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Posts by TiburonSmoke: |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12  View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 25 May 2005
Topic: Worm Wrestling Federation
I have a sequence of pictures of a male and a female slow worm engaged in a courtship ritual. The male is much larger than the female, but there's no ambiguity in sexing them. I need to resize and compress the images. I will post them shortly, if anyone is interested. Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 25 May 2005
Topic: Worm Wrestling Federation
It's a long sequence, so I might create a thread. I might be able to post the rest of the pictures tomorrow. This isn't highly compressed, but I have cropped it a bit. Regards, Teresa
Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 26 May 2005
Topic: Worm Wrestling Federation
Hi guys. I'm new here, but I've been using your web site as a resource for the last couple of years. I live in Hampshire, but I'm originally from Pembrokeshire, where adders are adders and sheep farmers are nervous. I'm with Gemma on the sexing of Steve's slow worms. Two males. And each seems to be giving as good as he gets. I have been interested in British reptiles and amphibians for almost 30 years and, in that time, the only slow worms that have ever bitten me have been male. If you look at my picture (more to follow) you'll see that the male is larger than the female. And he seems to be doing all the biting. I'm not saying that females don't bite, but from my experience, it is definitely a male trait. Also, their markings are totally characteristic of their sex. Note the female's dark flanks and pronounced stripes and the male's more uniform buff colour. So that's my ha'pence worth. I'd just like to say that your pictures are excellent, Steve. You've caught them posturing, wrestling and hitting below the belt. Well done! Teresa in Hampshire
Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 26 May 2005
Topic: Worm Wrestling Federation
JC, there are two separate sequences of pictures. The single closeup at the bottom of the page is mine. I think Steve's slow worms are Male-Male and mine are Male-Female. I haven't posted my sequence yet. I'm still choosing a selection to post. Who are you asking? Teresa in Hampshire Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 29 May 2005
Topic: Slow worms mating (photo sequence)
One afternoon last week I was fortunate to witness two slow worms mating. They were under a sheet of plywood in a hedgerow that separates a lane from a wheat field. Until now, the plywood had been the home of a nest of voles. I was surprised to find the slow worms there at all, since the stretch of hedgerow, although long, is isolated at both ends by fencing.
I observed the slow worms mating over a period of 20 minutes. During that time, I took more than 130 shots. My presence didn't seem to distract them. The male was intent on copulating and, because his jaws were clamped around her neck, the female was in no position to object.
The mating behavour of slow worms is known to be rough. I have seen territorial battles before, and on several occasions I have been bitten by males, but I have never before had the opportunity to witness copulation. Luckily, I had a camera to hand. I don't know how long the male had had the female gripped in his jaws before I lifted the plywood but, despite her struggles and my presence, he was determined not to let her go. Indeed, I was able to remove various leaves and twigs that were spoiling my view. I wondered if females are always this reluctant to mate, or if my disturbance affected their behaviour. The female writhed slowly for the best part of 20 minutes, with frequent long pauses. The male made frequent adjustments of his grip on her head and neck, but he did not let her go. At times, he seemed to be biting her face, which must have been very uncomfortable. Later, while looking through the photographs, I thought I could see signs of an injury or scarring behind her head.
A couple of times during their contortions, the pair burrowed into the undergrowth. When they emerged, the male still had his jaws clamped firmly around the female's head. In the last few minutes of their mating, the female became more subdued. I noticed that their bodies were gradually becoming more aligned. She seemed to be straightening up. For a while, he continued to hold her down with his weight, but she wasn't struggling nearly as much as she did in the beginning. Gradually, without letting go, the male moved his body until it was parallel with hers. For a time, they were more or less aligned. Then, after a couple of minutes, he loosened his grip on her head. Slowly, he opened his mouth wide. He seemed to be having difficulty letting go. Eventually, her head was free. I saw both their tongues flicker, but I did not get a picture of this. In one frame, you can see his mouth barely open. Then the male did something that puzzled me. I'm not saying that he was nuzzling her, but he gently brushed his face against her face and burrowed his head under hers, thereby lifting her head onto his neck. She did not resist and, for fifteen seconds, she lay with her head resting on his neck.
