Stout Shrimp

Posted on March 31, 2023 by tspuckler

While tidepooling on the Pacific Coast, we found a few of these cool and colorful creatures.

The Stout Shrimp is one of several species of shrimp with the common name “Broken Back” Shrimp, named for the sharp angle of the attachment of its tail to its body.

This crustacean’s color is highly variable, ranging from white mottling or stripes to browns and greens. It regularly occurs in the intertidal zone or along the sides of floats, where they are often the most commonly seen shrimp.

The Stout Shrimp is nocturnal and comes out at night to forage for food. During the day they can be found under seaweed, hidden around rocks or nestled among mussels.

It is mainly carnivorous, feeding on a variety of small animals. In turn, it is eaten by a variety of fish…but only if the fish can catch them. Like crayfish, these shrimp use the rapid flexing of their tail to scoot away from danger.

Although small, these fine invertebrates were a fun find while exploring California.

Third Eye Herp
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Padded Sculpin

Posted on March 24, 2023 by tspuckler

While tidepooling in California we found many cool creatures, including a few examples of this neat fish.

Sculpins make up a very large family of fish, with about 300 species. They are characterized by an oversized head and fanlike pectoral fins.

Most species are found in Arctic or temperate waters and are bottom dwellers. They typically occur in shallow or intertidal zones, though some species occur in the deep ocean and others in fresh water.

Sculpins differ from many other bony fish because they lack a swim bladder. A swim bladder is a gas-filled sack that a fish can expand or deflate to control its buoyancy in the water column. Lack of a swim bladder fits the sculpin’s bottom-dwelling habits.

Most species of Sculpin have cryptic coloration (brown or green to blend in with silt and algae). They are generally small fish, ranging 5 to 6 inches in length.

The Padded Sculpin feeds mainly on small invertebrates; in turn, it is an important food sources for other fish.

Sculpins are also known as “Bullheads” or “Sea Scorpions” and even some very unflattering terms, such as “Double Uglies.”

Third Eye Herp
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Long-horned Oak Borer

Posted on March 17, 2023 by tspuckler

While exploring Red Rock Canyon (which is not far from Las Vegas), I came across a couple of these huge beetles. For an insect as large and as widespread as the Long-horned Oak Beetle, there is actually very little information available about them.

The appear to range from California to Texas and Oklahoma and from Utah south into old Mexico. Male are slightly smaller than females, but have longer antenna. Adults are active from June to early September.

Long-horns are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most are are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than the insect’s body.

Females lay their eggs in bark crevices, and the emerging larvae bore into the inner bark and sapwood of oak trees. Long-horned Beetles can take one or more years to complete one generation.

They made squeaky noises when picked up, but did not bite, despite looking a bit fierce. These insects also showed off their ability to fly, but only did so for a short distance.

Long-horned Oak Borers were a super cool find on my trip to the desert.

Third Eye Herp
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Great Basin Collared Lizard

Posted on March 10, 2023 by tspuckler

These are one of my favorite lizards and I’ve come across them a few times in the Mojave Desert. With their large heads, powerful jaws and ability to run on their hind legs, Great Basin Collared Lizards are the Velociraptors of their domain.

This reptile is easy to identify due to its tiny scales (which look more like rough skin than scales) and its two distinctive black neck bands. On their body they are often covered with a combination of bands and spots on a background color that matches the desert surface.

Gravid (pregnant) females have orange blotches along their sides and immature males often exhibit this orange coloration as well, to avoid conflicts with mature males.

Unlike many other lizards that can be found on the flat desert floor, this species is mainly found in hilly, rocky terrain as well as in washes and canyons where large rocks used for protection and lookout sites.

Great Basin Collared Lizards primarily eat insects, spiders and scorpions, but they will also use their powerful jaws to consume small vertebrates, like lizards, snakes and rodents. They have also been known to occasionally consume plant matter.

These “miniature dinosaurs” have a neat physical appearance and are fun to watch as they leap from rock to rock to catch food – or as they race across the desert, running on their hind legs like a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Third Eye Herp
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Desert Woodrat

Posted on March 3, 2023 by tspuckler

We usually think of wild rats as not particularly attractive, but the Desert Woodrat, a species of Pack Rat, is actually kind of cute. I regularly encounter them on outings to the Las Vegas area.

They feed on beans and leaves of mesquite, on juniper and on parts of cacti, apparently without getting injured by the spines. They will also eat other green vegetation, seeds, fruits, acorns and pine nuts. They are highly dependent upon Prickly Pear Cacti for water.

Desert Woodrats inhabit scrublands in desert and semi-desert areas. Their houses are constructed with twigs, sticks, cactus parts and rocks, depending on availability of building materials. The house usually is built against a rock crevice, at the base of creosote or cactus, or in the lower branches of trees.

These rodents are aggressively solitary. Desert Woodrats may defend succulent plants (a water source) against other species. Desert Woodrats do not drink water; instead water is obtained from the succulent, moisture-containing plants that are normal to their diet.

This species of Woodrat has two to four litters per year, and sometimes five. After a gestation period of about 30 days, usually two to four blind, naked, and helpless young are born per litter. Offspring become sexually mature at about two months of age.

Woodrats are commonly called “Pack Rats” because they have a tendency to collect any curious object they find, especially those that are small, bright, and shiny. They “pack” these items back to their house or den. Should they find something more interesting, the first treasure is dropped to pick up the new one.

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Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Monthly Archives: March 2023

Stout Shrimp

Padded Sculpin

Long-horned Oak Borer

Great Basin Collared Lizard

Desert Woodrat