A few months ago I found several ratsnake eggs in the “ratsnake skyway” habitat at the Nature Center. I am unsure which snake laid them but it had to be Lori (Yellow ratsnake) or Xena (Albino ratsnake). The father was either Scar (Black ratsnake) or Heyward (Grey ratsnake). I placed the eggs in a makeshift incubator and hoped for the best and about a week ago they started hatching! Take a look at the photos and video below for great vision of all the action!
In the first photo the eggs have just starting to hatch. The small cuts on the eggs are from the baby snakes using their egg tooth’s to cut the shell open from the inside. The egg on the lower left has a tiny snake nose poking out to sniff the big world!
Do I really want to come out of the safety of this warm egg?
Just hatched!
Hello world! I am a ratsnake and I am here to eat rats!
One of the babies was born with a spinal defect and did not survive so it was fed to King the Eastern Kingsnake. Watch the short video below to watch the feeding and see the baby snakes!
Today I found both rattlesnakes deep in the forest far from areas of Human habitation or visitation. They were only ~40 feet apart within the power line access way. Zoe was sunning in the open under some brush and Utsanati was coiled at the base of a Mountain Laurel shrub beside the “trail.” It is interesting to note that while tracking Zoe I had unknowingly walked within 2 feet of Utsanati and he never once moved or rattled!
Here is a photo of Utsanati.
Both snakes never rattled or acted aggressive upon my approach–they just remained coiled in resting coils despite the fact that I was only a few feet away as I collected my data.
Zoe as I found her.
After locating both rattlesnakes I made my way back up the steep mountainside and almost stepped on this little cute garter snake.
He posed for several photos and video–he was a bit more wary of me than the rattlesnakes who I believe have gotten used to me visiting them occasionally.
Take a look at the video footage from today below:
If the video does not show then you can watch the video on my Youtube channel.
I am not paid to do this research–this is a volunteer project that I am undertaking to learn all that I can about these greatly misunderstood and amazing animals to further educate you about their beauty, uniqueness and intrinsic value to a healthy forest ecosystem.
If you would like to support the Snake Tracks Timber Rattlesnake wildlife conservation, research, and education project and/or Earthshine Nature Programs please feel free to donate using this link. Receipts available upon request. You may also donate supplies such as animal foods, medical supplies, vitamins and habitat supplies. If you are interested in donating any of these items please contact us for more information on our current needs. THANK YOU to all of you who have donated to ENP!! Without you this important work would not happen.
I released three young box turtles today. Watch the video at the end of this post for all the details. The first two releases were hatchlings that I hatched from rescued eggs in the nature center–scroll down to read my previous blog posting and photos of these tiny turtles hatching and read more about their story. Check out this photo of one of the hatchlings just before I released him–you can still see his tiny little egg tooth–the white thing on the end of his nose–that he used to slice his way out of the egg! It will drop off soon.
In the second part of the video I release Betty the head start box turtle. Below is a photo of Betty just after her release.
Betty the turtle was rescued a couple of years ago by Betty the human who is a friend of Meredith’s. Betty the human was walking along a remote dirt road in the forest when she found a nest of box turtle eggs that had been overcome by ants. The ants had eaten eaten all but one of the hatching baby turtles–Betty the turtle. Betty the human took the little survivor to Turtle Mom Meredith who took care of her for a time before delivering her to me so that I could care for her until she was older and better able to defend herself from predators like the ants. Betty stayed with me for several years in the nature center and today I have released her into the wild only a few feet from her hatching location. Now that she has grown she will not be eaten by ants–she will eat them!
Good luck Betty!
Thank you Betty and Meredith for saving this little turtle’s life.
Watch the video below of the release of two of the three young turtles. If the video does not show on your computer then just follow this link to my Youtube Channel.
WOO HOO!! Two days ago I checked the incubator to find that the three Eastern box turtle eggs I have been incubating for the last month or so were hatching!! Take a look at the photos below of the little turtles hatching!
I received these little guys as eggs from a friend of mine who found them on a family member’s property. The property was being developed and unfortunately the eggs were dug up during the excavation. Fortunately for them the landowners cared about the welfare of wildlife so they quickly got the eggs to me so that I could try to incubate them and give them a chance at life. I placed them in an incubator with some ratsnake eggs that I am incubating and a few weeks later here they are!
While these little guys are really cute they are also really fragile and need special care. As you can see from the photos they are only the size of a quarter (that is a flash drive with the turtle below for size comparison).
