Reptiles at Risk

Back in Orillia!

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 24, 2009 at 3:16 PM

The summer has passed so quickly! After our three weeks of travel on the road, we are now back at home in Orillia. We've been home a few days now, and it is a little strange readjusting to not being constantly on the move. We had an excellent run of programs in our time away, however, and met lots of great people. We hope that everyone who attended our programs really enjoyed learning about the animals, and is now keeping their eyes open for any reptile species that may be out on the roads this fall.

Our last day of travel programs was spent in Merlin and Blenheim, with large groups at both libraries. No more trouble with the van and trailer either!

In the last couple days we've been doing a few programs closer to home, our closest one of the summer being last Saturday evening at Bass Lake Provincial Park. We often get asked at programs where we are travelling from, and it was nice after being away for so long to be able to tell them that we were only ten minutes down the road. We were outside for the program and had a few concerns with all the blustery weather this week, but most of the rain stayed away that evening.

We'll be finishing up our last few summer Reptiles at Risk programs over the next couple weeks, still staying close by, as well as starting to pull together our fall schedule. Looking forward to keeping you posted!

Species Profile: Eastern Hognose Snake

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 18, 2009 at 4:40 PM

When chatting with the people to come to our programs, we almost always have at least a few who are very nervous about the snakes we travel with. While we understand that snakes are a very common fear, these fears are often built on misconceptions and inaccurate information.

At our program last night we were very excited to hear several people talking about the 'Puff Adders' that they saw near their houses, but were also sad to hear that most were afraid of these snakes. True Puff Adders are not found anywhere in Ontario, but the description of these snakes matches the Eastern Hognose Snake - a perfectly harmless, and very interesting at risk species that can be found in Ontario. While the Eastern Hognose Snake varys greatly in colour - from an olive green to brown, orange and black - they can easily be identified by their behavior.

There are many different fears associated with the defensive behavior of the Hognose Snake. When these snakes feel threatened, they rear up and flare their head making themselves appear larger and more intimidating. This act can also progress to hissing and false striking, however this snake is non-venomous and completely harmless! These strikes are usually done with a closed mouth and very little aim, so even if the snake made contact it likely would not hurt at all.

One could easily see how people would be wary of an animal with this type of behavior, and that is exactly why the snake puts on such an act. Unfortunately this will lead some people to kill the snake out of fear, and that is the last thing that we want to hear happen to any animal.

After this impressive display, however, the Hognose Snake will change tactics completely. When the flaring and hissing act fails they will actually move on to roll on their back, stick out their tongue, and play dead. They are fairly convincing with this part of their act as well! A snake that appears dead is usually far less intimidating than one which appears ready to strike, but in both cases we have nothing to fear from this snake.

The Hognose Snake is rarely seen in the wild, and they are a threatened species, so those we spoke to at last night's program are very lucky to be able to see them. These snakes are a perfect example of how we can percieve an animal to be dangerous and frightening, when they will actually do us no harm.

Robin

Fun with a Special Guest

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 17, 2009 at 2:50 PM

Last week was an exciting day for the RAR crew, as we had visitors from the Ojibway-Prarie Complex come to our program in La Salle. Not only did they hand out cool snake stickers and books, they also offered to bring us back to the Ojibway-Prarie Complex nature centre. While there, we were able to enjoy seeing some of the reptiles that they had on display, which included a Massasauga Rattlesnake, a Butler's Garter, and a juvenile Blanding's Turtle. We were also fortunate enough to see a coyote right outside the centre, which as far as mammals go, is pretty cool. In other news, Robin bought a spiffy pair of snow pants in preparation for winter. That's our Robin - always prepared. However, there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy, and thanks to Robin's preparatory skills, we already completed our 80th program! We also reached number 90 today so we will probably be uncorking something later on in celebration.
Brittany

Travelling with Trailers

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 16, 2009 at 10:06 AM

We headed out from Wheatley Provincial Park yesterday for the last time this trip. The staff at the park have been great, and we really enjoyed staying there for the last several days. Of course this meant that we had the trailer in tow, which added a little excitement to the day.

Our first stop of the day was the Windsor Fire Fest, which promised to be an exciting event. At first we tried to take the shortest way their - the hypotenuse of the triangle, as Brittany reminded us - however we somehow missed a turn and ended up going around the triangle anyway. With both van and trailer on the road, our usual turn around for the road we missed was really not an option.

We were running a little late when we drove through Windsor on the way to the program site, and make what we believe will be our final turn before arrival. Then we find ourselves in a tiny, residential dead end road. This was really not where we wanted to be, and after a few valiant attempts by driver Eric, we realized we were not going to be able to turn in the small space. Unhitching and moving the van was our only option, and we luckily ran into a very kind man living nearby who was a huge help in getting us back on track. A big thank you goes out to he and his friends from Barrie!

From there we went on to the Fire Fest, and the animals were recieved very well. On from there to the Tomato Festival in Leamington, Tomato Capital of Canada! The highlight of my day was here where I won a giant bottle of ketchup - we know we'll be having lots of ketchup-using foods for the rest of our trip.

Then our last show of the day was at Rondeau Provincial Park, where we stayed for the night. The audience was already very informed and enthusiastic, and chanted us on to start as soon as we arrived. Though it was overall a busy day, in the end we were happy with how all the programs went. Tomorrow we move to Pinery Provincial Park with the trailer again - who knows what excitement will be in store for us then!

