Program Information

Series: A Look Outside
Program: Reptiles and Amphibians
Duration: 00:20:35
Year Produced: 2007
Description:

Interested in Virginia's reptiles and amphibians? This fun new A Look Outside video tracks a group of cub scouts as they learn about spotted salamanders, canebrake rattlesnakes, wood turtles and more!

For more information visit: http://www.dgif.state.va.us/education

Transcript

[Video opens with music and a montage of various reptiles and amphibians]

Narrator:
Reptiles and amphibians are some of the most awesome animals in Virginia. What’s their life cycle? Where do they live? What do they eat? Let’s join the Cub Scouts from pack 706 as we journey to Virginia’s most remote habitats to learn about some of the coolest animals around, reptiles and amphibians! It’s a look outside!

Clay: Hi, I’m Clay from Den 4.

Jacob: Hi, I’m Jacob from Den 4.

Jon: Hi, I’m Jon from Den 4.

Woody: Hi, I’m Woody from Den 4.

Brandon: Hi, I’m Brandon from Den 4.

Jacob: Hi, I’m Jacob from Den 4.

Dennis: Hi, I’m Dennis Mclhenny, Den Leader, Den 4, pack 706 of the Heart of Virginia Council.

Narrator:
The scouts are visiting Three Lakes Nature Center in Richmond. Where Susan Watson, a wildlife biologist and expert on all things creepy and crawly, will introduce them to some very special creatures.

Susan: Hi everyone.

Den 4: Hi!

Susan:
We are going to have a great day today. Does everyone know what we are going to talk about today?

Jon: Amphibians and reptiles.

Susan:
That’s right, amphibians and reptiles. Does everybody know how amphibians differ from reptiles?

Jacob: Reptiles have scales and amphibians have slimy skin.

Susan: That’s right. Amphibians do not have the scales that reptiles have.

Narrator:
Amphibians differ from reptiles in that they have smooth moist skin and they undergo a metamorphosis phase in which their body changes. Reptiles have scales that cover most of their bodies and the young resemble the adults. Virginia has three major groups of amphibians: Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders. There are also three major groups of reptiles: Turtles, Snakes, and Lizards.

Susan:
This is an eastern tiger salamander. This is actually a state endangered species in Virginia. This is one of the largest, but not the largest salamander in the state. Tiger salamanders are interesting in that most of their life they are on land – they like to live under stuff like moss, like you see on this guy, under logs, rotting soil or wood. What do you think they like to eat?

Jon: Worms?

Susan: Worms. Very good. Yes they like to eat worms. What else?

Jacob: Bugs like termites if they’re in a log?

Susan:
Yup, they eat bugs like termites and whatever they can find. Another neat thing about these guys when they have babies they need to find water. And what is really important is that they need water that doesn’t have fish in it.

Narrator:
Amphibians like the tiger salamander need a unique habitat to live in and bare their young like the shallow pools created by spring rain and melting snow. These fertile pools can dry up completely in the summer so they don’t support predators like fish that would eat the salamander larvae. But amphibians such as frogs, toads and the spotted salamander find the fertile pools the perfect place to lay eggs.

[Music]

Every year on a dark and rainy night in February, instinct drives these spotted salamanders to migrate to a tiny fertile pool near the James River ‐ where they breed and lay their eggs ‐ insuring their species survival. In the past this journey ended badly for some salamanders as they got run over by cars along River Road. But luckily for these little amphibians the local neighbors along with the James River park employees make sure they have a safe passage along River Road.

Ralph White:
These salamanders require certain conditions. In order to live they have to have some sort of shaded hillside with deep rich soil and they have to have a place where they can breed without fish around. These fertile pools, on the edge of the road way and ditches, serve that purpose. Isn’t it wonderful that creatures about this big [hold up about 3 inches], slow moving, virtually no teeth (like tiny little sand paper inside), no claws, no speed, walking hotdogs in turns of the food value for other creatures. In order to protect them we close the road. So that when some of the salamanders meander onto the asphalt surface they don’t get squished by automobiles. And interestingly enough people who live in this community are delighted to close down the road to save the salamanders.

[Music]

Narrator:
Both the Tiger and the Spotted salamanders are pretty big, but not the biggest. Growing up to 2 feet long, the Hellbender is Virginia’s largest salamander. They are aquatic animals that live in rocky streams where they nest under rocks and logs. Fishermen who happen to catch a hellbender by accidentally wonder what this strange fish is that has grown arms and legs. These little amphibians are pretty cool too.

[Music and montage of Susan showing Den 4 various amphibians]

Susan:
Did you notice how active these guys have gotten in my hands? That’s probably because my hands are really warm. And there is something about reptiles and amphibians that’s much different from us. Does anyone know what its called when they are dependent on the outside temperature?

Woody: They are cold blooded.

