Category — Conservation

Waterdogs in Winter

While many species become less active as temperatures drop in wintertime, the aquatic salamanders known as waterdogs are on the move.  Waterdog activity is reverse to those of the large predatory fish to which they coexist.  More importantly, primary prey items for waterdogs (aquatic insects) are restricted to leaf pack and hence accessible for snacking at this time of year. 

We plan our waterdog survey trips to coincide with the species natural biology.  Therefore, we have maximum opportunity to capture and collect data from adult individuals.  Over the past three years, we have surveyed for the Black Warrior Waterdog in NW Alabama during late January.  However, prior to our trip this year, heavy rain moved into the projected survey sites and we had to change our plans.  We still needed to survey for waterdogs in 3 eastern Alabama drainages:  Coosa, Alabama and Tallapoosa.  Unfortunately, the water had not lowered in these drainages, which made our chances of finding any waterdogs extremely difficult.  In scouting out spots to search for waterdogs and by talking to local residents about the area, we feel prepared to attempt another trip in the near future when water levels are lower.

The second part of our trip took us to the state of Georgia and two river drainages: Flint and Ochlocknee.  While we didn’t have much luck at the cited locality in the Flint Drainage, we headed down the road to where a tributary of the Flint crossed. The water was a few feet higher than normal. The good news was there were large leaf packs along the bank. About 2 minutes into the dip-netting process we started finding waterdogs! After a lot of driving in the previous days, it was a relief to make progress. We also checked multiple sites in the Ochlocknee River Drainage and despite working until the sun set, we didn’t find any more waterdogs. However, the creeks we went to looked promising. This part of Georgia had not yet received much rain. The good news is we can pick this drainage up in Florida when we go later in the year.

By guest blogger: Jocelyn Coulter

There is a new piece of art in the Zoo… and it’s made entirely out of trash.  It’s fitting that we would place it in the Go Green Garden, but there is more to this story than just trash and “going green.”

A little history…

As a part of my Masters through Miami University’s Global Field Program in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, I have focused the past 2.5 years on how art can play a significant role in environmental conservation.  This past summer, I was fortunate enough to work with a handful of high school students, from four different high schools, who were willing to come together in the name of art and the environment. We worked through a pilot course that offered a new way to learn about the environment through art.  Aside from some cool art activities and discussions, the most amazing result of this course was the heightened interest of two young ladies from Roger Bacon High School, who both aspired to take some of what they learned back to their peers.

Amanda and Michelle create graffiti, using stencils and mud.

Amanda and Michelle show off their journals crafted out of an old dinosaur book.

On December 13, 2011,  we conducted the Black Warrior Waterdog survey. The river was packed with leaves, which is a good sign.  In the first leaf pack we netted there was a small larval waterdog. That was good news! This means that from our surveys last year, the adults in this population are successfully breeding. We found a few other salamanders that are sympatric  with N. alabamensis; the Northern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber ruber), Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus sp.), and Two-lined Salamanders (Eurycea cirrigera).

We were almost a third of the way upstream and we were no longer finding waterdogs. The season seemed a little behind what we observed last year. It was warmer outside, even though the water temperature was still pretty cold.  And, the leaf packs were still fresh – the leaves weren’t decomposed yet. In the past, we’ve noticed the waterdogs like to be near the shore line and in leaf packs that are more decomposed.  We continued to push further upstream; farther than we’ve ever found waterdogs before.

Surprisingly we found two larvae.  We found five total.