http://members.terracom.net/~dorothea/gradsch/straighttalk.html#tip1
If you read through the article, you will see why number three is a strong contender. The article is long but good.
Current top 3 contenders for grad school:
University of Florida - Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
University of Georgia - Ecology
A squishy place under a rock.
I just took my Evolution final today; my hand hurts.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Flaskback to 2005 herp survey...
You would have never though that those stupid things work did you. DOR Black Ratsnake.
Goofy chart from my West Virginia Academy of Sciences presentation comparing expected vs total species that I found in that survey.
Goofy chart from my West Virginia Academy of Sciences presentation comparing expected vs total species that I found in that survey.
My points from the 2005 survey. Not many... I think 59 points at 46 sites...
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia - In context of the whole state.
I finally finished typing up the data for 2009...
At least from the Rite in the Rain book anyway. All that's left is the trap data from the storm water pond on west campus.
---
Alright let me take a step back.
Over the summer I did a pretty general, very opportunistic survey of the eastern panhandle of west virginia. A lot of the work done was road surveys, but I did a lot of visual work too. I tossed over rocks, and sloshed through ponds and everything.
I'm going to do some more analysis before it's all said and done but here is the simpliest breakdown of what I found.
Total Species 32 (Which is out of a possible 62 that's better than 50%)
Species Break down by group
10 Anurans - American Toad, Bullfrog, Cricket Frog, Fowler's Toad, Green Frog, Grey Tree Frog, Leopard Frog, Pickeral, Spring Peeper, Upland Chorus Frog
10 Snakes - Black Racer, Black Ratsnake, Smooth Earthsnake, Worm Snake, Watersnake, Garter Snake, N. Ring-Neck Snake, Queen Snake, Timber Rattlesnake, Copperhead
1 Lizard -Five-lined Skink
7 Salamanders - Long-tailed Salamander, Redback Salamander, Red-Spotted Newt, Two-Lined Salamander, Northern Dusky Salamander, Northern Red Salamander,
4 Turtles -Painted Turtle (Eastern and Eastern X Midland intergrades), Snapping Turtles, Red-Eared Sliders, Box Turtles
What's interesting about the 2009 herping season is that I managed to finally start seeing some "new" species for me. Worm snakes, copperheads, queen snakes, long-tails, etc are all new for my life list. And some of them were more widely distributed than I first thought.
I put untold amount of man hours in this year. (Next year I'll probably try to count the man hours... try to get a little bit more quantitative anyway.) That's probably why I picked up so many new species.
I didn't pick up two species from the 2005 search, Milk Snakes and Hognose Snakes. This was a pretty big dissapointment. In the case of the hognose snake I was in the same area all saw them before twice in 2009. I guess you take whatever you can get.
I still haven't seen Wood Turtle and Stinkpots in my "surveys" even though I did see them quite frequently years ago. I'm suprised I haven't seem them since.
I did attempt to build aquatic turtle traps this year, and in our two week trial run the one we tried out worked very well, even without bait.
I'm looking forward to more sampling with traps in 2010.
---
Alright let me take a step back.
Over the summer I did a pretty general, very opportunistic survey of the eastern panhandle of west virginia. A lot of the work done was road surveys, but I did a lot of visual work too. I tossed over rocks, and sloshed through ponds and everything.
I'm going to do some more analysis before it's all said and done but here is the simpliest breakdown of what I found.
Total Species 32 (Which is out of a possible 62 that's better than 50%)
Species Break down by group
10 Anurans - American Toad, Bullfrog, Cricket Frog, Fowler's Toad, Green Frog, Grey Tree Frog, Leopard Frog, Pickeral, Spring Peeper, Upland Chorus Frog
10 Snakes - Black Racer, Black Ratsnake, Smooth Earthsnake, Worm Snake, Watersnake, Garter Snake, N. Ring-Neck Snake, Queen Snake, Timber Rattlesnake, Copperhead
1 Lizard -Five-lined Skink
7 Salamanders - Long-tailed Salamander, Redback Salamander, Red-Spotted Newt, Two-Lined Salamander, Northern Dusky Salamander, Northern Red Salamander,
4 Turtles -Painted Turtle (Eastern and Eastern X Midland intergrades), Snapping Turtles, Red-Eared Sliders, Box Turtles
What's interesting about the 2009 herping season is that I managed to finally start seeing some "new" species for me. Worm snakes, copperheads, queen snakes, long-tails, etc are all new for my life list. And some of them were more widely distributed than I first thought.
I put untold amount of man hours in this year. (Next year I'll probably try to count the man hours... try to get a little bit more quantitative anyway.) That's probably why I picked up so many new species.
