycea hatchlings were, and knowing that they were only under a few leaves and didn't move quickly, made me wonder how many we might have already been stepping on.

 

[newtkidontheblock]

if you dont mind me asking what university do you go to. Because after high school i would like the mayjor in herpatology/biology and take some teaching classes.Because if i hope fully get a job at my middle school.. i will get to have unlimited pets in the class room so i will have like 5-6 50 gallon tanks with orientalis and a.tigurarium and others maybe some anderson and if the kids are like me i love saring at my teachers vergitatian pirranah an in te other tank native minnesota fish....anyway what university do u go to and like there can u major in herpatology or is it biology i should go for?

 

[Lamb]

if you dont mind me asking what university do you go to. Because after high school i would like the mayjor in herpatology/biology and take some teaching classes.Because if i hope fully get a job at my middle school.. i will get to have unlimited pets in the class room so i will have like 5-6 50 gallon tanks with orientalis and a.tigurarium and others maybe some anderson and if the kids are like me i love saring at my teachers vergitatian pirranah an in te other tank native minnesota fish....anyway what university do u go to and like there can u major in herpatology or is it biology i should go for?

Your typing was a little difficult to understand, but I think I got the gist of it. There aren't many, or maybe any (?), universities that offer a major in herpetology. But there are many with strong herpetology research labs and good biology/ecology programs, so that's what you should look for. I majored in biology, with an emphasis in environmental biology (more organismal and ecology classes). My PhD will be in ecology. Your best bet is to visit universities and look at the course lists for the majors you are interested in.

 

[hld]

I also am TAing for a herpetology class and we had our first field trip today. In coastal SC we've had a lot of rain, and we ended up seeing a great diversity today which was excellent for the students. We mostly checked minnow traps set by myself and the professor the previous day.

Today's catch:
2 Siren lacertina
6 Notopthalamus viridescens louisianensis
1 juvenile Lithobates grylio
1 Lithobates sphenocephalus
Several Acris gryllus gryllus
1 adult Ambystoma talpoideum
1 paedomorphic adult Ambystoma talpoideum with gorgous gills!
1 Agkistrodon piscivorus
1 Plestiodon inexpectatus

I didn't have time to take many decent photos whilst managing 15 students, but I've attached a few thumbnails.

All in all a gorgeous day! My fave find were the Sirens (my first experience with Sirenia as I'm from Indiana originally).

Cheers,

Hannah