Since they are so small they are eaten by many different forest animals such as Raccoons, Wild turkeys and other birds, Opossums, foxes, Chipmunks, snakes, and even your pet cats and dogs! Their chances of surviving to adulthood are very low if released in the same place so to help out with the odds I plan to release one of them near to where it originated and let it take its chances in the wild. I will release the second one in the protected forests at Earthshine (which is not very far from their home forest) and the third one I will raise in the box turtle head start enclosure in the nature center.
In a few years, when the head start turtle is old enough to protect itself, I will release it near its place of origin. Maybe I will be able to attach a tracking device to it’s shell and see how it does in the wild after being raised in captivity. Only time will tell.
Recently Earthshine Nature Programs Executive Director Steve O’Neil was awarded a very special award known as the “Turtle of Change”
This award is a small bronze statue of a sea turtle.
It is special because it is the only one in the USA and it is traveling all over the world visiting people who are working to make a good and lasting change in the community or the planet.
The turtle called “Turtle Grupo Tortugero” was presented to Steve by the previous recipient of the turtle Alan Cameron. Alan is also known as “The Salamander Whisperer” because of his ability to find endangered Green Salamanders where no one else can find them. Alan has been volunteering with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for many years and has helped them find thousands of Green Salamander sites all over WNC.
Alan presents Steve with the Turtle of Change.
Steve wrote the following in the Blue Turtle blog:
After receiving Turtle Grupo Tortugero (TSN004) first I took it to meet the education and turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge and Nature Center (see last photo). I found four of the turtles who were interested in meeting the turtle–the other seven did not want to have their photo placed on the internet 🙂
Three of the Earthshine turtles are Eastern Box Turtles and one is a Redfoot Tortoise. All of our turtles have either lost their homes due to development, are ex-pets or were badly injured due to unfortunate meetings with vehicles, lawn mowers or dogs. Tripod–on the bottom left–is our mascot. She lost her right rear leg after she was hit by a car in 2007. The turtle to Tripod’s left is Lucky. She was also hit by a car and suffered severe trauma to her left rear leg and shell but she has recovered nicely. The turtle to Lucky’s left is Crash. She was hit by a car and had such severe injuries that I did not think she would survive. After a visit to our veterinarian Dr. Coleman, I patched her up with epoxy, gave her some antibiotic injections and fed her loads of box turtle favorites and she has made a full recovery! The final turtle is Charlie. I found her at a reptile show and felt sorry for her so I gave her a great home at our nature center. Sadly, all of the turtles at Earthshine Lodge and Nature Center cannot be released due to their circumstances. They are however wonderful education animals that help teach people about the wonder and beauty of nature and why animals like the Eastern box turtle need understanding and protection.
After visiting with the turtles at Earthshine Lodge the Turtle of Change traveled with me to a local Veterinary Clinic–Sweeten Creek Animal and Bird Hospital–where I met up with Dr. Lee Bolt and Dr. Ron Davis to assist with the radio transmitter implantation surgery on a Timber Rattlesnake. Take a look at the photo of the turtle on the operating table with the rattlesnake, Dr. Davis (in yellow) and Dr. Bolt. The surgery went flawlessly and the snake has recovered and has been released back into the wild. Dr. Davis will track the snakes movements over the next few years in order to learn as much as possible about the life of the Timber Rattlesnake. The knowledge he gains will be imparted to his students who will become future wildlife biologists, conservationists and naturalists.
The next stop for the turtle was at a remote rock outcrop known as the “Secret Place” on the side of a mountain near Brevard, NC. USA. This rock shelter was used by the Native Americans as evidenced by the petroglyphs on top of the rock. I teamed up with my friend (and didgeridoo virtuoso) John Vorus to play didgeridoo (yidaki) over the turtle in this amazing power place. We first played our yidaki to the turtle on top of the rock then moved down under to the rock shelter and recorded a video. Take a look at the photo on top of the rock and video of our time at “The Secret Place.” View the short video of our concert for the turtle of change here.
The final stop for the turtle (so far) was when it followed me to the office of Dr. Coleman DVM. Dr. Coleman is a wonderful veterinarian and lover of all wildlife and my wildlife vet. I snapped the photograph of Dr. Coleman and the brass turtle while he was treating a wild box turtle. Thank you Dr. Coleman for all that you to for wildlife and for Earthshine Nature Programs!
THANK YOU Alan Cameron for presenting me with this great honor.
Earthshine Nature 