I didn't pick up two species from the 2005 search, Milk Snakes and Hognose Snakes. This was a pretty big dissapointment. In the case of the hognose snake I was in the same area all saw them before twice in 2009. I guess you take whatever you can get.
I still haven't seen Wood Turtle and Stinkpots in my "surveys" even though I did see them quite frequently years ago. I'm suprised I haven't seem them since.
I did attempt to build aquatic turtle traps this year, and in our two week trial run the one we tried out worked very well, even without bait.
I'm looking forward to more sampling with traps in 2010.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Maritime Gatersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus)
If and whenever I go to Maine this is one of the snakes I'm looking forward to seeing.
Umm... DOR eastern gater snake...
Among some bull frogs, a northern watersnake, some green frogs...
Sort of a dry couple of days.... I'm not really sure why.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monoculture
This Black Ratsnake was crossing the road to sleepy creek WMA. I thought for a whole half a second that I had run the poor creature over. The catch in all was quite dramatic. I flung myself down a cliff to persue the beast. He was hot; and speedy as all hell.
I almost died getting this DOR Black Ratsnake. (It's in alcohol by the way.) On Rt. 9 just before the bridge over the Shannendoah River. It's a very mature snake and in damn good condition so I figured I'd let it become a voucher. That makes for 5 Black Ratsnake vouchers. Oy... too many.
Also tonight, we had some cricket frog full choruses, a spotty onesie and twosie of green frogs calling, a smattering of grey tree frogs calling, 3 fowler's toads calling.
I almost died getting this DOR Black Ratsnake. (It's in alcohol by the way.) On Rt. 9 just before the bridge over the Shannendoah River. It's a very mature snake and in damn good condition so I figured I'd let it become a voucher. That makes for 5 Black Ratsnake vouchers. Oy... too many.
Also tonight, we had some cricket frog full choruses, a spotty onesie and twosie of green frogs calling, a smattering of grey tree frogs calling, 3 fowler's toads calling.I drove from my house in Martinsburg to Sleepy Creek, to Glengary, to Gerrardstown, to Inwood, to Middleway, got lost in Clarke County, then on to Charlestown, took a trip up to Shannondale, followed the Shannendoah to Harpers Ferry, then Shepherdstown, and back home.
And all I produced from that circuit was two black ratsnakes and some calling frogs and toads. Rediculous.
I really think I should focus my road work to Back Creek, Sleepy Creek, and Morgan county. Most of the rest of the night was comparatively unproductive once I left those regions. It's a shame that the densities of herps in Jefferson and most of Berkeley county frankly don't justify road herping.
Ugh.
In other news, dreams of Corn Snakes drive me on.
The other question is.. why do I find 90% of the time Black Ratsnakes DOR... and almost nothing else. It's rediculous... and it's weird. Do we have a monoculture of Black Ratsnakes around here?
The other outstanding issue is corn snakes...
Only found in this state a handful of times! And many years ago to boot. That's foolish. Look at this distribution of corn snakes from Towson. Clearly they should be able to infiltrate at leat from the north. The Virginia distributions are also similar. They are here. They are hiding. And they need to be found.
Kingsnakes continued...
In my readings the eastern kingsnake has been found in WV ONLY in the valley that the North fork of the Potomac River flows through... now does that make any sense either...
No....
where are they?
Snakes found in motgomery county...
Circa their website.
Snakes Found in Montgomery County
Common Name
Zoological Name (Genus/Species)
Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Worm Snake
Carphophis amoenus
Northern Scarlet Snake
Cemophora coccinea copei
Racer
Coluber constrictor
Northern Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus edwardsii
Corn Snake
Elaphe guttata
Black Rat Snake
Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta
Eastern Hognose Snake
Heterodon platyrhinos
Mole Kingsnake
Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata
Eastern Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula getula
Eastern Milk Snake
Lampropeltis triangulum
Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys aestivus
Queen Snake
Regina septemvittata
Brown Snake
Storeria dekayi
Eastern Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis sauritus
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Eastern Smooth Earth Snake
Virginia valeriae
Common Name
Zoological Name (Genus/Species)
Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Worm Snake
Carphophis amoenus
Northern Scarlet Snake
Cemophora coccinea copei
Racer
Coluber constrictor
Northern Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus edwardsii
Corn Snake
Elaphe guttata
Black Rat Snake
Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta
Eastern Hognose Snake
Heterodon platyrhinos
Mole Kingsnake
Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata
Eastern Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula getula
Eastern Milk Snake
Lampropeltis triangulum
Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys aestivus
Queen Snake
Regina septemvittata
Brown Snake
Storeria dekayi
Eastern Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis sauritus
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Eastern Smooth Earth Snake
Virginia valeriae
Thoughts on rare snakes...
