Race for the Racer
We were sitting in our hotel room in Cambridge, OH in the midst of a deluge when Murphy got the message from her supervisor.
“NOOOOOOO,” she yelled out as she looked at her phone.
“What??”
“Steve said the release is canceled because of the rain!”
I had come down to Southern Ohio to help Murphy and the rest of the team at The Wilds release Eastern Hellbenders into streams in West Virginia. The Hellbender (AKA: snot otter, devil dog, Allegheny Alligator) is the largest fully aquatic salamander in the United States and is listed as Near Threatened according to the IUCN Red List. The Wilds, a non-profit that operates in Cumberland, OH, conducts a head starting program for these unique organisms. Some of the Hellbenders that were going to be released were individuals that Murphy herself helped raise several years ago when she worked as an apprentice for The Wilds. She had been back this summer as a volunteer to help with various projects and was especially excited to help release the Hellbenders she had a hand in rearing. However, the combination of rain and people walking through the the stream and stream edges would likely make the streams silty which is not ideal for the Hellbender, which absorbs oxygen through its skin. Pollution and siltation of streams is actually a major cause of their decline.
While the cancellation was a huge bummer, there were other things that I could help with while I was down there. The project I was most excited for was flipping tins for snakes. The Wilds is conducting surveys for snakes on their property and testing for the presence of Snake Fungal Disease (SFD), a disease that causes lesions on snakes and can eventually lead to death for individuals. At the beginning of the summer, Murphy and I had made a friendly wager that whoever saw a Racer first got to pick a nature-based shirt that the loser had to buy for the other (our wardrobes are increasingly becoming filled with shirts of turtles, birds and salamanders). I had been worried everyday when Murphy told me that she was going to flip tins that she was going to find one, I had barely been herping so I knew that she had the greater chance of finding one. But the day had come that we were on a level playing field and we had made jokes that it would be funny if we were together when we both found our first one.
After quickly cleaning out a dilapidated Kestrel box that was filled with ants, we headed to the tins. Guided by a GPS until, we headed into chest high prairies looking for the tins. It was about 10 a.m. already and it was very warm, which meant the tins might be too warm for even the ectothermic creatures. As we trudged through the prairies we came to 4-5 different tins that were all barren underneath. With only a few left, we were beginning to think that no snakes at all were going to be seen. We headed up a hillside to the area of the last few tins. My chest was a darker shade than the rest of my body due to the sweat seeping through my shirt. We found one of the tins and of course it revealed nothing and then the GPS died. We attempted to find the remaining tins without the GPS but with the growth of the plants so high it was very difficult to see the ground. After discussing whether or not it would even be worth it to go back and get another GPS, we decided to do it and come back in the hope that the last three tins might be holding something.
We quickly went back to the main building for a charged GPS and headed back up the field. We easily found the tins and asked ourselves how we missed them before. The first one: nothing. But as we approached the second one I said aloud, “I feel good about this one.” Murphy and I both knelt down to lift the tin, slowly pulling it up. Under it was exactly what we had been hoping to find: a large Black Racer. Without hesitation Murphy grabbed the snake and we put down the tin. Despite Racers having a bit of a reputation as highly defensive when handled, this one seemed relatively tolerant; which may have been a function of it being in deep shed. When snakes are in the process of shedding, their vibrant colors usually become quite dull and their eyes become very cloudy, often impairing their ability to see. When the Racer is in shed, their eyes become a magnificent blue. Murphy and I took turns holding the snake and then Murphy took swabs of the snake to then be tested for SFD, we then released the Racer to hopefully continue its shed in peace.
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Murphy with the Racer and sporting a Hellbender shirt My turn to hold the Racer, also sporting a salamander shirt |
Because we got a late start on the tins, a few other tins were just too hot to produce anything. These reportedly were a reliable site for Milk Snakes, another species that I had yet to see. So we decided to check them first thing in the morning the next day. After finding the Racer, we headed up to the Hellbender head starting facility to check out the snot otters that were supposed to have been released that day. Walking into the small building we first had to step into a shallow tray of disinfectant to make sure we weren’t bringing any pathogens into the facility that may harm the Hellbenders. The whizzing sound of pumps and filters filled the building as I looked and saw several tanks on shelves, each housing half a dozen or more small Hellbenders. Many of them were huddled together underneath terra cotta plant trays meant to mimic rocks they may hide under in their natural environment. A long and narrow tank with black sides and a caged top lay on the floor. There were rocks all over the bottom of it and a current of water flowed from one end to the other. This simulated stream conditions and was very neat to see. It was crazy to think that some day, these amphibians would one day be released into the wild to survive on their own; some would grow into large individuals that would dominate their streams, others may not make it far past their release day.
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The face of a young Eastern Hellbender at the headstart facility at the Wilds
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The next day, we headed to the tins that the Milk Snakes were supposed to be. As we flipped the first tin, my eyes were caught by a bright red pattern right in front of me. I stared at my first Milk Snake for just a moment too long and it bolted down a hole. I was so upset at myself for letting it get away without getting a picture of it. It was clearly freshly shed and was a color I had never before seen or expected from a snake. We continued down the tins, eventually flipping another Milk! This one was significantly duller and less pretty than the first one we flipped, but I was able to pick it up before it got away.
Despite being unable to partake in what would have been an amazing experience of releasing Eastern Hellbenders back into their native waters, we still were able to come away with positive feelings about the weekend. I had been able to see two lifer snakes and Murphy and I were able to have the experience of both seeing a Racer for the first time. Now we just need to pick out our shirts...
In general, conservation organization and zoos can always use your support. However, COVID has created a whole other layer of complexity to raising the necessary funds to maintain staff and animals. Consider donating to quality organizations so that they can continue their missions of headstarting, restoration, conservation, and monitoring.
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