lithobates's Favorites

According to a USFWS biologist, this female was born at the Akron Zoo in 2021 and then 2 weeks later she was fostered into the den of a wild Red Wolf at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, NC. Last winter she was captured and placed in an acclimation pen on the refuge with a captive-born male. In mid-April 2023 she had a litter of pups and the family group was released into the wild in late May.

On June 30, 2017, a leatherback sea turtle washed up dead along the Bay Ridge waterfront. It had been chopped clean in half by the propeller of a large container ship in New York Harbor.

Its skull is now on display at the Salt Marsh Nature Center in Marine Park, Brooklyn.

Found in the stomach of a stocked brown trout. Submitting on behalf of someone else. Only 5 salamander species range in the area mudpuppies, spotted salamander, eastern red backed salamander, central newt, and blue spotted salamanders. The lack of apparent gills leads me to central newts. Let me know if you think otherwise

I found this snake back in 2008. If I only knew then how awesome this find was. My memory of location was foggy but I think I have it narrowed down pretty good. I am 100% certain of location within 15 miles or so and 75% to location within a mile or so.

2012-07-31 Tramea onusta THUN Town of Marathon, Peninsula Harbour M.T.O. Butler specimen 1 m netted at edge of pond 48.73231 -86.38441 GPS shallow (2 m max) beaver pond near L. Superior MTB-2012-034 M.T.O. Butler

Plains Emerald...? -> ! At Nashville Conservation Reserve, Kleinberg ON. Habitat was a long-grass type area interspersed with rows of younger planted pines. Short appendages, yellow face, pattern and colour match. Basal plate match.

LEAVES:
-7 to 9 leaflets

BARK:
-tight bark

FRUIT:
-nuts with thick husk that splits completely to the base (husk much thicker than bitternut, similar to thickness or slightly thinner than on typical shagbarks)
-smooth, un-ribbed nut with sharp point and thin, brittle shell
-nut meat is sweet-tasting with pleasant flavour

TWIGS & BUDS:
-thick twigs (thicker than what is typical for either of the parent species)
-large, naked buds covered in velvety hairs

NOTE:
The 6th picture shows the twig of this putative Carya x laneyi in between each of the parent species. A pure C. ovata twig is placed on the left, and a pure C. cordiformis twig is placed on the right.

Wondering if this is A. hemiophrys but not sure what I'm looking for to distinguish between it and americanus- yes- it's wild. west side of the northern Sable Island on Lake of the Woods (this time of year there are thousands of toads (mostly babies) there so this one caught my eye for being different)