Acorn Ecology Certificate Course Self-Study Tutorial. British Reptile & Amphibian ID ( and a bit about surveying too!)

Transcription

1 Acorn Ecology Certificate Course Self-Study Tutorial British Reptile & Amphibian ID ( and a bit about surveying too!)

2 Resources Herpetofauna Workers Manual Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook FSC Chart. Guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Britain and Ireland. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust ( National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme ( Frogs and Toads by Trevor Beebee. Published by Whittet Books (2004).

3 British Reptiles

4 British Species... Snakes We have 3 native species of snakes

5 Grass Snake Natrix natrix 120 cm long Young hatch from eggs Eats frogs, lizards & small mammals Grassy places Common, swims & climbs trees Offence to kill, injure or sell

6 Grass Snake Natrix natrix Black and yellow collar Keeled scales

7 Adder (Viper) Vipera berus 65 cm long Viviparous Eats Lizards & small mammals Many habitats Venemous Widespread but localised Offence to kill, injure or sell

8 Adder (Viper) Vipera berus Zig zag down back Red eyes

9 Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca 60 cm long Viviparous Eats lizards Sandy heathland Heathlands in Dorset & Hampshire 1-2 heaths in Surrey & West Sussex Introduced to sites in Devon and other nature reserves Very local and very rare Fully protected

10 Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca Small Indistinct markings

11 British Species... Lizards We have 3 native species of lizard

12 Lizards Most have four limbs and a tail which may be re-grown if damaged. 3 species in the UK: Slow worm Common lizard Sand lizard

13 Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara 13.5 cm (tail = 7cm) Viviparous Eats invertebrates Grassland & heathland Widespread Offence to kill, injure or sell

14 Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara Common Variable markings and colour

15 Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis 18 cm (tail = 9 cm) Young hatch from eggs Eats invertebrates Sand dunes & heathland Occurs naturally in Surrey, Dorset & Hampshire on sandy heathland Found in Merseyside on coastal sand dune systems Has been re-introduced to sites in N. Wales, Devon, Cornwall & West Sussex Very local, endangered Fully protected

16 Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis Dark spots with pale centres called ocellate spots Males become bright green during breeding season

17 Slow-worm Anguis fragilis 50 cm long Viviparous Eats slugs & other small animals Woodland, meadows & heathland Widespread, small colony in Ireland Offence to kill, injure or sell

18 Slow-worm Anguis fragilis Smooth Variable colour

19 Male Slow-worm Blue spots (not always visible) Evenly coloured (beige, brown or grey). Note loss of tail Female Slow-worm Dark sides and often has dark dorsal pin stripe

20 Juvenile Slow-worm Small and thread like. Variety of colour shades including bronze and gold. Dark, pale and reddish forms encountered

21 British Amphibians

22 British Amphibians British terrestrial amphibians consist of frogs and toads (or anurans - the tailless amphibians) and newts (or urodeles - the tailed amphibians). Frogs and toads Common frog Common toad Natterjack toad Pool frog Other non-native species Newts Great crested newt Smooth newt Palmate newt Other non-native species

23 British Species... Newts We have 3 native species of newts

24 Great crested newt Triturus cristatus Largest British newt (<170 mm) Bumpy or granular skin (sometimes called the warty newt). Preference for neutral and calcareous habitats Fully protected

25 Great crested newt Triturus cristatus Breeding males have iridescent stripe along tail, jagged crest on back with a notch at the base of the tail and smooth crest on tail. Females orange belly colour extends along underside of tail and a groove along the spine.

26 Smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris Medium sized (<110 mm) Pale body Single crest in breeding male over entire body and tail (compare with male great crested newt no notch)

27 Smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris Males and females have spots on the underside of their throat. Breeding males develop an undulating crest along top of body and top and underside of the tail.

28 Palmate newt Lissotriton helveticus Medium small newt (<90 mm) Can be found at higher altitudes than other newts Can be found on poorer (more acidic) soils than other species

29 Palmate newt Lissotriton helveticus Males have dark webbing between toes and thread-like tail filament. Throat usually pale/translucent and unspotted. Important feature to distinguish between female smooth and female palmate newts

30 Newt Eggs When carrying out newt surveys it is often important to be able to distinguish between great crested newt and other newt eggs. Newts lay their eggs singly, often wrapped in folded vegetation. Great crested Newt eggs Have a transparent jelly capsule mm long with a light yellowish centre Smooth/palmate Newt eggs Almost impossible to differentiate between the two species Greyish brown or dirty white coloured eggs within a transparent jelly capsule c.3 mm across

31 British Species... Toads and Frogs

32 Common toad Bufo bufo Warty skin Distinct bulges on back of head (parotoid glands) Often walks, not jumps Horizontal split pupil Females (up to 13 cm) larger than males (up to 8 cm)

33 Natterjack toad Epidalea calamita Smaller than common toad (75-80 mm max) Distinct yellow line running down back Often move by running Restricted range (NW England, SW Scotland, East Anglia, South coast England) Mainly in sandy environments such as sand dune systems Fully Protected.

