Sunguramy 
I now have frogs on my mind so enjoy this Cope's Gray Treefrog from the other day, enjoying it's wee perch. Working through some photos from the field from last week!
Alyzabeth
#Karstmas day 6!
Today we celebrate the Tennessee Cave Salamander, Gyrinophilus palleucus. This is actually the state amphibian for Tennessee! It is a listed species, NatureServe G2 (Imperiled), IUCN B1ab(iii)(Near Threatened).
Back on FB, whenever I'd post photos of one, I'd get folk saying, "OMG an axolotl! How cute!". Nope, wrong country entirely. But similarly, G. palleucus do not typically undergo metamorphosis and they do reach sexual maturity in this larval phase. The fancy term is "paedomorphic", in case you are wondering.
And yes this is a FB link but it is direct to the video, you won't need to log in to see it; I can't find it elsewhere. It is a 3.5 minute long spotlight on the Tn Cave Sal that the TWRA filmed on a survey trip the other year. I'm in it. Look for purple! (If you are visually claustrophobic, may not want to watch, just listen) https://www.facebook.com/tnwildlife/videos/underground-wildlife-survey-tn-cave-salamander/496262361996796/
Remember to follow me or the #Karstmas for more fun cave info this month!
#cave #caves #caving #speleology #biology #karst #geology #ecology #nature #water #underground #ecosystems #herp #herps #herptology #salamander #amphibians
PS I promise I have more vertical and technical stuff to post in the future too!
2.7K views · 75 reactions | Underground Wildlife Survey - TN Cave Salamander | Not all wildlife that are active in the dark are nocturnal. Some wildlife species never see the light of day. Biologists enter the underground world to... | By Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency | Facebook
Not all wildlife that are active in the dark are nocturnal. Some wildlife species never see the light of day. Biologists enter the underground world to...
Adam OnzaThe kid found a brown snake.
I told her to release it.
She did, & brought another brown snake.
I told her to release it
She did & brought back a toad.
I told her to release it.
She did & brought back an anole
I told her to release it.
She did, & says there were slugs, but she didn't bring them in, this time.
As promised, a tiny Tennessee Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus) about same size as the Red Salmander I shared a few days ago. Notice head shape differences and how teeny the eyes are!
#nature #caves #caving #science #herps #herptology #salamander #palleucus #life #photography
A larval red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) found during a recent bioinventory. They can look similar to small Tennessee Cave Salmander (Gyrinophilus palleucus) at this stage, but the eyes are much more developed and larger and a bit less of a 'flat nose/shovelhead' look. I'll post a similar size G palleucus soon so you can see the difference.
#ruber #salamander #herp #herps #herptology #cave #caves #caving #nature #red #biology #science
