Alabammer, Salamander

There were cats

As the title of this one suggests, I was recently in Alabama. The crew headed up to the Tuskegee National Forest near Auburn to catch one of those rain/breeding events I mentioned in my last post (which was awesome). This Alabama expedition was brief, but not without some cool experiences. We camped out in the yard of Roger Birkhead and Chelsea Ward, a cool couple with three awesome kids, two cats, and an amazing property. They fed us delicious home-cooked meals and allowed us to use their house for our bathroom and laundry needs. Their generosity was incredible.

The frogs in the area were not as kind to us, at least at first. We found a small number of pairs in the beginning, which gave us a few nights to test. Then some rain passed through. In a bizarre turn of events the frogs (still Pseudacris feriarum) did not immediately respond to that particular rainstorm. They do not always play by the rules. Or maybe there are no rules. Nobody really knows.

On a calm evening, along the dusty roads of Tuskegee National Forest we listened for chorusing activity, which tends to signify breeding. All was silent. I began saying something about the forest being pathetically small and dead. On cue we heard a substantial Pseudacris feriarum chorus just off the road. We quickly got out and collected a few pairs, then rushed back to the trailer to begin what looked like a short night of testing. I then elected to check our original breeding sites on my own, just to make sure this was not an isolated pocket of mating frogs. WHABBAM! More pairs. I was jogging along the roadside ditches and scooping them up one by one. I think I caught 59 that evening: my new record. On a night with almost no chorusing the three of us were overwhelmed with frogs to test. We stayed up until 8AM that night/morning, and 4AM the next one doing our tests on the female frogs.

Each container has a female frog inside

During our tests we had a miracle frog. She was insanely gravid (tremendously egg-filled), which theoretically indicates higher responsiveness to the tests. We only needed one more data point to call it a night (and finish the state of Alabama). Naturally, we were excited and hopeful. When Alyssa started the test, speakers alternating calls, this frog showed promise. She swam to a speaker rapidly. YES. But then she changed course. NO. The front of a speaker must be touched for it to count. She just missed her target, as it appeared. I lost my cool. So many of the previous tests had gone this way! We had other frogs acclimating to our testing temperatures, but they required at least another hour. That meant we would have to wait a full hour before testing the next one! And that meant one more hour of being awake! We had been up and working for AT LEAST 36 of the previous 48 hours. In addition, we had been working all week.

After missing the speaker by an inch the aggravating frog started to climb up the wall of the testing pool. That normally results in disqualification, which ends the test. I opened the door to our soundproof chamber and yelled at the little "waste of life" that was our frog. Then I shut the door and closed my eyes, mentally preparing myself for at least another hour of wakefulness. How many energy drinks had I consumed? Three or four, I think. During my moment of contemplation, with the calls still playing in the chamber, the frog jumped down and swam to a speaker. She touched it! Night OVER. Done with work in Alabama. The three of us started laughing in a sleep-deprived, energy drink-fueled state of joy and confusion. Did that really happen?! SLEEP?! It was a miracle. A couple days later we headed back to Tallahassee, after releasing our many many froggy friends back to their comfy ditch homes. Good work ladies.

Besides unexpected frog luck we also found a lot of salamanders in Alabama! In case you were not already aware, I am a big lover of that group of amphibians. I studied the Roughskin Newt (Taricha granulosa) for my undergraduate thesis at Willamette University. Newts are salamanders, by the way. All salamanders are super cool. We found them in ditches, under logs, and in a pond on the property where we were camping.

Three-lined Salamander (Eurycea guttolineata)

Chamberlain's Dwarf Salamander (Eurycea chamberlaini)

Central Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens)

Speaking of salamanders, I have one quick tale about a salamander. After our week in Alabama we returned to Tallahassee. There was rain and a possibility of more frogs to test in the area. Thankfully things did not happen that way. We were in desperate need of a break after working so many long days and nights! Additionaly, we were fortunate to be around when Dr. Bruce Means, a legend in herpetology, was taking a group of students from FSU on a field trip. With the day off we excitedly signed up.

The field trip took us into the familiar Apalachicola National Forest, to a cool area known as a "steephead" habitat. Basically, it is ravine-like awesomeness. Dr. Means showed us a critically endangered species of yew tree, and then took us to a small stream. The goal was to find salamanders: Apalachicola Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus apalachicolae), Southern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), and the grand prize, Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber). I joined in on the fun with students that were digging through the vast leaf litter. Everyone was uncovering salamanders. A couple juvenile Red Salamanders were found, but no adults of that species. I got tired of bumping elbows with fellow sally searchers, so I moved downstream near a rotting log. Dr. Means announced that we still needed an adult Red Salamander. He explained that this species tends to spend its time in little burrows in the soil, occasionally poking its head out, probably for food.

Apalachicola Dusky Salamander

I was determined to find one. I tried and failed lifting up my rotting log. I was sure it concealed some sort of herpetological prize. No way to know. I resorted back to digging in the leaf litter. My body was low to the ground, and I carefully sifted through leaves. There were little Apalachicola Dusky Salamanders squirming around. Meh. Then something caught my eye. A tiny hole in the mud! And... wait what!? A little head poked out for a second. I got much closer. The head poked out once more. It must be a Red Salamander! GREAT SUCCESS. I watched it repeat this behavior for a while longer, and showed it to a few people. This would be a completely new salamander for me to catch. I felt bad to dig it out, but it was for Dr. Means, the class, and science, as well as my own curiosity and pride. I clawed in the mud for a few minutes until the poor critter was in my hand, unharmed but probably terrified. I brought it to Dr. Means, who announced his approval and had it passed around to the members of the class. It became the subject of numerous pictures.

RED SALAMANDER

My pals Alyssa, John, and Hannah getting their pictures too

I tried to avoid taking too many snapshots of the little dude. I tried. It was so fun to get a close look at it, especially after witnessing its behavior in the burrow. I hope it was able to make a new one!

The rest of the field trip was also great! Dr. Means led us along a stream, sharing his knowledge of every plant and animal we encountered. It concluded with a hike in a part of the Apalachicola River floodplain where fog was rising from the ground. Someone found a turtle and a cool fungus. I would have loved this class in college! Better late than never.

The forest was beautifully haunted