Robin

Point Pelee and the Five-Lined Skink!

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 11, 2009 at 9:16 AM

As I write this I am sitting on a picnic table surrounded by drying laundry. Since we had a bit less happening this week, it was a great opportunity to wash some of the clothing piling up in the trailer. Unfortunately, not long after we lay all our clothes out to dry it started pouring rain, and continued all day. We did think about going to use a dryer, but it was hot enough today that things dried fairly quickly out in the sun.

On Sunday this week we had an excellent day at Pelee National Park. It was beautiful looking out on Lake Erie from the point, and as the most southern point of mainland Canada, this park has incredible diversity of wildlife. We heard many reports of people seeing Northern Water Snakes, Eastern Fox Snakes, Snapping Turtles and Five-Lined Skinks around the park.

The skink is one that we were very excited to hear about, because as Ontario's only lizard species they are often overlooked. These pretty little lizards are very shy and don't come out in the open very often, however they are very beautiful to see. Their brown body has five yellow lines running down it's back, and when it is young it has a bright blue tail - and this tail can be dropped as a distraction for predators who try to eat the skink. This is one reason why it is very important not to disturb these creatures in the wild. The tail also serves as a storage space for fat and energy from food, and the lizard can use this reserve in harder times when food is unavailable. The lizard can't tell the difference between a curious human and a hungry predator, and if a person picks them up they may drop their tail. They will be able to grow it back with time, but if food is scarce it may not be able to survive without their energy reserve.

The Five-Lined Skink is another one of Ontario's reptiles at risk, which is another reason not to disturb them. There are not many of them left in the wild, so they need our protection - like many other species that can be found on Point Pelee!

Robin

Species Profile: Eastern Fox Snake

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 7, 2009 at 2:58 PM

Over the past few programs, we have talked to many people who have seen Eastern Fox Snakes on their properties. We are incredibly envious of these people! Fox Snakes are amazing animals, and these people are very lucky to see them on a regular basis.
The Eastern Fox Snake is one of Ontario's largest species of snake, growing up to 2 metres in legnth. Their range in Ontario includes the shores of Georgian Bay, and some spots on the northern shore of Lake Erie. These areas make up over 70% of the world's range for Eastern Fox Snakes! Being Ontario's newest endangered reptile, they need our help.
One of the main problems is that they are not well known! A large proportion of people who live in Fox Snake territory do not realize that these animals are endangered. Among other problems for these snakes, habitat loss and human persecution are big factors in their decline; land owners have a huge role in their conservation.
Fox Snakes will twitch and shake their tail in anything that will make noise if they are threatened. This leads a lot of people to believe that they are rattlesnakes; we notice that people around the Georgian Bay area will often call these snakes "Hardwood Rattlers". Fox snakes are completely harmless, nonvenomous snakes; this name gives them an undeserved bad reputation.
Down here in the Windsor area, they are more often called "Copperheads" by the locals. This is understandable, since they do have orange, "coppery" heads. However, Copperheads are a type of venomous snake in the United States and cannot be found anywhere in Canada. The difference in the appearance of these snakes is vast, but unfortunately most people have just heard the name "Copperhead" and associate it with the snakes they see in their back yard.
This confusion surrounding the Fox Snake is a big reason for their decline, as when people associate a snake with danger, they are more likely to kill the snake. There is absolutely no reason to kill these harmless snakes, but it is equally important to conserve their habitat. Fox Snakes need trees to survive; they have specially designed bodies that allow them to climb trees with ease and find food, escape from predators, and regulate body temperature. In order to conserve these amazing animals, we need to be educating people who live in these areas about them. This is how the project works, and this is why I love my job.
-Eric.

Adventures in a Van; or, Concerning the Shark

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 7, 2009 at 2:48 PM

Road trips aren't road trips without a diesel powered Ford van of unknown origins that has been on the planet longer than you have. What would I have to write about if the fan belt had not fallen off or if the wires to the brake lights of the trailer had not started to smoulder on the highway? I suppose I could write about sharks... but first I'll say a giant thank you to the wonderful people out there who helped out the RAR crew with all of the vehicular issues that we have experienced. First, to Ricky, a lovely man in the Lowes parking lot who stayed with us for an unreasonably long time trying to figure out how best to repair the brake lights to the trailer without getting electrocuted. Also, to the fine mechanics who offered their services and tools free of charge- Paul in Simcoe and his master mechanic buddy - thus restoring the use of brakes and by extension the ability to drive safely.
Now, about those sharks.
Mainly, sharks are not reptiles. This seems to be a topic of much contention, being that like the crocodilians, they are big and have lots of teeth. However, as they do not breathe with lungs, they are not reptilian. Sharks are really just fish with cartilage. Speaking of things that are not reptilian, newts, salamanders, and frogs are also not reptiles. It is a common enough error, being that these animals and reptiles are together known as the herpetiles. Newts, salamanders, and frogs actually belong to another group called amphibians. Although amphibians are ectothermic like reptiles, they do not have scales and their young live and breathe underwater before adapting to life on land. Now go forth and impress your friends with your classification skills.
-Brittany