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How roadkills can actually help at risk species...
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on September 17, 2009 at 9:47 PM
The fall portion of our Reptiles At Risk on the Road program has officially begun! The past week has been spent visiting schools in the Orillia area, getting us back into the swing of things before heading out for weeks at a time to other destinations in Ontario. This means that we are driving...a lot. There are a couple things that we notice as we venture out to our programs. The first is that fall is just around the corner; leaves are starting to change colour, and the mornings are feeling brisk. The second are the road killed snakes and turtles. This is always a sad sight, and may be unavoidable in some circumstances. In fact, my first sighting of a wild Eastern Hognose Snake (arguably one of the most interesting snakes in Ontario) was of an adult female in a rather flat state. Luckily, these sightings do have a silver lining. Many species of snakes and turtles are cryptic, meaning they are very good at hiding themselves from the prying eyes of herpetologists. Reporting sightings of all species seen is a great idea, and road kills are important sightings! Joe Crowley, a fellow herpetologist and current employee of Ontario Nature, has spent the last year or so developing a new atlas to help keep track of Ontario's herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians). You can find more information at http://www.ontarionature.org/herpetofaunal_atlas.html. It's easy to report sightings online, and every single report helps us understand the distribution and how common our reptiles and amphibians actually are. This can help direct recovery efforts and habitat protection programs. If you aren't sure what you're seeing, take a photo! Just remember to respect wildlife and its habitat. Harrassing species that are protected could land you with some hefty fines. So in the last couple weeks of suitable "reptile weather" keep your eyes out for snakes and turtles, and send in your sighting reports to the Ontario Herpetofaunal Atlas!
--M