I headed down to Louisiana for my yearly trip to visit my good friend Brad "Bones" Glorioso. After making the 11 hour drive from Knoxville to Lafayette, Louisiana, on Friday. We got up fairly early Saturday morning morning and drove up to the Kisatchie National Forest (Kisatchie Ranger District) in Natchitoches Parish to do some herping. Weather was still rather cool, especially at night with overnight lows dipping into the upper 30s. Once again, we didn't hit conditions right to catch a lot of snakes but we did see a few things.
Trachemys scripta elegans (Red-Eared Slider) 10+adults basking
Pseudemys concinna (River Cooter) 5+ adults basking
Sternotherus odoratus (Stinkpot) 1 dead adult found
Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator) 1 subadult basking on drive up
Sceloporus consobrinus (Prairie Lizard) 2 adults and 2 juveniles
Scincella lateralis (Ground Skink) 20-30 adults
Acris blanchardi (Blanchard's Cricket Frog) 5 adults
Pseudacris crucifer (Spring Peeper) 30-40 adults, a few egg masses, TMTC calling and 5 pairs in amplexus
Pseudacris fouquettei (Cajun Chorus Frog) 1 adult, TMTC calling
Rana clamitans clamitans (Bronze Frog) 3 adults
Rana sphenocephala utricularia (Southern Leopard Frog) 5+ adults observed and calling
Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander) 100+ egg masses and a few larvae
Ambystoma opacum (Marbled Salamander) 20-30 larvae
Ambystoma talpoideum (Mole Salamander) 3 egg masses
Eurycea quadridigitata (Coastal Plain Dwarf Salamander) 3 adults
Some photographs:
Sceloporus consobrinus (Prairie Lizard) juvenile (top) and adult male
Scincella lateralis (Ground Skink)
Ambystoma opacum (Marbled Salamander) larvae
Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander) recently hatched larva
Eurycea quadridigitata (Coastal Plain Dwarf Salamander)
Acris blanchardi (Blanchard's Cricket Frog)
Pseudacris crucifer (Spring Peeper) adults and amplexus
Pseudacris fouquettei (Cajun Chorus Frog)
Rana sphenocephala utricularia (Southern Leopard Frog) adult males and an egg mass
Other wildlife:
Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Fishing Spider?