Databases

Herpetology

Collections

This database contains specimen information for the AUMNH herpetological collections. These specimens include materials stored in alcohol, as cleared and stained skeletons, and dry skeletons. This is the premiere collection of amphibians and reptiles of Alabama and includes significant holdings from the southeastern United States. Representative vouchered specimens from across the US are included as are significant series of Caribbean specimens that are invasive to South Florida and series of anoles from Mexico and Costa Rica. Other international specimens are curated, but these generally are representatives of unvouchered species accumulated from the pet trade. Our collections are currently in the process of being made available online. Currently our alcohol and cleared and stained specimens as well as our larvae and egg collections are searchable here through our web portal. We are in the process of adding the osteology, tissue, and photo voucher (AHAP) collections and these will be made available here as they come online.

Alabama Herp Atlas Project (AHAP)

The Alabama Herp Atlas Project is the brainchild of Mark Bailey, a former Mount student who established the project while he was working for the Nature Conservancy’s version of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program in the early years when the program was housed in Montgomery. This project encourages Alabamians to participate in monitoring of the state’s herpetofauna by submitting still photos, videos, or audio recordings of animals from their backyards or travels throughout the state. The AUM herpetology staff then verifies the identification and archives the records in an AHAP database. This project is also dedicated to providing educational materials that can be used by grade schools, colleges, and universities throughout the state. These materials are centered on training students to identify the state’s herpetofauna and developing proper museum techniques for archiving field observations. AHAP records will soon be searchable online. To request records, contact the Staff Curator.

Black Warrior Waterdog Project

Extensive data on the distribution and abundance of Black Warrior Waterdogs (Necturus alabamensis) were collected in 1996 and 1997. These data are stored in two files, one representing characterization of habitat parameters of 95 sites throughout the Black Warrior drainage, and one characterizing trapping efforts to detect waterdogs at each site. Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.

Conecuh National Forest Herp Survey Project

The data associated with this project were generated in 2005 and 2006 when the herpetofauna of the Conecuh National Forest was sampled at 15 sites associated with longleaf pine restoration and at haphazard sites across the forest. This project repeated a previous herpetofaunal survey by Mount in 1980, but at georeferenced sites that would allow future survey of the same sites. Samples archived for this project include records of animals trapped from drift fence arrays, sound recordings of wetland sites used by anurans, and reports generated. To request records, contact the Staff Curator.

Cottomouth Project

Dixon Center Fire Project

This study was part of a nationwide examination of the effects of fire and fire surrogates on regional biotas. The data presented here are from 15 gridded sites on the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. Samples were generated from discontinuous samples from 5/23/2002 to 3/15/2005. Study design was comprised of five treatments replicated three times. Treatments were reference (untreated), burn (prescribed fire), thin (basal area reduced by a thinning-from-below improvement cut), thin and burn (basal area reduction followed by prescribed fire), and herbicide and burn (application of garlon followed by prescribed fire). Samples were collected after treatments had been administered and were collected from a single Y-shaped drift fence array and a single cross-shaped snake trap on each site (see Ashley Rall thesis for details). Data are available from the Collections Manager.

GA Mayhaw Flatwoods Salamander Project

These data were generated by a drift fence that was established around a temporary wetland (31.220302 -84.806771) known to be use by Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi). Thirty trap stations were set about 22 m apart with two funnel traps on the outside and two on the inside of the fence at each station. Traps were operational from 11/25/2000 to 2/19/2001 and from 11/19/2001 to 3/19/2002. Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.

Gopher Tortoise Project

This database contains information on populations of gopher tortoises processed by the Guyer lab in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi from 1988-2013. Data include surveys of burrow status, samples of marked and recaptured tortoises, and activities monitored with telemetry and still cameras. Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.

Indigo Snake Project

This database contains information on Eastern Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon couperi) used to attempt to repatriate this species to the Conecuh National Forest from 2008 to 2019. Information includes measurements of females sampled from and returned to Georgia after they laid eggs at Auburn, and information on eggs incubated at Auburn and hatchlings raised at Auburn, Zoo Atlanta, and the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation. This project was conceived by Mark Sasser and Jim Godwin, with Jim continuing to oversee it (contact him for data after 2019). Auburn University College of Science and Mathematics, Zoo Atlanta, Central Florida Zoo, Orianne Society, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated to make this project happen. Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.

Red Hills Salamander Project

This project archives records from several projects that examined the ecology of Red Hills Salamanders (Phaeognathus hubrichtii) at two sites. The primary site was Haines Island Park (Monroe County; US Army Corps of Engineering; 31.723167; -87.466530) and the secondary site was along hwy 31 near MacKenzie (31.573147; -86.738281). Files archived here include records of temperatures inside and outside of burrows occupied by salamanders, videos of salamanders within or at the entrance of their burrows, photos of habitat, and photos of casts of burrow systems used by salamanders. Data are available from the Staff Curator.

Scott’s Pond Turtle Project

This database contains capture-mark-recapture records of turtles at a pond (32.662079; -85.521077) used by Floyd Scott to examine movements of mud (Kinosternon subrubrum) and musk turtles (Sternotherus odoratus). Records for these two species include those collected by Scott (1972-1974) and those collected by several individuals associated with the Guyer lab (1988-1995). Records for other species are included from the Guyer lab era. Data are available from the Staff Curator.

Frog Call Monitoring

This database will contain hourly recordings of frog call activity at four sites in Lee and Macon Counties. These year-round data have been collected since March 2010 and are continually being added to. Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.

West Georgia Project

This database contains monthly samples of amphibians and reptiles along first order streams along an urban-rural transition in and around Columbus Georgia. The data include samples of transects and frog calls sampled by automated recording devices. These data were collected by Kyle Barrett (2004-2008). Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.

EEE Project

This database contains information on amphibians and reptiles sampled during an NIH-funded study of Eastern Equine Encephalitis on the Tuskegee National Forest. Weekly samples along established transects, drift fences, and aquatic trapping are included within this file. These data were generated by Sean Graham (2008-2011). Data are available by contacting the Staff Curator.