Adult Syrian Spadefoot Toad discovered in a greenhouse in Burj Arab, Tartous Governorate, Syria, March 18, 2022. This was the second confirmed sighting of the species in the region. Photo by Naeil Khosam.
The Syrian Spadefoot Toad has been rediscovered in the war-torn country with the help of Syrian community scientists and Illinois researchers.
Timber rattlesnake in Illinois. Photo credit: Andrew Jesper
Illinois’ timber rattlesnakes emerge from their cold-weather dens hidden below ground and can be seen sunning themselves in the nearby forest foliage as spring temperatures warm. Scientists at the Illinois Natural History Survey have found clues to determine when snakes will slither from their over-winter spots to inform conservation officials who manage local habitats.
Two western diamondback rattlesnakes interacting near dens. Photo credit: Mark Davis
A new study, recently published in Ecology and Evolution, uses network analysis to understand the social lives of rattlesnakes, a group previously considered to be asocial animals.
With their vibrant colors and small size, poison frogs are popular among amphibian pet owners in the U.S. Most poison frogs come from legitimate frog breeding operations here and abroad, but some are still snatched from the wild illegally in their native countries, according to Devin Edmonds, doctoral student at the Illinois Natural History Survey.
Given that one-third of amphibian species are threatened with extinction, Edmonds wanted to explore the trade dynamics of the widely kept poison frogs over the past 30 years to better understand potential threats.
Populations of the endangered spotted turtle in Illinois are holding up better than those in other states, based on 30 years of data at the University of Illinois. Still, only two populations remain, and the predictions are poor.
The small, semi-aquatic spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) lives in sedge meadows, cattail marshes, and wet prairies, and in Illinois is found only in the northeast. Female turtles can live up to 110 years and reproduce all their adult lives.
Today, only two populations have survived. Researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Forest Preserve District of Will County have collaboratively studied nearly 1,000 turtles in two communities since 1988.
This seemingly unlikely collaboration is testing a promising technology called environmental DNA, or eDNA, to assess the status and distribution of the Calcasieu Painted crayfish, Kitsatchie Painted crayfish, Texas Pigtoe mussel, Louisiana pinesnake, and the alligator snapping turtle in Fort Polk, Louisiana.
“These are rare, hard-to-find species, and we are comparing the utility of conventional sampling and eDNA,” said, Mark Davis, a conservation biologist at INHS. “This work is important because eDNA might be faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective than conventional sampling; now we will find out if it really is.”
Not much is known about them, but researchers are using one Will County preserve to change that
The Kirtland’s snake is shy and secretive, and, as a result, not a lot is known about it. A group of researchers is working hard to change that. They’re developing a better understanding of this small but beautiful snake that is widely scattered in small enough numbers to put it on Illinois’ threatened species list.
These non-venomous snakes that primarily feed on earthworms and slugs are notoriously hard to find, but one preserve in Will County is a hotbed of activity for Kirtland’s. That preserve — which we’re not disclosing in order to protect this rare species — is serving as a summer laboratory for folks from the Illinois Natural History Survey.
A recent petition to place this species on the endangered species list was denied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of insufficient data.
“There wasn’t enough data to say what’s really going on,” said Michael Dreslik, an assistant research scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey.
In the first study of its kind, researchers characterized the skin microbiome of a population of free-ranging snakes to begin to understand how the animals’ environmental microbial community may promote disease resistance as well as how it may be disrupted by infection.
Dr. Matthew Allender founded the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and is also an affiliate of the Illinois Natural History Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute.
The study, which was recently published in Scientific Reports, a Nature research journal, focused on eastern massasaugas in Illinois. This species of endangered rattlesnake is highly susceptible to the fungal pathogen Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, which causes snake fungal disease (SFD). SFD results in disfiguring sores on snake skin, has a high mortality rate, and poses a significant threat to snake populations in North America and Europe. The mechanism by which the pathogen causes disease is unknown.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and the loss of genetic diversity are the three main factors driving the extinction of many wild species, and the few eastern massasauga rattlesnakes remaining in Illinois have certainly suffered two of the three. A long-term study of these snakes reveals, however, that – despite their alarming decline in numbers – they have retained a surprising amount of genetic diversity.
“Despite occurring in small, fragmented populations, eastern massasaugas in Illinois do not show genetic evidence of inbreeding,” said Illinois Natural History Survey postdoctoral researcher Sarah J. Baker, who led the new research.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report the first sighting in 30 years of a wild alligator snapping turtle in Illinois. The discovery may be a sign of hope for this state-endangered species, or the animal could be the last of its kind to have survived in Illinois without human intervention, the researchers say.
![[Matthew Allender]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/res-sfd-allender.jpg)
