DETROIT FREE PRESS (Michigan) 01 July 05 DNR seeks public's help in reptile, amphibian count (Eric Sharp)
Many of the world's reptiles and amphibians are disappearing, and what's especially worrying biologists is that they don't know why. It could be loss of habitat. It could be increased predation. It could be several factors working together. But so far, no one has been able to explain the losses.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is doing its part to get a handle on the local reptile population by creating a statewide database to provide a baseline for future studies, and it's asking the citizenry at large to take part.
The Herp Atlas study began three years ago in cooperation with the Kalamazoo Nature Center, and through 2007, the DNR wants everyone interested to fill out cards listing the frogs, toads, snakes, salamanders and lizards they spot at various places in the state.
Copies of the Herp Atlas and data cards can be obtained at the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr; by e-mail from SargenL2@Michigan.gov; or by regular mail from Herp Atlas, P.O. Box 30180, Lansing 48909.
The state's list of amphibians and reptiles includes 14 species of frogs and toads, 11 salamanders, 18 snakes, 10 turtles and two lizards. Many of these animals are endangered or species of special concern.
The only poisonous reptile in Michigan is the massassauga rattlesnake, which reaches about three feet in length and produces a potent venom. Fortunately, it is shy and not aggressive, and Lori Sargent, who is running the Herp Atlas survey for the DNR, said that although the massassauga was a species of special concern at the national level, it's fairly common in Michigan if you know where to look.
I usually see a massassauga once or twice a year while fishing, because it likes damp areas along stream banks, and last fall I got some excellent photographs of a newly hatched, foot-long specimen with a single button on its tail. The DNR said that observations by amateur naturalists must be verified by a knowledgeable source. The easiest way to do that usually is to take a photograph of the creature, although Sargent said the DNR would accept citizen identifications of more common critters like garter snakes and green frogs.
But people who think they know their stuff may be surprised to learn that there are two species of toads in Michigan, and when it comes to our two lizards, I suspect they wouldn't give you much time to count and see if they were five-lined skinks or a six-lined racerunners.
DNR seeks public's help in reptile, amphibian count