The Ecology of Hydric Hammocks - USGS National Wetlands ...

Table 9. Occurrence of reptiles and amphibiansin two drift fence arrays with pit-fall traps andfunnel-traps from 31 March lo 18 October 1975, ina hydric hammock on the route of the proposedCross-Florida Barge Canal (Florida Game andFresh Water Fish Commission 1976).Table 10. Occurrence of reptiles and amphibiansin two drift fence arrays with pit-fall traps andfunnel-traps from 9 December 1978 to 25 July1979, in coastal hydric hammock, loblolly pinevariant, in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge,Wakulla Co., Florida (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1980).SpeciesNumberSpeciesNumberSouthern ri ngneck snakeEastern coachwhip snakeEastern garter snakeFlorida red-be1 1 ied snakeDusky pigmy rattlesnakeStriped mud turtleGreen anoleGround skinkBroad-headed ski nkSl imy salamanderEastern spadefoot toadSouthern toadLittle grass frogSouthern spring peeperSouthern 1 eopard frogBronze frogEastern narrow-mouth toadTotal speciesTotal individualsSouthern ringneck snakeSouthern bl ac k racerScarlet kingsnakeEastern ki ngsnakeFlorida scar1 et snakeFlorida water snakeRibbon snakeGarter snakeFlorida red-bell ied snakeFlorida mud turtleGreen anoleGround skinkBroad-headed ski nkOne-toed amphiuma(Amphiuma pho7eter)Sl imy sal amanderDwarf sal amanderSouthern toadCope's gray treefrogGreen treefrogSquirrel treefrogBull frogSouthern 1 eopard frogEastern narrow-mouth toadspecies were garter snake, red-be1 1 i edsnake, ground ski nk, broad-headedskink, green treefrog, squirreltreefrog, southern leopard frog, andnarrow-mouth toad.Studies of particul ar species ofreptiles or amphibians specifically inhydric hammock are almost non-existent.The lone exception is the easternindigo snake, a threatenedspecies. This species spends most ofthe winter in dens in hollow rootchannels and rodent burrows at thebases of large live oaks; other densites are armadi 11 o burrows, hol lowlogs, solution holes in limestone outcrops,and windrows of debris from1 umbering operations (Moler El9851 ) .Total speciesTotal individualsIndigo snakes breed in late autumn andwinter (Speake et al. 19781, whenmales make brief trips away from densapparently in search of females (Moler[I9851) . During summer, indigo snakesare often found in association withponds. Animals with access to bothclearcuts and uncut hammock seem toprefer the former, frequently occurringnear the ecotone of clearcut andhammock. Home ranges in winter average6.5 ha in size; in summer, theyaverage 158 ha (Moler 119851).