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/snakeinfo.asp
This is maryland's understanding of their snake distribution. Divided into common, uncommon, rare, endangered, and historical.
The eastern kingsnake is common...
Common
Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platyrhinos)
Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula getula)
Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
Eastern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus sauritus)
Eastern Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus amoenus)
Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor)
Northern Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi)
Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen)
Northern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardsi)
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)
Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys vernalis vernalis)
Southern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus punctatus)
Uncommon
Coastal Plain Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides X triangulum)
Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata guttata)
Mole Kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata)
Northern Red Belly Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata)
Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata)
Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae valeriae)
Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix)
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus horridus)
Rare
Northern Scarlet Snake (cemophora coccinea copei)
Redbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster)
Endangered
Mountain Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae pulchra)
Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma)
Historical
Northern Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus)
This is maryland's understanding of their snake distribution. Divided into common, uncommon, rare, endangered, and historical.
The eastern kingsnake is common...
Common
Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platyrhinos)
Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula getula)
Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
Eastern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus sauritus)
Eastern Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus amoenus)
Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor)
Northern Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi)
Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen)
Northern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardsi)
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)
Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys vernalis vernalis)
Southern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus punctatus)
Uncommon
Coastal Plain Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides X triangulum)
Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata guttata)
Mole Kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata)
Northern Red Belly Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata)
Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata)
Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae valeriae)
Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix)
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus horridus)
Rare
Northern Scarlet Snake (cemophora coccinea copei)
Redbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster)
Endangered
Mountain Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae pulchra)
Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma)
Historical
Northern Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A real live natural history buff...
Discussing the differences of long-tailed salamanders and cave salamanders...
There are more of us...
And I presume we are breeding.
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/06/060518.htm
Lol...
http://www.backyardnature.net/
There are more of us...
And I presume we are breeding.
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/06/060518.htm
Lol...
http://www.backyardnature.net/
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae)
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/virval.htm
I found my first Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae.) That's first as in ever. Which is pretty damn exciting. And I have my own pictures too, but I left them in the lab at school. (Blast!) I'll post them whenever I get a chance.
I found the snake while actually road herping (eagle eye?)up to the Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area just before the border with Berkeley and Morgan counties in West Virginia. Does anyone know where that is? Well either way... my copy of Peterson's doesn't have the snakes' distribution in this area.
I have to wonder if anyone over at Marshall University http://www.marshall.edu/herp/ has seen any around her in their recent grad student excursions...
It's a lifelister kids.
Now if anyone has seen a queen snake...
The greatest fish ever...
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Photos/Strange-underwater-creatures
"Goby fish are some of the smallest vertebrates in the world. This goby fish peers out of a sea anemone in the Solomon Islands."
What an amazingly cute fish!
"Goby fish are some of the smallest vertebrates in the world. This goby fish peers out of a sea anemone in the Solomon Islands."
What an amazingly cute fish!
This book is tentalating...
"The Quotable Atheist: Ammunition for Non-Believers, Political Junkies, Gadflies, and Those Generally Hell-Bound by Jack Huberman"
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Who can comment here... can you!
This transition therapod is awesome.
Picture credit to Nat Geo.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090617-new-dinosaur-fingers.html
There's a baby on his back.
Genus Enyaliodes.
Look at it's ambient deliciousness. The article goes on to talk about it being lunglesss. Also it might be classified in with Bolitoglossa. And I have no idea who exactly that genus is.Remember velociraptor!
Pictures all belong to Nat Geo! Not me I use them with love.
There's also some sweet bug pictures at this link as well.
A new "ugly salamander" discovered in Equador...
If these people could just see a hellbender what would their definition of ugly become? It's rediculous.
This salamander may be "bug-eyed", but does anyone notice from the video that it appears to have its nose minimized and its eyes forward facing. This would give the salamander excellent depth preception. This is the velociraptor of the salamander world. A clear stalking visual hunter.
Also note the enlarged "whisker" or "mustache" hanging from the rostrum. Enhanced sense organ! Channeling chemical (smell) data much like the plethodons and their nasolabial grooves.
"Conservation International has announced the discovery of 12 animal species -- four amphibians, seven insects and one lizard -- believed to be new to science. The species were found during a survey of the Upper Nangaritza River Basin in southeastern Ecuador and include a bug-eyed salamander that's been termed simply "the ugly salamander," a poison arrow frog, and an insect intriguingly named the white-faced gnome katydid. (Continues at link...)"
