Spring tragedies

[benjamin]

Every spring amphibs come out of hibernation and make themselves more evident than any other time of year and what do we do in return? We run over them ofcourse. If only they could build a toad tunnel or something. Well here are some victims:

Female with eggs, still very much alive-

The male that was amplexing here, picked up on a tire and deposited a foot away-

And the deepest cut of all for a caudate lover, an egg carrying female with a crushed head, if only the car passed 1 centimeter closer to the middle of the road-

This must be the first picture of a wild newt I've posted, and a sad one to.

 

[paris]

ah-cars arent the only early spring loss factors. a few years back when the local pond was still on a vernal cycle (its been dry for 3 years now) we would get amphibs migrating in to the pond because of warmer spring days -despite the fact that the pond was still frozen solid. female leopard frogs got there too early and coudnt get into the 'water' for safety -i found them dissembowled by crows, apparently frog caviar is enjoyed by our local birds....

 

[benjamin]

It definately looks like caviar before it expands. At least that's a natural and somewhat unavoidable reason. I'm sure the birds came in not long after I took the photos, but as scavengers rather than predetors. I'm thinking of somehow creating a campaign for a system of toad crossings in my neighbor hood. I live near a common and every english amphibian lives in abundance here. I assume the majority make the roads safely most of the time, but last year I calculated there was an average of 1.5 five squashed amphibians along a road just 1/8 of a mile every morning between march and october, which must have a huge impact on the population.

 

[ravenous]

Benjamin--Don't have too many herp losses here by the roads(at least not any that I've noticed), but I remember when I stayed in England how heavy the road casualties were. Where I stayed, though, they had a lot of people out there to help them cross (mainly Bufo bufo), so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I helped them some too, though I didn't wear the funny orange suits most of the others wore. I found that the roadkill that was right next to the lake where they breed was the hardest to look at.

Also, do you have any of those 'Toad Crossing' signs around where you live, and if so do you think they help much?

And--Does anyone know how successful the amphibian tunnels underneath roads are? Just curious.

 

[benjamin]

We do have toad crossing signs, but not in my neighbor hood. Underground tunnels are often designed so that there is no other way an amphibian can cross the road. Usually here they involve and amphibian proof fence running along each side of the road, with tunnels at equally spaced intervals, and occasionally pitfall traps for population surveys. In theory they should prevent any herps from crossing the road, but the fencing can't go on forever, especially in places where there are driveways and foot paths.

 

[benjamin]

Well here's another picture to add to the list, the saddest thing about the picture is that the animal was a very large great crested newt and it died on protected land.