Today we went about a mile above the Y towards Metcalf Bottoms to search for hellbenders (also known as snot otters) as part of a research project being conducted by Dr. Freake (yes, Dr. Freake. Great name) at Lee University. The goal of the project is to estimate and monitor hellbender populations as the hellbender is a great indicator species for stream health. To find hellbenders, you basically don a snorkle and mask and work your way upriver flipping over large rocks. I found the first one today, but as I grabbed it, it squirmed under a large boulder with a tunnel under it. We surrounded the rock and stuck our hands under it (an insecure feeling, sticking you hand under a dark, slimy boulder) until Isaac Evans, one of the summer research interns, caught it. After catching one, we measure its total length, its snout to vent length (from the tip of the nose to its cloaca), and check for a PIT tag, a passive integrated transponder. A PIT tag is smaller than a grain of rice, and contains identification information about the animal. They are the same things that are implanted in dogs and cats in case they get lost. The second hellbender was found near the end of the day, and may have been the first one being recaptured, as its statistics were basically the same. For pictures... go here.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Snot Otters || June 18, 2007
Today we went about a mile above the Y towards Metcalf Bottoms to search for hellbenders (also known as snot otters) as part of a research project being conducted by Dr. Freake (yes, Dr. Freake. Great name) at Lee University. The goal of the project is to estimate and monitor hellbender populations as the hellbender is a great indicator species for stream health. To find hellbenders, you basically don a snorkle and mask and work your way upriver flipping over large rocks. I found the first one today, but as I grabbed it, it squirmed under a large boulder with a tunnel under it. We surrounded the rock and stuck our hands under it (an insecure feeling, sticking you hand under a dark, slimy boulder) until Isaac Evans, one of the summer research interns, caught it. After catching one, we measure its total length, its snout to vent length (from the tip of the nose to its cloaca), and check for a PIT tag, a passive integrated transponder. A PIT tag is smaller than a grain of rice, and contains identification information about the animal. They are the same things that are implanted in dogs and cats in case they get lost. The second hellbender was found near the end of the day, and may have been the first one being recaptured, as its statistics were basically the same. For pictures... go here.
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