identification
Is This Treefrog a Long Way from Home?

We recently received the photograph above from Steven Hallstrom, who owns and operates a sustainable farm just north of Tonganoxie. These photographs are of a frog that Steven observed in abundance earlier this season. Steven notes this frogs apparent similarity with the Pine Barrens Treefrog (Hyla andersonii) and is wondering if this identification could be correct given that this species isn't known from anywhere even close to Kansas (it occurs only in a few isolated patches of pine barren habitat along the Gulf and eastern coasts of the United States).
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Salamander Lounging on Porch in Johnson County

A resident of Gardner, in Johnson County, KS just sent us this image of a salamander. They photographed this salamander after catching it on their porch on Oct. 23, 2014 (which was a pretty cold night). Who knows the species and its life history?
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Legless Lizard on a Levee

A Lawrence resident spotted the snake seen above on a walk along a levee about 4km S of downtown Lawrence. In this resident's opinion, the pattern and headshape were somewhat atypical for a Kansas snake. Who knows what species it is?
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Special Delivery
The sister of KU Herpetology student Karen Olsen took the photograph above at her house in Florida. Anybody know the species of snake that was in her mailbox?
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Identify This Johnson County Basement Invader
The 8-10" long snake pictured above was just found in a basement in rural Johnson County, Kansas. Anybody know what it is?
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Spiderman Lizard Reported in Lenexa Kansas
A resident of Lenexa, KS took the photographs above of a lizard on the side of his house in mid-August of 2014. It looks somewhat like a lizard dressed in a spiderman costume. Who can identify the species? Is this a species that has ever been reported in Kansas previously? Is it likely to be a permanent resident of our state?
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Help Identify this Philippine Snake
A friend of KU Herpetology just sent the photos above and noted that the snake in these images "fell off a roof at ocean adventure" in Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippines. Anybody know what species it is? Both photos copyright William Ross from Ocean Adventure, Subic, Luzon.
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology
Biodiversity Blogs
Snake Skin Identification Challenge
A friend of KU Herpetology in the Endowment office would like to know if we have any thoughts on the identify of the snake whose shed skin was found by some kids heading into a hole near her garage. The sender notes that while the images are reasonably well-lit and in-focus compared to the photos we usually receive that the basket weave chair may have been included to challenge us. Best guess wins a point in the KU Center for Herpetological Accuracy's Annual herp identification contest.
Tag Cloud:
A. Townsend Peterson
administration
Andrew Short
antarctica2014
Caroline Chaboo
Chris Beard
entomology
fossil
grant
Herpetology
herps
ichthyology
identification
informatics
invert-paleo
Leonard Krishtalka
Leo Smith
museum
Natural History Museum
ornithology
paleobotany
Paul Selden
Philippines
Philippines 2009
Philippines 2010
Philippines 2012
Rafe Brown
research
ssar2015
vertebrate-paleontology