These are the pitfall traps, which are the way we obtain most of our animals. Holes are dug along the trap every ten feet. When an animal jumps into the plastic wall, it hops alongside it to find the way around it, but instead falls into a bucket nestled in one of the holes. These traps have helped us this year to catch musk turtles, painted turtles, green frogs, one pickerel frog, one bull frog, and a few snakes too.

Just having taken these down last Thursday was emblematic of the closing of our studies in herpetology. Easier taken down than put up, the permanent closing of the traps marks the end of the season.

Here, Laura, Sam, Bobby, Matt, Nate, Ali, and I are shown at the outset of the herpetology unit putting the finishing touches on the second trap.

Bullfrog

This is a bullfrog. It's scientific name is Rana catesbeiana. In this specific picture, a green frog is riding on the bullfrog's back. All the frogs in the picture were captured in our pitfall traps. This was our first and only bullfrog caught during our time in Herpetology. Like all the other frogs, we measured its nose-to-tail and tibial measurements.

Pickerel Frog

This is a pickerel frog that we caught in the pitfall traps. Pickerel frogs can be identified by their spots and yellow stripes down their back. They are generally smaller than green frogs and bull frogs.

Painted Turtle

This is a painted turtle. They are easily identified by their black skin with yellow stripes on their head and red stripes everywhere else. They also have a black shell with an orange stomach. They have a complete plastron which allows them to completely hide inside their shell. We often find them around the ponds or swimming in the Assabet river behind the school.

Green Frog

Frog in a net

This is a frog we captured in a net instead of our traps. We saw him near the edge of the water so we grabbed a net and went on the hunt. Matt touched the water behind him while I put the net in front of him and he jumped right in.

Nate Otenti - Musk Turtle

This is a musk turtle. It was found in a trap behind Hudson High School. The musk turtle is easily identified by its raised shell and distinct, foul, smell. Like all of our other captured turtles we conducted measurements on the musk turtle to determine size, mass, and distinct markings.

In the picture above, the musk turtle is being measured with calipers. We measure the depth, width, and length of all of the turtles we capture.

Laura Young - snapping turtle eggs

This is a picture of snapping turtle eggs.  These eggs were found behind Hudson High School in the "nursery".  The nursery is an area of dirt where we keep the eggs we find to make sure no animals can get to them and harm them.  However, when we found these eggs, 30 out of 33 had been eaten.  We weighed and measured the 3 eggs that were not harmed and then out them back into the hole we found them in.  Then, we covered the hole with nets to make sure they will be safe.

In the picture, the eggs are being placed into the hole so they can hatch in the fall.