Tag: reptile

Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Hatteras Island, North Carolina.

From head to tail this formidable fellow was about two feet long (60 cm). And he was not the biggest turtle in the pond. 

Please click photo for full view. 

Trouble: The sea turtle has been fitted with a radio transmitter for future monitoring. Loggerheads are occasional visitors to the estuarine environment of the Chesapeake Bay, but they are deep-sea dwellers, and Trouble is likely to return to open ocean soon. Rehabilitated sea turtles released by the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team can be tracked at seaturtle.org. 

Trouble: The sea turtle has been fitted with a radio transmitter for future monitoring. Loggerheads are occasional visitors to the estuarine environment of the Chesapeake Bay, but they are deep-sea dwellers, and Trouble is likely to return to open ocean soon. Rehabilitated sea turtles released by the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team can be tracked at seaturtle.org. 

Trouble: The loggerhead’s age and sex were not determined. At release the turtle weighed 125 pounds (57 kg), and was thought to be only about 15 years old and not yet sexually mature. Loggerheads live up to seventy years, and typically grow to 300 pounds (135 kg). These turtles are distributed throughout the world, and are considered endangered everywhere.

Please click photo for an enlarged view. 

Trouble: The loggerhead’s age and sex were not determined. At release the turtle weighed 125 pounds (57 kg), and was thought to be only about 15 years old and not yet sexually mature. Loggerheads live up to seventy years, and typically grow to 300 pounds (135 kg). These turtles are distributed throughout the world, and are considered endangered everywhere.

Please click photo for an enlarged view. 

Trouble: In July members of the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team rescued a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) that had become tangled in crab pot gear in the Chesapeake Bay. Several boats were needed to free the turtle, whose rear flipper was injured. The turtle was named Trouble due to the difficulty of the rescue, and taken to the aquarium for veterinary care. Trouble was returned to the bay today on the beach at Cape Charles, in Northampton County, Virginia. 

Trouble: In July members of the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team rescued a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) that had become tangled in crab pot gear in the Chesapeake Bay. Several boats were needed to free the turtle, whose rear flipper was injured. The turtle was named Trouble due to the difficulty of the rescue, and taken to the aquarium for veterinary care. Trouble was returned to the bay today on the beach at Cape Charles, in Northampton County, Virginia. 

Skink v. Moth

This certainly ended badly for the moth, but it put up a lively fight.

I found these two on the boardwalk trail at the Dismal Swamp State Park, near South Mills, North Carolina. The skink had an adequate grip on the moth’s abdomen, but not on the insect’s wings. I watched the moth haul the skink across the deck and nearly get it airborne a few times before the skink dragged it into a crack between the planks.

Five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus, immature) and unidentified moth. Note that the skink’s tail is short and stubby, indicating regeneration from an earlier loss. This scrappy fellow was about 3 inches long (7.5 cm) even after losing at least an inch (2.5 cm) of tail length.  

Please click any photo in the set for full views.