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Today was an important day for natural-, evolution-, and genetic-studies. The first full-scale genetic sequence of a non-avian reptile was published today in Nature. The lucky species to serve as the first reptile to be studied in this way? The Carolina … Continue reading
Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge is on the southern end of Lanier county, not too far from our home in Valdosta. I briefly surveyed the area on the 29th and it looks very, very promising. A beautiful area I’m sure … Continue reading
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Featured here is an adult Florida “banded” watersnake, Nerodia fasciata pictiventris, photographed on 09 September 2006 at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, Florida (Alachua county). I’d seen this individual (or one just like it) during an earlier visit, but hadn’t … Continue reading
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When I was a kid we simply called the snake featured on this post a “Yellow rat snake.” It made sense, right? It was a snake, it ate rats (sometimes), and it was, you know, sort of yellow. If it … Continue reading
Okay, here’s another videograph for today. I love this footage and couldn’t resist posting it now that it’s back online. This is a video of a group of mangrove salt marsh snakes (Nerodia clarkii compressicauda) getting into full-on mating mode. … Continue reading
This is the first in a new series of short videos I’ll be tinkering with and posting from time to time. They’re short (I call them videographs) and tightly focused on specific animals or locales. The new(ish) YouTube channel is … Continue reading
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Here’s a slight shift of gears… These are American crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus, photographed 12 May 2006 at Flamingo, on the edge of Florida Bay in Everglades National Park. I’d wanted to see these amazing saltwater crocs for quite some time. … Continue reading
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Now, here’s a cute one: a Florida brown snake, Storeria dekayi victa, photographed 13 November 2005 at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, Florida (Alachua county). I should note that the snake’s more recent taxonomic classification appears to be Storeria victa. Regardless … Continue reading
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This is a fascinating individual. It’s an Eastern garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, photographed on 17 July 2005. Driving with my old friend Cerny toward I-75 (on our way to Gainesville), we spotted this snake along the edge of State … Continue reading
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We’re midway through the second week of the Fall 2011 term at Valdosta State University. It’s great to be back on a campus with some heat and humidity. Students hustle and bustle in their sandals and shoes. Groups converge, laugh, … Continue reading
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When I was an undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma (back when I had more hair on my head and less on my back), I got my ass handed to me by a Western coachwhip snake, Masticophis flagellum testaceous, … Continue reading
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Uh oh, it’s looking like thar be snakes ahead! Yeah, I’m in a snake mood right now. Looking at and assessing Dust Tracks yesterday, I (again) realized just how much I haven’t gotten back to on this most recent incarnation … Continue reading
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Another green anole post? Hells to the YES, play-uh. Undeniably and without pause I answer: YES. Live it, love it, embrace it, and make sweet, sweet love to it. Why? Because Carolina green anoles rock. They absolutely, positively rock. And they … Continue reading
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Fall 2011 is upon us. The semester has begun! This semester I’m only teaching one composition class, the second FYC course in the VSU/GA track. It’s essentially the equivalent to Persuasive Writing in other state university systems. The first class … Continue reading
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Finally, a lizard I can actually identify! Above is a male side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana, photographed on 10 June 2011 at Canyonlands National Park in the Island in the Sky district. The small turquoise spots are somewhat a give-away for … Continue reading
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Going through and posting the Utah lizard photographs these past few days made me realize a few things. First, I know next to nothing about the lizards of Utah and Arizona. Second, I’m sitting on a ridiculous amount of photographs … Continue reading
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We come to Lizard #3 in our Arid-Lizards-I-Can’t-Positively-Identify micro-series. This is an adult lizard photographed at Canyonlands National park on 09 June 2011. More specifically this was in the Needles region of Canyonlands a little after nine in the morning. … Continue reading
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(NOTE: An update from December 2011 follows!) Our second lizard for the mini-series is an absolute mystery to me. I haven’t been able to identify or classify this one, though I believe it may be a member of either Family … Continue reading
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As Summer 2011 officially wraps up (classes begin a week from today), I think it’s time to revisit the animals I encountered during the journey from Alaska to Florida this past June. I’d like to start with a handful of … Continue reading
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In southcentral Alaska we had one frog, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica). It was always easy to identify. Why? Because we had one and only one frog species. The wood frog. Anyhow, these frogs (sort of) “freeze solid” in the … Continue reading
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Today was a busy day here in Valdosta, Georgia. I’m amping up for class (starting a week from Monday) and prepping my course plan. Still working on the house and still organizing all my data (it’s spread out between the … Continue reading
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On my way back to Valdosta yesterday, I stopped a couple of times to do quick, informal anole surveys. I didn’t do too much hiking given the shaky, post-CJO, sleep-deprived abuse my body had just undergone in Tally, but I … Continue reading
Dust Tracks on the Web is an independent photography and natural history blog written and produced by Janson Jones. I am not a trained biologist, but I am a life-long natural history enthusiast. This blog is a celebration and exploration of the natural history that surrounds us all. To learn more about this site and its author, please check out the About page.
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