Parker Teaches Science

Hi friends. This post is long overdue and I apologize for the extreme inactivity on this account. In one week I’ll be officially deactivating this account. I am still quite active in sharing my wildlife adventures on my instagram . If you are following along solely for snake relocations feel free to message me on instagram or message my personal Facebook. Thanks for following along 🙂

Beautiful scarlet snake for attention

Turtles are unbelievably resilient. This large female Suwannee cooter was originally captured during a survey in 2022 and was recaught in April 2023. She had likely been struck by a boat. In just a year, the turtle was almost unrecognizable. I can only imagine what this turtle will look like in a few years.

Turtles caught and handled under permits during a research survey.

This small unassuming fish has a fascinating natural history. The pirate perch is a highly cryptic species and despite being abundant in many places, are infrequently encountered without traps or nets. This is due to their nocturnal nature and preference of thickly vegetated blackwater wetlands. As with other species of fish eggs, s***m, and waste are released from the vent which is located on the underside toward the tail. The vent is located there in juvenile pirate perch but as they mature the vent gradually migrates towards the head. Finally ending up just below the chin. For a very long time the reason of this was unclear until 2004 when a research study by Dean Fletcher found that female pirate perch shove their head into a thick root mass and lay the eggs inside. A male then come along shortly after and thrusts his head into the root mass to fertilize the eggs. Pirate perch also have chemical camouflage. They are undetectable to amphibians that can sense fish in a wetland. Therefore pirate perch can predate amphibian eggs and larval in an otherwise fishless wetland. How they manage to hide their scent is currently unknown to science. Even the most nondescript species can have some amazing secrets.

Pirate Perch - Aphredoderus sayanus

South Carolina is home to a high diversity of freshwater fish. Lots of these you would never encounter without certain techniques. Through seining, dipnetting, and trapping I’ve had the privilege to see plenty of species that would otherwise be quite difficult to locate. While most fisherman only target gamefish, it’s certainly important to appreciate and respect the small fish. Small fish aren’t just baitfish, they are an incredibly vital piece of the ecosystem and deserve the same amount of appreciation as game species.

There are species of stinkhorn mushrooms around the world. This is a Column stinkhorn mushroom, which is often smelled before they are seen. The smell comes from a sticky mass of spores called gleba, which you can see in the second photo. Mushrooms are the temporary reproductive organ of a much more complex and secretive creature, mycelium. Mycelium build up extremely thin intricate networks of fungus that are under every footstep you take. It is said that under every step there is more than 300 miles of mycelium!

These chunky charismatic turtles are Loggerhead musk turtles, one of many species that thrive in Florida’s springs. They are commonly megacephalic (large heads), due to the clams and snails they eat. These turtles are highly aquatic and only come on land to lay eggs, but they can commonly be seen basking over the water.

Loggerhead musk turtles - Sternotherus minor

An assortment of shark teeth found along the SC coast. Fossilized shark teeth are an incredible window into life millions of years ago. The first known sharks date back to the Silurian period (around 420 million years ago). Although, most of the fossilized teeth that are found existed within the last 100 million years.

1. Carcharocles angustidens
2. Common thresher shark
3. Extinct great white shark
4. Carcharocles megalodon
5. Hemipristis serra
6. Carcharocles angustidens
7. Shortfin mako
8. Bull shark
9. Carcharocles megalodon
10. Lemon shark
11. Hemipristis serra
12. Hemipristis serra
13. Tiger shark
14. Carcharocles chubutensis

Identification of some of these can be tough and I appreciate any corrections anyone may have.

Earlier this year at the beginning of the summer a neighbor of mine reached out and was wondering what eggs she had found scattered in some leaf litter in her yard. While I had several guesses, I wasn’t positive. I figured it there was a good chance it was a mud or musk turtle, but I had never found one in my neighborhood in the 8 years we have lived here. I decided to hatch out the eggs and find out. After several months of incubation, I was pleased to document a new species in the neighborhood. These little stinkpots were only the size of a penny when they hatched out. I will headstart these adorable lads through the winter and release them this spring.

Stinkpot / Musk turtle - Sternotherus odoratus

Learn about the watersnakes of South Carolina!

Range maps from SRELherp.uga.edu/herps.htm

Learn about the two-lined, three-lined, and dwarf salamanders of Coastal South Carolina!

Yesterday I came across a truly once in a lifetime observation. An eastern kingsnake eating a Pygmy rattlesnake. Kingsnakes are immune to venom so them eating a venomous snake is normal, but seeing it first hand is a whole different story. Get out in nature, you never know what you’ll see!

A few days ago I set a bunch of turtle traps around a pond in hopes of capturing the first chicken turtle on this property. Although the Dierochelys eluded us this time, we were rewarded with 5 amazing amphiuma. Reaching lengths of up to 4’ long, these are the longest salamander in North America. Pulling a trap with one of these guys in it never gets old. Amphiuma can be pretty abundant in the right places, however they are so secretive it is unlikely to encounter one without targeted searches or trapping.

