Fish and Amphibians

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents are investigating a fatal boating incident that occurred on May 28 in St. John Parish. Search and rescue crews recovered the body of Christopher Martin, 52, of Thibodaux, on May 29 around 1 p.m. from Bayou Chevreuil. LDWF agents were alerted about a missing boater in Bayou Chevreuil around 5:30 p.m. on May 28.  Agents learned that Martin jumped out of a vessel while it was traveling at a slow speed and briefly surfaced before disappearing. LDWF agents along with the St. John, Lafourche and St. Charles parish sheriff's offices responded immediately and began searching for Martin before finding his body on May 29. LDWF will be the lead investigative agency for this fatal boating incident.  Martin's body was turned over to the St. John Parish Coroner's Office to determine an official cause of death.

As I was driving down the Scenic Highway in Bourne recently, I noticed cars parked in the dirt-and-crushed clamshell lot of The Seafood Shanty.  That could mean only one thing: The seafood shack owned by Johnny and Tish Economides for the past 30 years was open for the season! It was time to get a lobster roll because The Seafood Shanty was one of five places voted best lobster roll by Cape Cod Times readers last year. Seeing The Seafood Shanty open got me to thinking about the other Cape restaurants that have recently reopened. That got me to making a list of all the classic Cape Cod places I will share with summer visitors. And if there aren't enough visitors? No worries, I can be perfectly content sipping a bellini at a table for one. Here are some of the seasonal places — all  waterfront — I plan to visit this summer and why:  From the archives: Cape Cod restaurants: Ocean House chef Tom Woods cooks Pan Asian, with some help...

Critters It's Easy to Buy a Snake in Texas. Maybe Too Easy. Almost anyone can walk out of an exotic reptile and pet show with a snake, scorpion, or tarantula. But should you? By Madeleine Aggeler May 16, 2022 2 Snake, basket: Getty How do you put a price on a sunset? Or a warm summer breeze ruffling your hair? A tiny, glittering hummingbird flitting from flower to flower like a living jewel? Some things in life seem to transcend the insensate forces of the market economy. They belong to something much greater and more ineffable—to nature and to the universe, in all its huge and terrifying complexity. What I'm saying is, I had no idea a rattlesnake costs $75. I made this discovery at the end of April, in the Premier Athletic Complex in Leander. The facility is primarily used for rec basketball leagues and youth volleyball camps, but that weekend it was hosting the HERPS Austin Exotic Reptile a...

by Sophia Escudero Humboldt County, with its streams and rivers, undeveloped wild spaces, and above-average amount of rain, is an ideal habitat for amphibians. The Pacific tree frog, also known as the Pacific chorus frog, is the most common local frog. Its habitat spans from Northern California to Alaska, and it makes its home in ponds, rivers, forests, grasslands, and even urban settings. The distinctive "ribbit, ribbit" song of the Pacific tree frog can be heard clearly in spring as the male of the species attempts to attract a mate. However, they can be harder to spot than to hear. "They seem to blend with their background," said adjunct professor Brian Hudgens of the Cal Poly Humboldt wildlife department. "It's not as fast as a chameleon, but they do. If you put a green one against a brown background for a couple days and then come back, it will turn brown." Less audible is the California red-legged frog, which gives...

Memorial Day in America is both a time of somber remembrance of those who died serving our country, and also the startup to summer. This weekend, folks all over the country will try to find a balance between those two, and to me, there's no better place to spend this weekend than at the beach. Standing on the edge of the continent looking out to sea will put things into perspective, and the fishing and fresh seafood, along with overall beach recreation, make this a great time to be at the salty shore. Whether you're a seasoned freshwater angler or just occasionally wet your line, saltwater fishing will put your skills to the test. Knowing where to fish can be a huge challenge in itself. There are plenty of options, including offshore, surf, channels, bays, cuts, flats, jetties, piers, and more, and each of those areas include factors that need to be considered when deciding where to cast. Texas coastal waters are teeming with aggressive, tasty fish, and if you're setting ou...

