Marsh Herping in Vermilion County, Illinois

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
April 26th 2015

Species Found:

1. Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)
2. Four Toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)

The Trip:

Noah had worked with a salamander researcher named Abby in the past and she had done a lot of work with Four Toed Salamanders. We had been talking about going to look for Four Toed Salamander nests with Abby for a while so Noah finally reached out to her. Noah, Tristan and I decided to go to Abby's research site in Vermilion County along with Abby, her dog and another salamander guy named Lance. We got to the marsh, which consisted of water with a maximum depth of 1 foot and bright green plant clumps popping up out of the mud.

Marsh Habitat: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamanders nest under clumps of moss in the marsh. We started looking around in the marsh for clumps of moss. While I waded through the water, I heard a rustling to my right. There was a large, dark Northern Water Snake on a clump of dry grass. I wasn't expecting to see a snake so it took a while for me to process what I was seeing. I lunged towards the snake to grab it but it slid into the water and disappeared. 10 seconds later, I saw it surface but it swam away really fast when I tried to grab it again. Ankle deep in mud and dodging plants, I couldn't keep up with the snake, so I gave up and went to search for another snake. I walked around for about 5 minutes before I saw my next snake, a Water Snake that was smaller than the previous one. It slid into the water as soon as it saw me but this time I jumped directly on it and grabbed a clump of algae and mud where I saw it go down. I pulled my hand out of the water and the snake was squirming among the algae and decaying vegetation in my hand. It promptly bit me 4 times as I untangled it from the debris. Once I had a firm hold on it, I called out "Water Snake!" so that everyone else could come see it. At the same time, Abby called out "Found a nest!". I walked over to the nest and everyone took turns inspecting both the snake and the salamander nest. The snake had calmed down by the time other people started handling it so nobody else had the honor of getting bit. Meanwhile, my hand was still bleeding from the 8 puncture wounds injected with anti-coagulant. Water snakes have an anti-coagulant in their saliva which prevents blood from clotting. This is a predatory adaptation rather than a defense mechanism. Large prey animals will lose blood, making it easier for the snake to swallow them. I took the snake to dry land so we could photograph it.

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Northern Water Snake Ventrals: PC Tristan Schramer

Northern Water Snake Ventrals: PC Tristan Schramer

While everyone was photographing the snake, I went to take closer look at the salamander nest. I had to peel back the moss to actually see the eggs. They varied greatly in size but they all hung off the end of the moss, over the water. This is so that the larvae can drop into the water when they are ready. The female salamander usually guards the eggs till they develop. I found her hiding in a small hole a few inches away from the eggs. Looking at her small body, it was hard to imagine how all those eggs had come out of it. I later found out that the eggs come out very small and subsequently swell up by absorbing moisture.

Four Toed Salamander Nest: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamander Nest: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamander Nest: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamander Nest: PC Tristan Schramer

Four Toed Salamander Nest: PC Tristan Schramer

We released all the animals and decided to head back. I had seen both Four Toed Salamanders and Water Snakes before but this trip was unique. Seeing the salamander nest really showed me how much effort the female puts into keeping her young safe. The next time I see a Four Toed Salamander I'll be reminded of those eggs in the moss. The Northern Water Snake was a new subspecies for me. I had caught a Midland Water Snake in Southern Illinois last fall, but this was a completely different experience. The Midland had been very docile because of the cold temperature but this Northern really showed me what Water Snakes are capable of, leaving 8 puncture wounds in my skin. The subspecies differ in that the Northern has wider dark bands on its back while the Midland has wider light bands. Their ranges also don't overlap too much. Regardless, seeing a snake was a treat. We had come to find salamander nests so the snake was an added bonus.