Last week I had the opportunity to spend time
in the field with renowned naturalist Geoffrey Hammerson, author of the
acclaimed book Connecticut Wildlife - Biodiversity, Natural History, and
Conservation (Hammerson, 2004). Our time
was spent searching for anything scaly, slimy, shelled, slithery, squirmy, or a
combination thereof, as long as it was of the taxonomic Subphylum Vertebrata –
animals with backbones. And yes, you
guessed it, to be more accurate, our query were amphibians and reptiles (Orders
Amphibia and Reptilia (often referred together as “Herpetofauna”). Last week’s weather made for pleasant field
work, and we spent one afternoon and four mornings visiting sites in central Connecticut looking for
these wonderful creatures.
Our time in the field took us to a variety of habitats and
within various preserves and conservation lands. Among the Amphibia, we had no
trouble finding Green, Wood, Pickerel, or Bull Frogs in the wetlands, and
American Toad in the uplands. Northern
Dusky Salamanders and Two-lined Salamanders were often found in some of the
woodland streams we searched, and Red-backed Salamanders were encountered under
fallen logs on the forest floor. Sweeps of seasonal pools using a D-net within
forested areas often netted us Eastern Red-spotted Newts, Green and Bullfrog
Tadpoles, and larval Spotted Salamanders.
 |
| Spotted Salamander - (Ambystoma maculatum) |
Among the Reptilia, Painted Turtles were the
easiest to spot, as they were often on display basking in the late morning sun
at many of the ponds we visited. At one particular pond, Geoff waded into waist
deep water, bent down with both hands under the water surface, and stood up
holding a full grown adult male Snapping Turtle!
 |
Snapping Turtle (Chelydra
serpentina) - Haddam, CT
|
Snakes were harder to find, and even harder to capture,
suggesting that most don’t want to be noticed, and once they are, they beat a
hasty retreat. This proved true for the snakes we encountered in our travels
such as Ring-necked, Garter, and especially the sometimes grumpy Northern
Watersnake.
 |
| Northern Watersnake - (Nerodia sipedon) resting among water lilies (Nymphaea odorata) and water shield (Brasenia schreberi) |
But the highlight of my week in the field with Geoff was
when he found a Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon
contortrix) – one of Connecticut’s
only two venomous serpent vipers (Family Viperidae)! Geoff found the copperhead
basking on a rock pile within a utility corridor with herbaceous vegetation. (The
Eastern Timber Rattlesnake is the other venomous viper that can be found in Connecticut.)
 |
| Northern Copperhead - (Agkistrodon contortrix) – Middlefield, CT |
Northern Copperheads are not a species listed
in Connecticut’s Endangered Species Act (CTDEP 2010), but nevertheless, they
are recognized as a species of Greatest Conservation Need in Connecticut’s
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CTDEP, 2005), and they have been
reportedly declining in the state for some time (Klemens, 1993). Despite their
ability to use their hypodermic needle-like fangs to administer a lethal dose
of venom to their preferred rodent prey, Northern Copperheads are not a major
threat to humans hiking in Connecticut’s
woodlands. For one, they are somewhat
range- and habitat-restricted (not every large forest tract has a population of
copperheads) and secondly, as Hammerson writes in his book: “…copperheads are
passive and reclusive. They never aggressively attack a person, but will strike
defensively if molested.”
Despite the menacing appearance of this snake
in the photo, it was not threatening us.
Pit vipers have the ability to dislocate both of their upper and lower
jaw bones from their skull, so that they can swallow prey larger than their
normal mouth opening, and so that the four bones can work independently of each
other to work the captured prey back into their mouths and into their
throat. Once prey has been swallowed,
the jawbones are re-articulated. The
snake in this picture is realigning its jawbones, and not – as many might
assume – threatening to bite us.
-- Anthony Zemba, Director of Conservation Services - Conservation Biologist / Certified Ecologist
Photos by Anthony Zemba/Copyright Connecticut Audubon Society
Cited:
Connecticut Department of [Energy and] Environmental Protection (2005). Connecticut’s
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Developed by the Connecticut
Department of Natural Resources in consultation with Terwilliger Consulting,
Inc. October1, 2005.
Hammerson, G. A. (2004). Connecticut Wildlife. Biodiversity, Natural
History, and Conservation. University Press of New England, Hanover.
465pp.
Klemens, M. W. (1993). Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent
Regions. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut. Bulletin No. 112.