Narrator:
Both reptiles and amphibians are cold blooded, or ectothermic, meaning their bodies don’t generate a lot of heat so they must move between sun and shade to regulate their body temperature. Mammals and birds are warm blooded, or endothermic, meaning their bodies generate heat and maintain a constant body temperature. Since reptiles and amphibians are dependent upon their external environment to regulate their temperature, they become inactive when outside temperatures fall. Warm late winter days will increase the activity levels of both reptiles and amphibians. This is why we hear spring peepers in February and may even see a snake on a warm winter day.

Man 1: January Cottonmouth.

Narrator:
Amphibians are unique because their bodies undergo metamorphosis – a Greek word meaning “to change in form.” The change begins when the eggs hatch into tadpoles with gills, a tail for swimming, and a small mouth designed to feed on algae and plants. This tadpole stage underwater could last just a few weeks or up to two years depending on the species. As the tadpole grows, its body undergoes major changes – hind legs appear, then front legs. The mouth widens the lungs develop and the tail is absorbed as the tadpole becomes a frog or a toad. Reptiles differ from amphibians in that they don’t go through a metamorphosis phase as the amphibians do. Scales, claws, and shells are what give reptiles their unique look and make them noticeably different than amphibians.

Susan: This is a Broad‐head skink, a female Broad‐head skink.

Narrator:
Broad‐head and Five‐line skinks are commonly seen in wooded areas and even in the backyard. They like to feed on insects and spiders.

Susan:
This is a wood turtle. Wood turtles are rare and a state threatened species found mostly in the northern and north western Virginia. They are kind of neat in that they spend most of the winter and some of the fall and spring in streams and they tend to come out more on land in the spring and summer.

Narrator:
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has several studies underway to learn more about the home range and life history of turtles.

Man 2:
The one on my right is a wood turtle and the one on my left is a box turtle. Both of these turtles can be found up on land and sometimes even along the margin of the water and in the water. The two big differences between these turtles is that the box turtle has a highly domed shell and you will find it in varying color from black with yellow to orange mottling. It also has a bottom shell or a plastron that is hinged. It is unique and only a few species has this hinged plastron. And this enables that turtle to completely enclose itself within its shell. And this is a very good way to keep predators from getting in there and try to make a meal of him. The other species, the Wood turtle, is brown with yellow flecks of modeling also orange. It has bright orange feet and its skin. The difference is its somewhat flattened although it does have the sculptured pyramid like scutes. This turtle cannot close its bottom shell to keep away from predators. What it does is uses its large front feet which are heavily scaled and pushes those inside the shell and protects the head from being in contact with a raccoon or opossum or skunk that would try to make a mean of him.

Narrator:
Box turtles are becoming less common in Virginia due to lose of habitat. Many become casualties on our roadways as they travel to find mates and to lay eggs. Many people like to give turtles a helping hand by moving them across the road. If you do move on, always move it in the direction it was heading. Moving it back where it came from will only endanger it again as it continues to try to cross.

Susan: We are on our last group of reptiles. Does everybody know what that is?

Den 4: Snakes!

Susan:
Is anybody afraid of snakes? [Laughs] Just a couple people in the back. Well I promise that I don’t have anything dangerous and I would like to assure everybody that all snakes in the wild, especially in Virginia, are nothing to fear even the venomous snakes. A bite is a very, very, very last resort.
Narrator: Snakes are perhaps the most misunderstood animals in Virginia. While many people fear them, the truth is snakes are beneficial creatures, as they feed on rodents like rats and mice that can harbor disease and destroy property.

Susan:
This one is called an Eastern King snake. Does anybody know why they might call it a King snake?

Clay: It’s big?

Susan:
It’s a big one, they do get pretty big. There is a different reason why they call it a King snake, there is something they like to eat that makes them the King.

Woody: Other snakes?

Susan:
Yeah, all other snakes basically. They eat all other snakes. They’ll even eat venomous snakes. They’ll eat Copperheads, Rattlesnakes, and Cottonmouths. They somehow are immune to the venoms so if they are bitten they are okay. Like Black Rat snakes they will actually coil around their prey and squeeze until it can’t breathe so they can handle it and swallow it whole. So if we could open our mouths as big as they could, with that type of stretching of tendons and everything, we could open our mouths as big as our hips and down to our bellies and be able to maybe swallow something like a watermelon whole. [Laughs] So that is how they are able to swallow things whole. They also have, the non‐venomous snakes and even the venomous snakes have these teeth as well, a little row of teeth on the bottom and the top and the teeth are curved back like thorns. So that helps when they catch something and are trying to swallow it down, that helps push it back into their throat and down the rest of their system.

Susan Watson:
[With a hissing snake] And this is all a big bluff [Laughs]. This is called a Hog‐nosed snake. This one is not a venomous snake like a Copperhead ‐ even though it may look like its dangerous – especially that bluff it just did. This one is used to people, this kind of snake usually goes through a whole act of bluffing.

