Lancaster Herpetological Society

L ANCASTERHERP . ORG
J ULY 2014
L ANCASTER
H ERPETOLOGICAL S OCIETY
HUSBANDRY, EDUCATION, CONSERVATION, COMMUNITY
S UMMER
D RIVERS BEWARE ; IT ’ S METAMORPH TIME !
Nighttime Herping
Photos, July 2014
The word amphibian comes from an Ancient
Greek term that means
“both kinds of life”. It describes the incredible life
cycle of this group of animals that includes frogs,
toads, salamanders, and
caecilians.
They begin as jellycovered, squishy, transparent eggs. You can watch
them develop into tiny fishlike tadpoles before swimming out of their clear egg
case. Most larval amphibians grow up under water.
Larval frogs and toads typically eat vegetation, while
larval salamanders are
predators of aquatic insects
and other animals. During
this time their bodies are
quickly changing and grow-
ing. Not only do they grow
arms and legs, a miraculous
feat in itself, but their internal organs are also changing. Tadpoles and salamander larvae breathe under
water with gills. As adults
they will breathe with
lungs. Their tongues and
mouth develop. These incredible changes called
metamorphosis occur while
trying not to get eaten by
predators in their underwater habitat.
When they’re just
about grown, they start to
breathe from the surface
and come onto land. This
time of year these young
“metamorphs” are venturing
onto land for the very first
time.
Outside of their
nursery puddle, swamp,
ditch, or pond, it’s a vast
new world they discover.
It’s riddled with unknown
dangers like roads, domestic
cats, invasive plants, vast
expanses of pesticide soaked
monocultures, and lifeless
parking lots.

July 18, 7pm: Crash Course
in Corn Snake Genetics,
MTPL

July 19, 9-4pm: Lancaster
Reptile and Bird Expo,
Lancaster Farm and Home
Center, $4/$7

July 23, 7pm: Herping
Arizona, MTPL

August 9, 11-4pm: Pet
Adoption Day, That Fish
Place

August 15, 7pm: Kids
Night, MTPL, Registration
Required

September 19, 7pm: The
Road Not Taken: How
Paved Roads Impact Plethodon Salamanders, MTPL
Help these youngsters get a good start by not
driving on wet evenings
when they’ll be crossing the
roads to find new homes.
Enjoy the season
by exploring your town for
young amphibians darting
through the grass or forest
floor, or perched just on the
edge of the pond leaping
silently away before you
could get a good look.
Celebrate nature’s
new life this summer. It’s
all around you! Celebrate
through making choices that
support biodiversity.
CALENDAR
U PCOMING REPTILE
SHOWS :

July 19– Lancaster Reptile
and Bird Expo

July 26, September 27– East
Coast Reptile Super Expo

August 2– Northwestern Berks
Reptile Show

August 9, September 6– All
Maryland Reptile Show

September 20-21– Repticon
Baltimore
P AGE 2
L ANCASTERHERP . ORG
L ETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
We started
the spring off with our
first camping trip to
Pinchot State Park
where we encountered dozens of spring
peepers, spotted salamanders and American toads. In the
morning some additional herping was done to find some
other early moving salamanders.
Heading into prime herping
time, LHS had our annual Toad
Walk. The walk itself was a bit of a
bust due to the random weather we
had this spring. We did get the word
out about it this year, so over a hundred
people were out helping the toads cross
the roads in Overlook Park on other
dates. We started the Toad Alert,
which we have gotten over two dozen
families to sign up for.
In May we got an update from
PA Amphibian and Reptile Survey
(PARS). We found out that they have
received over 10,000 confirmed records
in their first year. Unfortunately Lancaster county is not in the top five counties for records so if you have records
(from anywhere) please submit them.
For June we had snakes, turtles, lizards, salamanders and frogs all
make an appearance for Critter Encoun-
ter. Many families and individuals came
out to share their own pet herps including an indigo snake and many more.
Even though summer is coming to a close we still have many opportunities for volunteers. Besides needing
a few extra hands at Kids Night, there
are many events where we have the
chance to educate people about reptiles
and amphibians. If you are interested in
helping or have suggestions for the
club, please email me
at caleb@lancasterherp.org.
Have a wonderful summer,
Caleb Hulse
F ORGOTTEN FRIEND REPTILE SANCTUARY NEWS
O NE
LAST
SPECIAL
HIGHLIGHT FOR
US WAS HOSTING
OUR FIRST EVER
WEDDING AT
THE RESCUE !
Forgotten Friend is
busiest as usual in the summer. We recently adopted
out a boa constrictor, a
woma python, a crested
gecko, and helped network
homes for lots more. We
made the most of the warm
summer months by getting
our iguanas basking outdoors in the natural
sunlight in the iguana
house. Thanks again to all
of the LHS volunteers who
helped us build the iguana
house a couple years ago!
Currently at the
rescue we need to find
homes for a Florida Softshell Turtle, some Red Ear
Sliders, a Russian Tortoise,
a Redfoot Tortoise, a Ball
Python, a few Red Tail
Boas, with some others
scheduled to arrive soon.
Our outreach programs had us at libraries all
over the state, from Quarryville to Williamsport,
visiting 25 libraries. The
National Summer Reading
theme is science based in
2014, so we customized a
special program for the
libraries called "Serpent
Scientist". We encouraged
thousands of kids and parents to become citizen scientists by participating in
the Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey.
Special thanks to PARS for
giving us thousands of
PARS bookmarks to hand
out to the kids!
One last special
highlight for us was hosting
our first ever wedding at
the rescue! Two of our
volunteers, Kent and Pam,
tied the knot next to a bonfire about twenty feet from
our iguana house in June. It
was a great honor for all in
attendance!
For more info visit
www.forgottenfriend.org.
P AGE 3
HUSBANDRY, EDUCATION, CONSERVATION, COMMUNITY
N IXON P ARK H ERP W EEK
Board Member, Kelsey
Frey put together an outstanding
week of events and exhibits at
York County’s Nixon Park.
Reptiles from around the world
were displayed by staff, volunteers, and park friends with
A
S LITHERING S UCCESS
rooms featuring members of five
continents.
On Saturday, June
28th and July 5th , LHS’ own
Jesse Rothacker won over a
young crowd with his travelling
reptile show not once, but
twice. Kids of all ages (including
both Hartmoyers) were delighted with the animals he
brought to show and his stage
presence. Several worldly ungulates were so enraptured that
they couldn’t blink for the entire
performance.
Board member, Dave
McNaughton led a PARS citizen
science talk and walk on Sunday
the 29th. The group found two
species of turtles, green frogs,
American toads, and Northern
water and Eastern milk snakes.
One young milk snake was early
for the show, coming from a
guest in the men’s room. A second adult was found by another
member, Monica Bortz and her
daughters, Cassie and Ella.
Ending the week on
July 6th, Dr. Kevin Schmidt,
DVM, dove deeper into the
subject with a boa constrictor
dissection. Anatomy and function were easy to digest when
seen up close.
All of these events
and the crowds that attended
owe a big thanks to Kelsey and
her staff, who would best be
repaid by visiting next year
when Reptile Week returns!
Kids night returns!! Don’t Miss it! AUGUST 15
We’re excited to bring back our
most popular program from
2013, KIDS NIGHT! Join us in
August with the whole family!

