Reptiles and Amphibians: Implications for Management
Gopher Frog |
In 1995-96 and 1998, wildlife biologists Kevin Enge and Kristin Wood
used drift fences to survey reptiles and amphibians in sandhill, xeric
hammock, and basin marsh habitats of Chinsegut Nature Center. The area
proved to have a rich and diverse array of reptiles and amphibians.
Four adult eastern tiger salamanders were captured in the xeric hammock,
representing the southernmost record for this species in Florida. Large
numbers of juvenile gopher frogs, a state listed species of special
concern, were captured dispersing from May's Prairie in June and July.
A juvenile short-tailed snake, a state listed threatened species, was
captured in the sandhill on June 5, 1998. Only one other short-tailed
snake has ever been recorded for Hernando County.
Two management implications emerged from the study. Although the xeric
hammock at the Chinsegut Nature Center was once sandhill as evidenced
by remnant longleaf pine, restoration of the xeric hammock adjacent
to May's prairie would be difficult and may not be beneficial to amphibian
populations, which thrive in the humid and moist environment of the
hammock. Stocking of fish in May's Prairie would also be harmful to
the over 15 species of amphibians that breed in the marsh. Most of these
breed in small, ephemeral wetlands and are not adapted to withstand
predation by fish. Even without fish, large wetlands may be highly productive
for reptiles, wading birds, and mammals as well as amphibians.
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