34 Common frog Rana temporaria Moist skin in a variety of colour forms. Similar maximum body size to common toad ( mm). Distinct dark patch behind the eye Pointed nose Females often more colourful yellow and orange background colouration with dark blotches (although variable).

35 Pool frog Pelophylax lessonae Extinct from Britain in 1995 reintroduced into East Anglia at a single site and now established at several sites. Variable colour but has a light (often yellow) dorsal stripe Male has vocal sacs and calls during breeding season (absent from common frog) Females may reach 90 mm in length (males smaller)

36 Non native reptiles & amphibians There are several non-native species of reptiles and amphibians in Britain. Some are known to be breeding whilst others are not or their status is unknown. Find out about some of the species and the potential threats to our native wildlife. A good starting place may be Alpine newt Mesotriton alpestris Marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus

37 Reptile habitats Sand dunes Heath land Heath land Long grass

38 Great crested newt habitat Preference for medium to large ponds Marginal aquatic vegetation Absence of heavy shading Networks of ponds linked by good terrestrial habitat Good terrestrial habitat nearby rough grass, hedgerows, woodland, scrub Neutral or slightly calcareous soil and water

39 British Species... Surveying

40 Surveying for great crested newts Survey considerations Legal implications of surveys you need a licence from Natural England (or equivalent) to handle or disturb GCNs Aims and objectives of survey presence/absence, population size? Survey techniques need to use at least 3. Health and safety working near water and in the dark. Suitable time of year.

41 Survey techniques 1. Bottle trapping A 2 litre bottle is cut up and the end turned in. Then it is suspended on a bamboo pole. This is then placed overnight, upturned, in the water and checked in the morning for GCNs

42 Survey techniques 2. Torch surveys This involves walking around a pond edge at night with a powerful torch and looking for displaying males you can clearly see large newts with crests and a white tail stripe.

43 Survey techniques 3. Egg searches This involves wading into the pond and looking for eggs, GCNs have yellowish eggs whilst other newts are brownish or greyish. GCNs lay their eggs on vegetation and then fold it over creating a fold.

44 Survey techniques 4. Netting This involves using a pond net to sweep around the vegetation to catch GCNs. This is not recommended as it is highly disturbing to the pond and the newts.

45 Reptile surveys Roofing felt tiles 0.5m2 Corrugated metal tins Half a sheet painted black on one side

46 Surveys Put out the tins or tiles Then 7 visits Temperature must be between 10ºC and 17ºC Time of day 9-11 a.m. 4-7 p.m. if sunny Weather suitable avoid cold mornings, rainy days, too hot.

47 Reptile and amphibian fences Sometimes you have to restrict re-entry of animals to the development site so you will use a fence such as these. There is an overlap on the outside of the site to stop them climbing back over.

48 An example of another reptile fence. Note the reptile tiles in place.

49 For more on reptiles, amphibians and surveying: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme The Herpetological Conservation Trust Froglife

50 Reptile and Amphibian ID Quiz Now let s see how you are getting on with your ID!

51 Which species is this?

52 Common lizard

53 Which species is this and which sex?

54 Sand lizard Male bright green Female brown Ocellate spots

55 Which species is this?

56 Palmate newt Unspotted throat

57 Which species is this?

58 Great crested newt Large irregular black blotches on underside

59 Which species is this?

60 Palmate newt Tail filament Dark webbed feet (rear)

61 Which species is this?

62 Natterjack toad Yellow dorsal stripe

63 Which species and sex?

64 Dark sides and dorsal pin stripe Female slow worm Male slow worm Uniform pale colour

65 Which species is this?

66 Common toad Bulging parotoid glands Dry warty skin

67 Which species is this? Spotted throat

68 Smooth newt Spotted throat

69 Just before your go... Can you name the Fully Protected amphibian and reptile species in the UK?

70 Here they are... Smooth snake Sand lizard Natterjack toad Great crested newt

71 How did you get on with the quiz? If you are still struggling with the ID side then go through the tutorial again. Make sure you know which species are fully protected. Now spend some time looking at information on some websites and maybe doing some background reading. Don t worry, we will be covering most of this during the course as well.