Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Temperature: 86°

Humidity: 62%
Mostly Cloudy

Since our trails were closed due to a small forest fire that we had a few weeks ago, I haven't been out much during lunch recently. Strangely enough I (seem to) see just as much wildlife in our visitor's center. A ranger had caught two types of toads for me yesterday to use in a program. One was a Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri) and the other was an Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis). The Narrowmouth was easy to identify. It was plump and looked like a triangle (see the picture above). Really, you can't mistake their shape for any other type of toad that we have here in NC. The Fowler's Toad was a little harder. Basically it looked exactly like an American Toad. The only way that I was sure that it was a Fowler's was that it had a dark spot in the middle of its white chest. That's it. Apparently you can look at its cranial crest to see if it is less pronounced then an American Toad but since I had nothing to compare it to I decided to be happy with using the spot technique.
The two toads we had were by far the luckiest creatures that I have ever seen. After the program was over a ranger and I decided that our captive Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) needed a snack. We dumped our two tasty toads in and set back for the show. Unfortunately for our blood thirsty desires, the snake never seemed to catch on that it was lunchtime. We got bored and decided it was time to release all three in the wild. Putting them all in a small carrying container, we took them outside. Even squished in a small enclosure with his meal, the snake still couldn't find its food (but by his alert state he obviously knew it was there). All three ended up back in the woods no worse for wear but the toads both had a "wild ride"!

Picture found at: SREL Herp Home

And the Oscar Goes To...

Temperature: 86°

Humidity: 35%
Cloudy

When I'm out on the trail and see a snake it is almost inevitable that the theme to Indiana Jones will pop in my head. Is it just me this phenomenon happens to?
Today I stumbled across an Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) sunning himself on the trail. When I got too close he froze, raised his head and spread his neck (a lot like a cobra does). Seeing this obvious warning I back off a few feet and crouched down on the trail. Seeing I wasn't a threat, he started to slither away, but after seeing me not make any movement his curiosity got the best of him. He made a wide loop around me then headed directly towards me. I admit, I wondered what I was going to do if he actually touched me but I held my ground and kept perfectly still. Luckily he stopped a foot away from me. With his head pointed directly at me and his tongue flickering away, he clearly wanted to know what I was about. I must have been boring, after a few seconds he moved off the trail and disappeared back in the underbrush. It's always a thrill to come so close to such an unusual looking animal (seriously, how many cobra-like snakes have you ever seen up close?).
Now you may be wondering what the title of todays post is about (especially pair with the photo above). That my friends is what hognoses are famous for. When they feel threatened they freak out using a fantastic display to scare off their would-be predators. They will hiss and sometimes feign strikes, but don't actually bite. If this display doesn't work they will often roll onto their back and play dead, going so far as to emit a nasty smell and let their tongue hang out of their mouth. If they are rolled upright while in this state, they will often roll back as if insisting they are really dead. Almost worth provoking them to see this....almost.

Picture found at: Amphibians and Reptiles of NC