Narrator:
The fearsome looking Hog‐nosed snake is Virginia’s best actor. Putting on a show guaranteed to frighten off most predators. If spreading his hood, hissing, and striking doesn’t scare you away, plan B is to roll over and play dead. Once the coast is clear he’ll again roll over and crawl away. There are three species of venomous snakes in Virginia – the Copperhead, the Cottonmouth, and the Timber Rattlesnake. These species all play a valuable roll in the ecosystem and should be left alone as they’re normally not aggressive towards humans. The Copperhead is the only venomous snake found throughout all of Virginia. They can be recognized by their copper‐colored head and the hour‐glass pattern on their bodies. The Timber rattler is only found in remote areas, like this rocky outcropping in Virginia’s western mountains. Amazingly, an isolated population of rattlers also exists in a small area of eastern Virginia. This group is known as Canebrake rattlesnakes. Department biologists trying to protect this remnant population of eastern rattlers must brave over‐grown, thick swamps and use special equipment to track and study these snakes.

Scott Goetz:
Basically, because they are so cryptic and so hard to find we really can’t study them without this equipment. Basically we do surgery on the animal and we implant a transmitter inside of them – it’s about the size of a AA battery and has an antennae about the length of a foot. So we actually implant this transmitter inside of them and run the antennae up the side of their body then we suture them back up. We use this receiver to come out here and track the signal. So the transmitter that we’re putting in the snake is always sending out a constant signal and we use the receiver to pick up that signal and locate where they are at. The antennae just amplifies the signal that’s being sent out and it has a range of about four or five hundred yards maximum. And with this we’re able to tell, you know, as we approach when we’re two meters from the snake – we are able to tell that, you know, we can get a direction and then we do just pretty much stand there and stare until we can actually see the snake. There is a lot of times were, you know, I come up and I know its dead in front of me and its three meters ahead of me and I still have to stand there. That’s one of the things that amazes most people when they come out to the site is to stand there and have me tell them you know, once I finally see the snake, to say “Alright, the snake is, you know, its three meters ahead, its sitting right there, its underneath that branch.” You know, just telling them exactly where it’s at and it amazes them that they still have to stand there and stare for that long to just pick out the pattern.

Cameraman: Where is he?

Scott Goetz: He’s dead ahead about three meters sitting in the leaf litter coiled up.

Cameraman: Ok, I’ll see if I can find him here…

Scott Goetz: He’s pretty bright, he stands out pretty well because he is freshly shed.

Cameraman: Oh, there he is.

Scott Goetz: That’s a pretty decent sized male right there.

Narrator:
Let’s take a look at the camouflage on some other snakes. Now you see them, now you don’t. Both reptiles and amphibians are important predators that help keep our ecosystem in balance by eating insects, rodents, and other small animals. The common American toad loves to feast on insects like ants. [Reacting to the toad’s tongue] Whoa! Let’s check that out in slow motion! The Black Rat snake is one of Virginia’s most common snakes.

Susan: And a lot of these animals are actually good pest control – natural pest control.

Narrator:
The Black snake, with it’s appetite for mice, is welcome in barns and out buildings throughout their range. The Black Rat snake uses constriction to quickly kill the mouse and then extends its jaws to swallow it whole.

Cub Scout: Oh my god!

Narrator: [Laughs] This one is very active.

Narrator:
The big Pine snake, which lives in the western part of Virginia, wraps things up for the scouts.

Scout1:
Well, I thought it was cool to see all the different salamanders because I really like salamanders and to learn about them. My favorite animal was the Tiger salamander because it was slimy and it has a cool pattern. When I go to my cousin’s house we always go to like this little puddle and it has like thousands of salamanders.

Scout 2: I like the Albino salamander because it was white and had pink eyes.

Scout 3: I liked the Pine snake because it would hiss a lot and I just like snakes.

Narrator:
Virginia has a rich diversity of reptiles and amphibians and has the diverse habitats to support them. Sixty‐one species of reptiles live here, from sea turtles living off the Atlantic coast, to snakes living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Seventy‐four species of amphibians can be found in our state. Reptiles and amphibians need the right combination of food, water, shelter, and space in order to exist. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is concerned about a third of Virginia’s reptiles and amphibians because their habitats are disappearing or becoming polluted. Virginia’s wildlife action plan will monitor their numbers and attempt to keep them from declining to the point when they can be considered endangered. The next time you take a look outside and find a reptile or amphibian in your backyard, remember the important place these creatures have in the ecosystem, never disturb them but enjoy watching them from a distance.
[Music plays during a montage of various reptiles and amphibians]

Virginia Standards

2nd Grade SOLs » Science » 2.4
3rd Grade SOLs » Science » 3.10
7th Grade SOLs » Science » LS.12
10th Grade SOLs » Science » BIO.8