Check out the video in the comments!

Two-toed amphiuma • Amphiuma means

One of the coolest spiders around is the Six-spotted fishing spider (Dolomedes triton). As their name implies, they prey upon small fish. They can walk on the surface of the water without breaking tension. Spiders are often villainized and killed simply because they are existing. Most spiders are surprisingly docile and reluctant to bite. Bites mainly occur when the spider is threatened or subdued.

How to differentiate the three species of skink in South Carolina!

The two smallest vertebrates in North America. Least killifish and little grass frog both only reach a couple centimeters long. Killifish can live in freshwater and brackish environments.

While exploring a stream in northern Florida, I had the pleasure to come face to face with one of the most impressive animals on this planet. The alligator snapping turtle. Reaching over 200lbs, these beasts are found from Texas to Georgia and follow the Mississippi River drainage all the way to southern Illinois. Unlike the much more abundant common snapping turtle, the gator snapper is quite slow moving. They are sit and wait predators, they open their mouth revealing a worm-like tongue which lures fish into their mouth.

Check out the video in the comments!

Alligator snapping turtle - Macrochelys temminickii

The mottled sea hare (Aplysia brasiliana) is one of the craziest looking creatures around. These are one of ~200,000 gastropod species (snails and slugs) that call oceans their home.

Sea hares are hermaphroditic, meaning they can change between male and female.

They are herbivorous, mainly eating algae and seaweed. Just like squid, sea hares will release ink as a defense mechanism.

The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC), an amazing herpetology organization, just came out with a new website. The folks at ARC do insane herp-conservation across the country!

Check out their new website:
ARCprotects.org

Female spotted turtle caught in a trap along with a larger male spotted turtle today. Spotted turtles are found in localized populations and can be very difficult to detect. Prior to this year, I had only ever seen two individuals. This year I found an extremely healthy population and have found 17 individuals over the course of two months and only recaptured two individuals. I am measuring, marking, and collecting DNA samples from each spotted turtle from this site. Spotted turtles are listed as threatened because they are very vulnerable to habitat degradation and fragmentation.

Spotted turtle - Clemmys guttata

*handled under permits*

The web of one of my favorite invertebrates. There are actually 4 webs in this picture. The purse web spider is a species of atypical tarantulas in the family Atypidae. These spiders live in tube like webs that resemble sticks on the base of trees. There is a small cavity below the tube that the female spider resides. Males are wandering hunters and do not make webs. When a fly or other insect lands on the tube, the spider crawls up and bites through the web and kills them. She then slices open the tube, pulls the prey in, and then stitches the tube back up from the inside.

Common purseweb spider - Sphodros rufipes

Surveying Ichetucknee Springs in Florida was by far a success. We crushed the previous record for amount of turtles captured (1229 in two days). Studies like this are crucial to find more about these populations and how they change. One Suwannee cooter we caught was originally caught and marked in a spring 50 miles away!

*All turtles handled under permits*

In the winter, redfish congregate in massive schools of hundreds of fish. These schools sometimes push up into the tidal creeks. I flew my drone over a large school yesterday and got to watch and enjoy these massive fish without disturbing them at all.

I saw a flock of 18 White Pelicans circling over a boat landing today. I pulled in and got some pictures before they formed a V and flew north, presumably to Lake Moultrie.

Fun fact, these are the second largest bird species in the country. Second to the colossal California condor.

White Pelicans - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Yesterday I was woken up in the middle of the night by a peculiar sound. Turns out my California kingsnake was shedding! Snakes shed their skin in one piece every few months. Snake shed is made of keratin, the same protein that is found in your fingernails! The skin comes off inside out (kind of like when you take off your shirt). Before snakes shed their eyes turn blue and they’re colors seem to fade. As soon as they shed they can be absolutely beautiful!

Super cool pics of me swimming across a spring with a large common snapping turtle. I caught this turtle in a shallow water cypress swamp on the far side of the spring. We took data from him and then sent him back on his way.

Common snapping turtle - Chelydra serpentina

Photos and videos courtesy of .M.Photography!

The Christmas wreath lichen or bubblegum lichen is an extremely distinctive lichen that is associated with oak trees. This lichen is distributed through the southeastern US and south into Central and South America. In Brazil, this lichen has been used to create red dye. The species name, rubrocincta, translates directly to “red wreath”.

Christmas wreath lichen - Cryptothecia rubrocincta

The Suwannee Cooter was historically known as the Suwannee Chicken due to their chicken like texture and taste. Although because of their limited range, this was only a local delicacy. Famed herpetologist Archie Carr stated that the Suwannee chicken has a better taste than any southern freshwater turtle and equal that of the prized diamondback terrapin.

The ever-so beautiful Suwannee Cooter - Pseudemys suwanniensis