Wuerch's Wildlife

I Ain't Lyin'!

Sonora Lyre Snake
Trimorphodon biscutatus

The head patterns of some Lyre Snakes resemble the shape of the small harp-like instrument mentioned in the Old Testament. That is how they received their common name. Their Latin name refers to the fact that they have three types of teeth which include enlarged ones at the back of their jaws. They are Rear Fanged and carry a mild venom which is engaged as they consume their preferred prey - lizards. Since they seldom constrict, this venom serves to immobilize its victims making them easier to swallow. They are found in rocky areas of the deserts of the American Southwest.

Wave Walker

Desert Millipede
Orthoporus ornatus

Desert millipedes are non-venomous arthropods that grow over five inches long and can be found colored in banded gold, reddish orange or nearly solid black. They have two pairs of legs for each body segment that create a wavelike motion when they walk. To avoiding dangerously high temperatures, they become active as daylight dwindles and remain out and about well into the night. Using their antennas, they can find their way in the darkness as they search for the food they scavenge. When threatened they curl into a tight spiral and can release a smelly fluid from openings along their sides that makes them an unfit meal for any predator.

Venomous Monster!

Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum

Gila (pronounced HE-la) Monsters are large, venomous lizards found in the harsh desert region of the American Southwest. They live in the lower areas along streams and washes where they can find water. They seek refuge from the heat under the shade of shrubs and in burrows they dig with thier sharp, curved claws. Small mammals, reptiles, and bird eggs are included in their diet. Fat is stored in their thick, stubby tails that they live off of when food is scarce. Their powerful jaws and venom can produce a seriously painful, although rarely fatal, bite to humans. When these rather shy reptiles encounter humans they prefer to escape rather than fight.

Funny Fellow!

Yuma Antelope Squirrel
Ammospermophilus harrisii

Ground dwelling squirrels like the Yuma Antelope Squirrel, also known as Harris's Antelope Squirrel, are fun animals to watch as they go about their business. They are nimble little critters that easily scamper over the rocks and cactus found in the desert regions of the American Southwest where they live. A variety of desert plants produce the food they eat, like the red, juicy tuna of prickly pear cactus, which leaves them looking like a child who got into momma's lipstick. When alarmed, they dash away chittering with their tails sticking straight up. Once they reach a place they feel secure, they will often stop, bicker at their enemy and stamp their front paws.

Tiny Shell, Big Bite!

Common Snappiung Turtle
Chelydra serpentina serpentina

The Common Snapping Turtle can be found in the eastern half of the United States in permanent bodies of freshwater. These feisty turtles have large heads and shells that seem too small for their stout bodies and legs. They don't depend as much on protection from their shells as other turtles because of the powerful bite they have for defending themselves. Their pre-historic looking tails are long and saw-toothed. Their strong legs end with heavy claws that aid them in digging into the mud where they rest on the bottom.

Most Deadly Snake in the U.S.

Mojave Rattlesnake
Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus

The Mojave Rattlesnake prefers the open, grassy areas of the desert flats and lower mountain slopes of the American southwest from the Big Bend country of Texas to into southern California. Certain populations of these medium sized rattlers carry the most potent venom of all the snakes found in the United States - even deadlier than the Coral Snake. When they feel threatened they assume a striking stance and face their enemies. They have been known to launch completely off the ground in an effort to strike their adversary. If encountered in the wild, they should be treated with the respect they command and observed from a safe distance.

Death Trap

Orbweaver
Araneus sp.

The round snares that Orbweavers spin are what most people think of when they imagine a spider web. Some species spin them in the evening for the night while others build them for the day. Either way, after constructing it, the spider will wait patiently until a prey animal gets trapped in the web. Then it will quickly attack by spinning the victim while wrapping it in silk. After the food has been secured, it is cut free and hauled to the where the spider will feed on it.

Jewel of the Wild

Green Tree Frog
Hyla cinerea

The woodlands of the southern states are the home of Green Tree Frogs. Usually found near water like ponds or streams, they can be easily overlooked while they rest on stems or branches several feet off the ground. The bright green color of their backs blends in perfectly with the leafy surroundings. Like all other tree frogs, they have sticky toe pads that cling to just about any surface. This enables them to climb up anything - even the glass of windows panes where they sometimes can be found at night feeding on insects that are attracted to the light inside.

Snug as a Bug on a Bug

Patent-Leather Beetle
Odontotaenius disjunctus

Patent-Leather Beetles, also known as Bess Beetles, are large (1.5"), shiny black beetles that live in groups inside rotten logs where they create a tunnel system called a gallery. The adults care for and feed their larvae young a mixture of chewed up wood and adult feces. They are beneficial insects that help fallen trees to decompose and enrich the soil. Often the adults are infested with mites that gather at the joints in their bodies and on the upper portions of their legs.

Alligator or lizard? Which is it?

Texas Alligator Lizard
Gerrhonotus Liocephalus Infernalis

The fascinating Texas Alligator Lizard is one of the state's largest lizards reaching up to 20 inches including its long tail. It can be found in the central part of Texas extending westward into the Big Bend National Park on rocky hills and in dry washes. Occasionally it can be found in shrubs where it uses its prehensile tail to help cling to branches as it climbs. Flicking its blue-ish, purple tongue, it moves about rather slowly with its belly brushing the ground while it searches for the insects it eats.

Think Pink!

Rock Rattlesnake
Crotalus lepidus

Rocky hillsides of the desert mountains in southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are where the small Rock Rattlesnake can be found. They average around two feet long as adults. The ground color of these banded serpents usually blends in with their stony surroundings. Chalky light gray specimens can be found on limestone slopes while pinkish ones live among igneous bolders. Other populations include whitish, tan, brown and even green individuals. They can be found basking on ledges on warm mornings or in the late afternoon waiting in ambush for their favorite food, lizards.

Spider Or Scorpion?

Windscorpion
Eremobates sps

Windscorpions are large, bizarre looking arachnids that are related to spiders and scorpions. They don't have stingers or fangs, but have huge jaws for biting and holding prey. They use the front set of their 4 pairs of legs as feelers while they scurry about swiftly in the darkness after sunset. They run "like the wind" which is where their name comes from. Almost anything their size (up to 2 inches long) or smaller is prey for these aggressive eating machines known to overpower and eat other bugs and even lizards. Found in the western portion of the United States.

America's Biggest Reptile

American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis

Growing to over 16 feet, the American Alligator is by far the largest reptile in the United States. They live in the warm waters of the rivers, lakes and swamps of the South. The hatchlings have a crossbar pattern of yellow and black that darkens to a uniform dark gray or black as they age. Using their large, flattened tails they gracefully swim in a prehistoric manner. They eat a wide variety of animals including fish, amphibians, turtles and mammals...almost anything that moves.

He's So Nosey

Big Bend Patchnose Snake
Salvadora deserticola

The special scale on the nose of these nonvenomous snakes help them to root out the buried lizards and reptile eggs they eat. Their striped pattern helps keep them hidden from predators as move about during the day on the ground near shrubs and grasses. This species of Patchnose is found in the lower elevations of the Chihuahuan Desert in the far western portion of Texas and southern New Mexico.

Use 'Em or Lose 'Em

Texas Blind Salamander
Typhlomolge rathbuni

Looking like some kind of alien from another galaxy with it pale pink to white skin and spindly limbs, the delicate Texas Blind Salamander spends its entire life in the darkness of the cave waters located at San Marcos, Texas. Skin covers the useless eyes of these ghost-like amphibians. Prowling underwater on the cave floor, they rely on other senses like detecting vibration and smell to locate the snails and small arthropods they eat.