Fer-de-Lance
Meet my new friend. I call him ‘fluffy’. He likes to hang out on the same trail that our students used to get to their study plots in Rara Avis Rainforest Preserve. I did not like that. I tried to reason with him. He did not like that. Then I relocated him. He did not like that either – as you can tell he is waiting for my next move… Even though he’s a grumpy Fer-de-Lance, we’re still friends… Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreTantilla supracincta
It took more than 20 years, but I finally got to see a living Tantilla supracincta! For some reason I would come across these only after they got run over in traffic, or macheted to pieces because someone thought it was a venomous coral snake. This is a minuscule snake – this one measured less than nine inches – and even though it has some venom to subdue its (probably far more venomous) centipede prey, it is perfectly harmless to humans. Happy the curse has been lifted! Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreVenomous shrew slaughtered by cat
The following is a photo of the head and upper body of what appears to be a Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda). Where did I find this deceased and otherwise tough to spot and secretive mammal? In its natural habitat, of course – the floor of a closed garage! The half of the body you cannot see has been devoured by a cat who does not leave a locked garage and the connected basement and is never permitted to even see an open door, let alone venture outside it. It would seem this shrew decided to come inside…looking for a snack? After taking a wrong turn with its poor...
Read MoreTimber Rattlesnake near den
After a lot of feedback let’s keep talking about Timber Rattlesnakes today. In the Northeast, Timber Rattlesnakes are extirpated in ME and RI and down to – at best – a handful of populations in NH, VT, MA and CT. They have a severely reduced range in NY. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a grand total of about five people die per year from any venomous snake bite in all of America. The vast majority of those bitten have been harassing or aggressively attacking the snake without cause. Like nearly any other wild creature if you leave it alone it...
Read MoreTimber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) earlier today. More to come on this spectacular species…
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