Sonoran Desert Toads: The Grass is Back and So are the Toads

Sonoran Desert Toads are denizens of the grasslands in our area of southeastern Arizona. We have lived here since 1999 and had never seen one on our property until recently. There are probably several reasons for this but the most prominent is the fact that our entire area was horribly overgrazed by cattle in the 1920s-1940s. Mesquite and Acacia took over the grasslands making it more of a steppe habitat. We fenced out the cattle in 1999 when we moved here and since then many small landowners in our valley have also fenced out the cows. With the break in a 30 year plus drought native grasses are starting to come back. On our lot we had no grasses that we could find two years ago. The last two years have been wetter than usual and now we have thousands of acres of three to four foot tall grass across the valley. With the return of the grasses we are getting some of the grassland species back including the Sonoran Desert Toad. The fellow in the picture visited us two nights ago during a light rain. He was 8 inches long and big enough around that I could not reach around him with two hands. He was enjoying the beetles and moths attracted to our back light. He was made welcome and we hope to enjoy him more as the summer progresses. We are hopeing he will find a friend and raise a family in our four tiered bird pond in our yard where he was soaking the next morning when I went out to feed the birds. We are hopeing that the Sonoran Desert Toad is back for good.

Rattlesnakes: The Neighbors are Restless

With the warm and slightly humid pre monsoon weather we have been having here in Portal, Arizona, the rattlesnakes have been on the move and are becoming more easily observed. I found a nice Western Diamondback on our sidewalk yesterday afternoon and another coiled up next to one of our outdoor turtle enclosures late last night. When they get this close to our house we move them out to a rock pile on the far corner of our property.

Western Diamondbacks are a denning snake and return to the same den every fall. These dens are often shared with other species of snake such as garter snakes, gopher (bull) snakes and others. Many people believe that snakes hibernate in these dens for the winter and that they become basically dormant. Recent camera work by field biologists have found this to not be true with much activity apparent within the den all winter. Some biologists think that friction of mass movement and body heat help retain the proper temperatures to maintain life in the den. Dens most often occur in what I call iceberg rock fissures. These occur when there is a rocky area above ground with a fissure going under ground to a much larger rocky area. It is maintained by some scientists that the rock above ground holds heat from the sun during the day and it is transferred underground to the rocks around the den area.

In our work we are often called upon to move rattlesnakes from people's homes or yards. This should only be done by knowledgable people with professional grade snake hooks or tongs. Recent studies have shown that moving Western Diamondbacks over 1/4 mile may prohibit them from finding their way back to their den in the fall resulting in death because they do not know where to go in the new area to spend the winter. This has been backed up with field work where transported rattlesnakes were given radio transmitters. Snakes moved less than 1/4 mile usually made it back to the den while those moved over 1/4 mile suffered a much larger mortality rate. We take all of this into account when we move snakes in our work.

Rattlesnakes are out now and if you live in rattlesnake country you should always be aware of the possibility of happening upon them. Enjoy them when you see them and just walk away. Remember, more people are bitten try to kill a rattlesnake than are killed when walking away. Even a rattlesnake has its place in the grand scheme of things.

Proper Snake Handling Equipment is Important

As wildlife biologists, Nancy and I are called upon to move many venomous snakes each year as a part of our job or as a favor for friends or neighbors. As a part of our job we capture the snakes, identify them, weigh them, measure them, sex them and then release them in a safe area away from roads. To accomplish this we must utilize a variety of snake handling equipment, always keeping in mind the fact that many cases of snakebite occur when "professionals" or "experts" become complacent. We try to minimize the danger to ourselves by minimizing the actual touch time with the snake and the use of quality equipment. We certainly know the value of having the best equipment available for our job. A snake hook or tong that bends with the weight of a nice sized Western Diamondback Rattlesnake is not a good tool to have in your arsenal. The equipment we utilize is designed with our safety and the safety of the snake in mind. The hooks and tongs we use are made of aircraft quality aluminum so it would take quite an ordeal to damage the tools. A snake tong with a wide jaw provides for a safe grip on both the top and the bottom of the snake and provides much more support than an economy tong. It also cuts down on damage to the snake if an inexperienced person grabs the snake with a tong and squeezes too hard on the hand grips. We always use restraining tubes to immobilize the snake while we are working with them in hand. Always remember to use a a tube that is small enough so that the snake cannot turn around in it or you may get bitten. Restraining tubes are utilized by slipping one end over the head and body of a snake until about half of the snake is inside the tube. The body is then grasped at the point where it exits the tube. One hand should hold the body of the snake and the tube simultaneously. This assures that the snake cannot back out of the tube. Tubes are used to increase the safety factor during probing to sex the snake or doing minor veterinary work. When sexing the snakes we utilize sexing probes with ball tips which have gone through extensive deburring and polishing processes to assure the smoothest surface available for the protection and comfort of the snake. All beginners should read the instructions carefully and/or seek the guidance of an experienced herpetologist before attempting to probe a snake. The snake may easily be injured if the procedure is not done properly.

Whether you are working with snakes in the field or with caged specimens in your reptile room, having the proper snake handling equipment is important for both you and the snake. Be smart. Spend a little more for a quality, safe product.