Group 7

The Desert Slender Salamander The desert slender salamander is one of the most important, most intriguing, and most aesthetically exhilarating amphibians in the world. It was discovered in 1969 in Riverside County, CA by accident. A farmer was digging a hole for his sheep when he uncovered some groundwater where a desert slender salamander was resting. A year later desert slender salamanders were formally named and documented. Desert slenders were considered endangered in the 1980s and in 1982 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a plan to restore the desert slender to its old heights. Despite the time that’s passed since the plan’s announcement, the species is still listed as endangered. In this post we will be discussing the general attributes of the desert slender salamander, its endangerment and the U.S Fish and Wildlife’s plan for recovery, and the overall future of this beautiful species.   General Attributes: The desert slender salamander is small, with i...

Dominic Parella   COPPERBELLY WATER SNAKE Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta Description and Ecology: The Copperbelly Water Snake or Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta is found in the United States, specifically in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as Illinois and Kentucky. The Copperbelly is a midwestern sub-species of the Plainbelly water snake that ranges throughout the central and southeastern United States. This water snake can grow up to lengths of 40 to 50 inches, but on average they range from two to four feet long. The female Copperbelly grows much larger than the male, so it is common to assume that a Copperbelly longer than 30 inches is a female. Adult Copperbelly snakes are dark brown to black on their dorsal surface (top or back), while their underside is a bright orange-red or sometimes even a yellowish color that extends all the way to their chin, thus giving them the name Copperbelly. The Copperbelly is a non-venomous snake species that actually hibernates during...

Photograph of Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits in hands. Oregon Zoo, https://www.oregonzoo.org/gallery/tags/columbia-basin-pygmy-rabbit Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit ( Brachylagus idahoensis ) Description and Ecology The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit is part of the Leporidae family, which includes hares and rabbits. Pygmy rabbits are the smallest leporid in North America with a length of 9.3 to 11.6 inches and a weight of .83 to 1.1 pounds. Due to their small size, pygmy rabbits are easy to distinguish from other rabbits. They are also easy to distinguish from other rabbits because of their short ears, gray color, small hind legs and lack of white on the tail. Their features consist of a gray body with brown tips. Their legs, chest, back of neck are cinnamon brown, stomachs are white, and they have pale gray ears. Geographic and Population Changes Map of distribution of Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits.  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife,  11 Dec. 2012...