Salamander Herping Research Paper

It was the day after a large downpour in Boone, NC and a student in a Herpetology class offered through Appalachian State University’s Biology Department decided to lead a group herping, searching for amphibians and reptiles, in the woods near Hebron Rock Colony. We left at 9 p.m. to drive to the trail and from there, we began to scavenge the side of the road for native species of salamanders. With head lamps and aquarium fish nets, we began to head downhill to a small stream. The proper way to herp is to go at night while it is dark, cool, and wet. It is ideal to go herping immediately after it has rained because salamanders are more likely to be found outside of their burrows because their skin will remain moist in wet conditions. When herping, one must look in burrows on the sides of a hills, mossy areas, under large flat rocks, or in streams. The two-main species of salamanders the group and I found while herping were Northern Gray-Cheeked Plethodon montanus (Left), and Seal Salamander Desmognathus monticola (Right). The interactions that took place were merely for educational purposes and no animals were harmed. After searching for hours among rocks and in streams during the pitch of night, we I documented

Both my friend and I found ourselves more concerned for the animals, unwilling to ruin their habitat or hiding spot in search for them. We made sure to place all rocks and vegetation back where it was originally so as to maintain the habitat. In contrast, the two-additional people in the group; the Herpetology student and another,r former Herpetology student, had no regard for the salamander’s habitats and haphazardly moved rocks and moss in search for salamanders. I was not sure if this contrast was due to impatience on their part or lack of knowledge regarding a salamander’s resiliency on ours. Throughout the night the group and I