When disturbed by a predator in the canopy of the world's tallest trees, some salamanders face a seemingly daunting task: Sail through the air to safety at least dozens of feet below. Biologist   Christian Brown of the University of South Florida had long wondered how these aptly named wandering salamanders can survive such massive leaps among northern California's coastal redwoods—particularly since they lack skin flaps or sails like other "flying" amphibians. (Read about a flying frog with special webbed feet for sailing from tree to tree.) Now, new experiments using a miniature wind tunnel box reveals the daring, four-inch creatures   rely on the same techniques as human skydivers. The animals slow their descent as a parachuter would, holding up their chests and stretching out their limbs in an exaggerated starfish pose, according to a new study published today in the journal Current Biology . Around 200 species of salamanders worldwide are known ...

by Anslem de Silva Very little is known of the golden gecko – or the two known species of genus Calodactylodes known to inhabit this planet. C aureus was first reported in 1870 by Colonel Richard Henry Beddom (1830 – 1911) from Andhra Pradesh in India. About 80 years later, one of Sri Lanka's great herpetologists, PEP Deraniyagala (1900 – 1976) described another species of Calodactylodes from Sri Lanka in 1953. Though this species, C. illingworthorum was recorded nearly half a century ago, hardly any information is available on its ecology, population, distribution and the threats it faces in nature. These two species of Calodactylodes are unique to herpetologists as they represent Gondwanan relicts. New field After completing a three-year study (from 1998 to 2000) in the upper montane cloud forests in the Horton Plains ecosystem, my team and I were interested in working in the dry zone lowland forests. We all felt that we needed a change to a warmer atmosphere. Worki...

Coming off an upset win against the previously unbeaten Father Duenas Friars, the George Washington Geckos hosted the Guam High Panthers Thursday in Interscholastic Sports Association Baseball League action at the GW field. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh with the score tied at 9-9. However, federation rules state that "If the game is called when the teams have not had an equal number of completed turns at bat, the score shall be the same as it was at the end of the last completed inning." Because of this rule, the game reverts back to the previous completed inning (6th) and with the score tied 7-7 the game ends in a tie. GW pitchers Xander Borja and Eden Sudo combined for six innings - seven runs on three hits, walking 14 and striking out 10 for the Geckos. Guam High's Lane Lunsford pitched all six innings, giving up seven runs on five hits, walking eigh...

Photo by Larry Ditto

It's such a simple concept: a juicy beef patty between two buns. But, oh, the possibilities that formula creates. In the Jacksonville area, you can get hamburgers topped with peanut butter and jelly, orange marmalade, yucca fries or crab cakes if lettuce and tomato are just too blah for your tastes.  There are hundreds of places in Northeast Florida where you can get a burger, but in celebration of National Hamburger Day (which is a real thing, celebrated May 28), we set aside the national chains and picked a baker's dozen of our favorite burgers from local joints and regional chains.  So try one of these next time you're craving a juicy burger. Bread & Burger In the VyStar Breezeway, 100 W. Bay St. breadandburger.com A great burger served from a former shipping container tucked into a downtown alleyway between an office building and a parking garage? Sure, why not? Bread & Burger is in the VyStar Breezeway behind the VyStar buildi...

If you've had pets for a while and are looking for something a bit different, tortoises could be right for you. However, before you get one, there are several elements to consider. Their size varies by breed and not all are suitable as pets due to their large size. While, breeds such as the Hermann's tortoise and red-footed tortoise can make great family pets, according to the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. So, what do tortoises eat and how much do they cost? Newsweek asked the experts. The Difference Between Turtles and Tortoises Tortoises are reptiles that fall within the Testudinidae turtle family. While turtles usually spend most of their time in water, tortoises are land-dwelling turtles that only go in the water to drink or bathe, explains Dr. Kristin Berry at the California Turtle and Tortoise Club website. Tortoises are distinguished by their high-domed shell and thick hind legs shaped like that of an elephant, with roun...