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First of the summer projects!
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by AquaHerp on May 13, 2011
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On the 16th of May, staff from the Albuquerque Biological Park’s department of herpetology will be taking to the remote areas of southwestern New Mexico. In a coordinated effort between the BioPark and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, zoo herpetologists are on a quest to find an animal that has vanished from the scientific world for nearly two decades here in New Mexico; the Northern Mexican garter snake. Formally known as Thamnophis eques, this small harmless reptile has long been thought to have vanished from New Mexico’s landscape. The last official sighting was over 17 years ago in a small cattle pond in Grant County. Even at that time, the Mexican garter snake was in severe decline throughout its tiny range here. Populations of the Mexican garter snakes have always been restricted in New Mexico and parts of Arizona. They are found nowhere else within the United States. They are considered disjunct from populations in Mexico, where they are also in decline. Biologists have several theories as to why the snakes have vanished, yet the decline was so rapid that careful examination of these theories has been nearly impossible. The species is listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Services as a candidate species pending federal protection. New Mexico lists the snake as “Endangered”, and the Global Heritage Status Ranking puts it at “vulnerable to extirpation or extinction”. All agencies are in agreement that the future looks very uncertain.
Reptile specialists from the zoo will be camped out in remote areas just outside the Gila Mountains for over a week while they conduct searches and monitor traps designed to humanely capture the snakes. Doug Hotle, curator of herpetology for the zoo weighed in on the program; “This will be a very exhaustive search for the snake. We would be ecstatic, and surprised, if the species still exists here in New Mexico. One always wants to hold out hope, especially when it involves the extinction of a species”. In addition to the garter snake, Hotle says the team will be micro-chipping all snake species that are encountered to get a clearer picture of the overall health of reptile populations in that area. “We are collecting fecal samples of snakes we come across as well to determine diets of wild snakes in the area. We need to be careful of what cooler we dig into at night for a snack. I don’t want to be half way through when I suddenly realize why my pudding cup tastes so strange”, he joked.
The team will be returning May 24th, hopefully with some good news for New Mexicans.
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RE: First of the summer projects!
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by AquaHerp on May 13, 2011
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FYI- This was a draft for an article sent to me and not the final version. Repeditiveness and typos will be corrected. :)
DH
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RE: First of the summer projects!
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by lanceheads on May 13, 2011
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If you or your crew can tell the difference between a fecalizer cup and a Jello cup, maybe you should consider scrapping the whole project?
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RE: First of the summer projects!
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by BobH on May 13, 2011
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I wish you and your team good luck. Sounds like a great project. Keep us updated when they return.
Bob
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RE: First of the summer projects!
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by theemojohnm on May 13, 2011
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Sounds awesome, Doug !
As most of you know, I have a thing for garters. (Like who keeps garters, right? LOL).
T. eques is an awesome species, like a paler, "pastel-like" version of our Easterns, and I would be absolutely ecstatic to come across one!
You're definitely going to have to take lots of photos, for Facebook!
Sounds like an awesome trip, and a fantastic project! Best of luck.
Take Care,
- John Mendrola
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RE: First of the summer projects!
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by questionaire on May 17, 2011
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This sounds like so much fun as well as being a great study. Please keep me posted on the details, Doug. I want to know if the snakes in the area are eating pudding cups, too. ;-)
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