I don't know how long they would have remained in this position, but either my movements or the flash of the camera startled the female. She shot off into the undergrowth. The male simply lay where he was. I needed to put the plywood down, so I picked him up and gently moved him out of the way. Unusually for a male at this time of the year, he didn't struggle or try to bite me. I think he was too exhausted. I released him and he followed the female's path into the undergrowth.
If anybody has any comments, I would love to hear them.
Teresa in Hampshire
Photos taken at 25th of May 2005, at 5.55pm near Droxford, Hampshire.
               Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 29 May 2005
Topic: Slow worms mating (photo sequence)
Here are two detailed closeups of the mating slow worms. Teresa in Hampshire
Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 29 May 2005
Topic: Slow worms mating (photo sequence)
Hi, I'm new to the RAUK forums, but I have been studying British reptiles and amphibians for almost thirty years. I have just posted an account of slow worms mating, together with a sequence of photographs in the Slow Worm forum. If anybody here has an interest in anguis fragilis, or might be able to shed some light on this curious aspect of their behaviour, I would appreciate their comments. Teresa in Hampshire
Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 29 May 2005
Topic: Worm Wrestling Federation
I have now posted my sequence of slow worm mating shots in a new thread in this forum. Let me know if you want to use my pictures in talks, JC, I'll send you the full resolution images. So long as I get my 15 minutes of fame, I'm happy. ;) Teresa in Hampshire
Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 31 May 2005
Topic: Slow worms mating (photo sequence)
Heheh. Actually, that shot was taken while he was trying to open his jaws. If you look at my other shots (in the Slow Worm forum) you'll see that he had her clamped much more tightly than that. It must have been over a prolonged period, because he seemed to have so much difficulty letting go. Do reptiles get cramp? :) Teresa Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 10 Jun 2005
Topic: Strange toad eating habit?
Hi all, I'd just like to ask the forum if anyone here has ever witnessed a strange thing that I've seen common toads do. Twenty five years ago, I kept a female common toad (bufo bufo) as a pet. I had her for about eight years, during which time I studied just about every aspect of her behavour. There was one thing she did, however, that I never did find an explanation for. While stalking prey (woodlice, flies, earthworms, etc) she would often tap one of the middle toes on her hind legs. Sometimes she would wiggle or tap both. She didn't do it every time, but she did it often enough for me to think that there must be a very good reason for it. In the years since, I have done some British amphibian conservation work and sometimes I rehabilitate injured toads. I have seen several toads do this toe tapping while stalking prey, but I have never found a satisfactory explanation in a book. I did find one reference to it on the internet. This guy in the USA say that all but one species of his captive toads do it: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/anforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=98663 But nobody could give him an answer. Does anybody here know? Teresa in Hampshire
Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 Jun 2005
Topic: Strange toad eating habit?
Well... I've never seen a common toad get emotional, so I'm a bit unsure that 'excitement' is the best word for it. But having said that, I've seen toads in what can only be described as a highly excited state during mating season. An 'excited' male toad will mount anything: torch, fingers, other males, when he's got the urge. But you're right, the toe thing is probably more of a twitch than a deliberate tapping. Regardless of whether it's a tapping or a twitch, it's still a fascinating behaviour. I'd love to know more about it. There's something truly captivating about the way that a toad snaps out of its 'thousand yard stare' and stalks its prey. I could watch it a thousand times and never get bored. Thanks for the support, BTW. Frogs and newts present a challenge, but it's not so difficult to nurse toads. It's doctoring them that's the tough part. I've had to carry out one or two unpleasant amputations, and treat some horrendous wounds in my time, but the toad makes an excellent patient. It's amazing what this robust little amphibian can recover from, given half a chance. Teresa Teresa in Hampshire |
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TiburonSmoke Member Joined: 25 May 2005 No. of posts: 12 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 Jun 2005
Topic: Iom Mick, hi! my good fellow herperos!
Hi Mick, I'm new here too. I like the way the herp forums move along nice and slow and deliberately, like our favourite creatures. Unlike the other forums I've joined, e.g., photographic, cars, here I get a chance to read all the new posts before they're consigned to the archives. My kind of place! Teresa Teresa in Hampshire |
- Posts by TiburonSmoke |
