Ratsnake Hunting Behavior

Ratsnakes are large snakes (over 6 feet as adults) found in the eastern United States. The Virginia Herpetological Society reports that they are the most commonly seen snake in Virginia. This is the case because they move around a lot and are often found near human habitation (such as barns and old buildings) where their […]

Toad Toxicity

Amphibians are generally small, soft, and many bigger predators like to eat them. A few groups have evolved chemical defenses which make them toxic and therefore unpalatable to predators. One such group is the toads (family Bufonidae). Herping (verb): the act of searching for amphibians and reptiles. Several weeks ago, in the Everglades, I decided […]

Alligators and turtles

Alligators and turtles are both heavily armored reptiles. In December of 2023, I witnessed an interesting interaction between an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and a Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox). The setting was Depot Park in the city of Gainesville, Florida. In this urban park there are a series of retention ponds. Paved trails, which […]

Incredible wildlife amongst ruins of an abandoned zoo

Key Biscayne is a small barrier island less than 5 miles from downtown Miami. About half the island consists of a park (Crandon Park), which itself contains a golf course, a world-class tennis facility that formerly held the Miami Open, beautiful white sand beaches, and an abandoned zoo which is now a botanic garden. While […]

Lure-fishing animals

In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. There are lots of amazing examples of animal mimicry. This post focuses on one particular category: those that use lures to attract prey. But, you ask, how does an animal, other than a (human) fisherman, […]

Encounters with snapping turtles

Snapping turtles – big, powerful and with long claws, snake-like neck, and beak-like jaws – are an impressive sight to behold. The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is abundant in freshwaters across most of the United States. With a shell length up to 20 inches and weight of 35 pounds, they are the largest turtle […]

Magnet fishing Annapolis City Dock

Magnet fishing consists of throwing or dropping a magnet attached to a rope into a waterbody in search of metal objects. I first became aware of this hobby in 2018. While visiting the Netherlands I saw two guys magnet fishing in the canals of Amsterdam. They had a small but powerful magnet attached to a […]

Caterpillars mimicking snakes

A few weeks ago, in the Everglades, I came upon an interesting caterpillar. It had a spotted pattern, with the spot closest to the head looking remarkably similar to a vertebrate eye. I managed to get a few photos from different angles and even a video showing its rocking back-and-forth crawling movement. The encounter got […]

Predatory tortoises and iguanas

Living reptiles include the tuatara, lizards, snakes, turtles (and tortoises), and crocodilians (see below Figure). Reptiles are primarily carnivorous (i.e. preying upon and eating other animals), with some variation amongst the different groups. The tuatara, an ancient lineage represented by a single living species endemic to New Zealand, is carnivorous. All crocodilians (24 species) are […]

Kayak fishing for peacock bass

Butterfly peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) are undoubtedly one of the world’s most striking freshwater fish. This species is actually a large predatory cichlid. In an earlier post on pike killifish, I pointed out that the elongated ‘pike’ body shape has evolved convergently in many different, and distantly related, groups of fish. Another successful predatory fish […]