Link for the article... this stuff is fresh...
If these people could just see a hellbender what would their definition of ugly become? It's rediculous.
This salamander may be "bug-eyed", but does anyone notice from the video that it appears to have its nose minimized and its eyes forward facing. This would give the salamander excellent depth preception. This is the velociraptor of the salamander world. A clear stalking visual hunter.
Also note the enlarged "whisker" or "mustache" hanging from the rostrum. Enhanced sense organ! Channeling chemical (smell) data much like the plethodons and their nasolabial grooves.
"Conservation International has announced the discovery of 12 animal species -- four amphibians, seven insects and one lizard -- believed to be new to science. The species were found during a survey of the Upper Nangaritza River Basin in southeastern Ecuador and include a bug-eyed salamander that's been termed simply "the ugly salamander," a poison arrow frog, and an insect intriguingly named the white-faced gnome katydid. (Continues at link...)"
Link for the article... this stuff is fresh...
Slughorn?
My god... it's Jack L. Chalker. The author of that sweet Demons at Rainbow Bridge" book.He looks like Proffesor Slughorn. (Not quite my vision.)
I feel like while googling this book, I got a lot of religious allegory.
I'm going to return to my search...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/jack-l-chalker/
A moment with a rock?
The rock is wide and
If it can be asked it will
Only nod one time.
How many syllables is "asked"?
If it can be asked it will
Only nod one time.
How many syllables is "asked"?
I knew that rock once...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"The Rift." by Peter David
I finished this book of the weekend as well. Not as awesome as "The Demon's At Rainbow Bridge" but pretty sweet none the less. Quite snarky and funny as well.
Stange, be the things which appear from nowhere to be entertaining.
Stange, be the things which appear from nowhere to be entertaining.
There's sheet music and an mp3!
Of this haunting "New Divide" paino awesomeness.
http://stantough.blogspot.com/
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7V4U8QOW
I must admit I just downloaded both.
I don't own a piano.
http://stantough.blogspot.com/
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7V4U8QOW
I must admit I just downloaded both.
I don't own a piano.
The next to book purchases...
The Run To Chaos Keep (The Quintara Marathon , No 2) and The Ninety Trillion Fausts (The Quintara Marathon, Book 3)are the next two books in the series. I'm actually really excited about these things. I have to strum up some cash from mturk.com. The monetary honey hole of my dreams is not well "overfloweth".
"The Demon's At Rainbow Bridge" by Jack L. Chalker
I just read this book.
It was amazing.
It could have been the single greatest act of characterization in a science fiction novel I have ever read. Read it. My god. Whenever I can scrounge the 8 dollars necessary to buy the next two books in the series I will, and immediately.
I don't usually feel this strongly about Science Fiction (Fantasy is my heart of hearts).
But this one is a doozey.
Because of this book, I now almost consider a parasite... not so bad.
How's that for a teaser...
It was amazing.
It could have been the single greatest act of characterization in a science fiction novel I have ever read. Read it. My god. Whenever I can scrounge the 8 dollars necessary to buy the next two books in the series I will, and immediately.
I don't usually feel this strongly about Science Fiction (Fantasy is my heart of hearts).
But this one is a doozey.
Because of this book, I now almost consider a parasite... not so bad.
How's that for a teaser...
"New Divide" for the Piano
This little dude is an amazing piano player. I want to rain dollars upon him.
A stange impulse I know.
A stange impulse I know.
First blog...
Well, now that my first title exists I feel like I can relax...
Just kidding. I've started to sem-blog on facebook.com. And it's killing me that I can't collect my madness into one place and watch it unfold in all it's majesty.
Even if this remains an unread blog, filled to it's bloggy brim with unrequited love for blog readers, that's okay. I've learned a lot in the past few months, herping, kayaking, and generally trailblazing through the woods so far this year... there's so much more to learn.
I need to keep these varied understanding, sort through them, and place them somewhere clear so that I may share them with whomever else might want to read them.
That's my intention.
Happy hunting.
Jessica
Just kidding. I've started to sem-blog on facebook.com. And it's killing me that I can't collect my madness into one place and watch it unfold in all it's majesty.
Even if this remains an unread blog, filled to it's bloggy brim with unrequited love for blog readers, that's okay. I've learned a lot in the past few months, herping, kayaking, and generally trailblazing through the woods so far this year... there's so much more to learn.
I need to keep these varied understanding, sort through them, and place them somewhere clear so that I may share them with whomever else might want to read them.
That's my intention.
Happy hunting.
Jessica
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