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.”

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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.

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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.

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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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Alpine Shooting Star

Posted on February 24, 2023 by tspuckler

While hiking on Mount Charleston near Las Vegas, Nevada, I came across this neat wildflower. This species ranges from northeast Oregon to the southern Cascades and Sierras and east to Utah and Arizona.

This plant is a showy member of the Primrose Family. It is usually seen in in moist meadows and along streams at high elevations in mountains. It can best be described as locally common.

The flower of Alpine Shooting Star resembles the shape of a rocket and its plume of exhaust. The “plume” of the petals reveals a fantastic transition of colors from near-black to yellow, white, and finally a lavender-pink.

Each flower points downwards and a single, elongated stigma protrudes from the blossom, the “nose” of the rocket. Its is held firmly by four black anthers between the petals and the stigma.

This plant is of special value to Bumble Bees and requires their ability to buzz-pollinate for successful reproduction. Buzz-pollination is a technique used to release pollen which is firmly held by the flower.

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Black-throated Sparrow

Posted on February 17, 2023 by tspuckler

It seemed that wherever I went in the Mojave Desert, these sharp looking birds were present. Part of what made them easy to notice is that they tend to travel in small groups; their frequent high, bell-like calls made me aware of their presence.

Found throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico in arid upland habitats, the Black-throated Sparrow breeds as far north as Washington State. It prefers a habitat of desert hillsides and scrub, canyons and washes – but it is quite adaptable.

Its striking face pattern of neat gray bordered by two strong white stripes and a black triangular throat patch make it easy to identify. Juveniles lack the adult’s black throat and have faint streaking above and below. I have often observed them hopping on the ground, pecking for seeds and insects and making short, low flights between shrubs.

They have the habit of perching in trees and shrubs while giving quiet calls. The Black-throated Sparrow establishes and defends a large territory during nest construction and egg laying season, though once incubation begins, their territory size shrinks and males becomes less responsive to intruders.

The oldest recorded Black-throated Sparrow was a female that was least 6 years old when she was recaptured and re-released during banding operations in Arizona. This is a handsome bird that adds its good looks and interesting song to the desert landscape of the American southwest.

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Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

Posted on February 10, 2023 by tspuckler

This is a serpent that I have occasionally come across while visiting southern California. The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake is one of nine subspecies of Western Rattlesnakes, which range across much of the western United States, Mexico and Canada. Adults are usually three to four feet long.

Like other species of Western Rattlesnakes, the Southern Pacific has a relatively hefty body and stubby tail, a triangle-shaped head, hooded eyes and elliptical pupils. It often blends into its surroundings due to its coloration. Although usually brown to olive-brown, it may be gray or a greenish tint. A thin brown, grey, or black stripe extends from the corner of each eye to the mouth.

Like not only rattlesnakes, but also like Cottonmouths and Copperheads, it has a small opening, or heat-sensing organ called a loreal pit, on each side of its face, between its nostrils and eyes, giving it membership in the subfamily called “Pit Vipers.” Much of our current-day technological advances in night vision and heat seeking ability are a result, in part of research done on pit vipers such as the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.

These rattlesnakes live in a variety of areas including grasslands, mountain forests, coastal dunes, rocky deserts and hillsides and agricultural fields. Young snakes feed mostly on small lizards, while adults usually eat small mammals and birds. Rattlesnakes tend to be nocturnal hunters. These reptiles use venom to subdue their prey. The venom of the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake varies substantially between populations likely depending on habitat. In certain areas it has developed neurotoxic venom.

The rattle at the end of the tail of the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake is made up of segments of keratin (similar to what makes up fingernails). When the snake sheds its skin, a new segment of the rattle is formed. The rattle warns other animals the snake is venomous and can and will defend itself. This is always an impressive and memorable beast to encounter in the field.

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Bluntnose Minnow

Posted on February 3, 2023 by tspuckler

While exploring a creek near Youngstown, Ohio, I caught a fish that I had never encountered in the wild before. Its natural geographic range extends from the Great Lakes south along the Mississippi River basin to Louisiana, and east across the Midwestern United States to New York State.

Despite me not being familiar with it, the Bluntnose Minnow is very ubiquitous and may be the most common freshwater fish in the Eastern United States. It occupies a broad range of habitats including lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams and prefers shallow areas of clear water with sand and gravel bottoms.

This fish is commonly used for bait in the fishing industry. Averaging three inches in length, its characteristic rounded face is where the common name “Bluntnose Minnow” originated.

These fish prefer to feed on aquatic insects, algae, diatoms, aquatic insect larvae, and small crustaceans called entomostracans. Occasionally they will eat fish eggs or small fish.

A close relative, the Fathead Minnow, gives off a chemical called “alarm substance” when under attack. Scientists think the substance may be a distress signal that attracts other predatory fish who interrupt the first predator, allowing the minnow to escape.

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Scarlet Cup

Posted on January 27, 2023 by tspuckler

While hiking in Hinckley Reservation, a bit of red on the forest floor caught my eye. This fungus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and has been found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Australia.

Scarlet Cup grows on decaying sticks and branches in damp spots in wooded areas, generally buried under leaf litter or in the soil. The cup-shaped fruiting bodies are usually produced during the cooler months of Winter and early Spring.

The brilliant red interior of the cups (from which both the common and scientific names are derived) contrasts with their lighter-colored exterior. The edibility of this fungus is well established, but its small size, tough texture and insubstantial fruitings dissuade most people from collecting it.

Known scientifically as Sarcoscypha coccinea, the specific epithet coccinea is derived from the Latin word meaning “deep red.” The species is commonly known as Scarlet Elf Cup, Scarlet Elf Cap, or Scarlet Cup Fungus. Its cup-shaped fruit measures one to two inches across.

Fungi belong to their own kingdom and get their nutrients and energy from organic matter, rather than photosynthesis like plants. It is often just the fruiting bodies or “mushrooms,” that are visible to us, arising from an unseen network of tiny filaments called “hyphae.”

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Southern Yellowjacket

Posted on January 20, 2023 by tspuckler

While flipping logs in the woods on a (relatively) warm Winter day, I sometimes come across invertebrates like this one. Southern Yellowjackets are typically found in the eastern United States and as far south as Mexico and Guatemala. Their territory expands as far west as Texas and as far east as the Atlantic Ocean.

The Southern Yellowjacket is a social wasp. This species can be identified by its distinctive black and yellow patterning and orange queen. This species is predatory and typically eats live insects, but they also feed on the flesh of deceased prey.

Their nests are typically found in unnatural habitats, such as yards, parks and the sides of roads. Mated queens (like this one) overwinter as adults in protected areas and start new colonies in the spring. In some cases, they build their own nest, but more often, they take a different approach.

Since she emerges from hibernation a month or more later than the Eastern Yellowjacket, she simplifies things by finding a recently constructed Eastern Yellowjacket nest. She enters the nest, murders the queen, and appropriates the nest and workers (which don’t seem to mind the change in executive management).

As a form of defense of their nests, Southern Yellowjacket workers use alarm pheromones to communicate with each other to coordinate an attack. These behaviors are chemically mediated, and the alarm pheromones cause many social wasp species to leave the nest and attack whatever may be threatening it.

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Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Yearly Archives: 2023

Padded Sculpin

Long-horned Oak Borer

Great Basin Collared Lizard

Desert Woodrat

Alpine Shooting Star

Black-throated Sparrow

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

Bluntnose Minnow

Scarlet Cup

Southern Yellowjacket