Live amphibians, snakes,
turtles, and lizards to see
and touch.

Get your family photo with
a reptile.

Take a walk on the mocknighttime herping trail with
our friendly nature guides.

Learn how to help scientists
conserve our natural heritage!
PRE-REGISTRATION
REQUIRED AT
www.mtpl.info.
***Volunteers Needed!
Contact Kelsey, Kelsey@lancasterherp.org to give
your time and enthusiasm to a
great cause and fun time!***
Q: W HY
COULDN ’ T THE
SNAKE TALK ?
A: IT HAD A FROG
IN ITS THROAT !
R ECENT S IGHTINGS
H ERP N EWS : D O
YOUR RESEARCH
Do you have what it takes to own a turtle? With a new Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtle movie coming out in August, there’s bound to be a
lot of turtle talk! But what does owning a turtle really require? The most
commonly sold turtle is the red-eared slider. Adorable, right? It’s pretty
common for a child to see one of these little guys, and to want one. Before
diving into pet turtle ownership, consider these quick facts:

Send us your sightings or submit them to PA
Amphibian and Reptile Atlas at paherpsurvey.org
American Toads, Columbia, Lancaster
Black Rat Snake, York
Eastern Box Turtle, Lancaster, York
Green Frog, York
Northern Copperhead, Berks
Buying a red-eared slider is a long term commitment. As one of the most commonly bred turtles in
captivity, it is very difficult to find a new home for your turtle and illegal and unethical to release it
into the wild if your situation changes. Red-eared sliders are the most commonly surrendered pets at
reptile rescues. Red-eared sliders should live up to 40 years, and other types of turtles can live 50-70
years or more.
Northern Water Snake, York

Red-eared sliders can grow up to 12 inches in length and will require an aquarium at least 50 gallons.
Snapping Turtle, Lancaster, York

Turtles are not cuddly. These guys can be slippery, may scratch with their claws, and may let out a
hiss to let you know that they’re not thrilled with your attention. Not all turtles carry salmonella;
however, it’s best practice to wash your hands thoroughly after handling.

Turtles require daily care. Red-eared sliders need deep water with frequent changes, specific basking
and water temperatures, and a variety of foods. You will need to hire a pet-sitter to go on vacation!
Research before you buy! The more you know, and the better prepared you are, the more likely you and
your pet will have a happy, healthy life together!
Painted Turtle, York
Pickerel Frogs, Columbia
Queen Snake, Lancaster, York
Spotted Turtle, Schuylkill
Timber Rattlesnake, Lebanon
Two-lined Salamander, York
LHS BOARD MEMBERS:
CALEB HULSE, PRESIDENT
JESSE ROTHACKER, VICE PRESIDENT
ROY MELLOTT JR., TREASURER
KELSEY FREY, SECRETARY AND MEDIA DIRECTOR
ADAM MATTEL
ZACH BARTON
PAM HARTMOYER
KENT HARTMOYER
DAVE MCNAUGHTON
Thank you LHS Sponsors and Partners!
CONTACT US: INFO@LANCASTERHERP.ORG
BECOME A MEMBER OF
LANCASTER HERPETOLOGICAL
SOCIETY!
We are a group of reptile and
amphibian enthusiasts. We meet the
third Friday of every month at 7pm at
the Manheim Township Public Library.
We host guest speakers on a variety of
topics, facilitate critter encounters,
lead field herping adventures, and
attend community events. Our club is
open to all folks curious science,
nature, and conservation. We hope
you can join us!
LHS M EMBERSHIP F ORM
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:

LHS T-SHIRT

INVITATIONS TO MEMBER’S ONLY LIMITED SPACE TRIPS

SUPPORT A GROUP THAT BRINGS EXCELLENT SPEAKERS, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, AND CAMARADERIE TO THE HERPETOLOGICAL COMMUNITY
AND BEYOND!
Please return this form with payment (cash or check) to an LHS board member, or join
online at www.LancasterHerp.org.
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________
Circle membership type:
Individual 2014 (includes LHS t-shirt) $25.00
Family 2014 (includes 2 LHS t-shirts) $45.00