Here's a new "method" we might consider

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by chrish »

How do you enter the "method" for this find?

I flipped a board and found an Aspidoscelis gularis, but someone else had found it first....

Image

I entered it as a "visual encounter", but that only tells a small part of the story.

Actually, I have at least half a dozen records of herps as prey items. Might be an interesting option to have under method?
That way, if someone ever wanted to query the database for "what eats Texas Spotted Whiptails", they could search for this species and "Prey Item" as the method.

Chris
User avatar
Don Becker
Posts: 3312
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:21 am
Location: Iowa
Contact:

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by Don Becker »

Why wouldn't you put "Artificial Cover Flipping" ?
User avatar
Stohlgren
Posts: 603
Joined: November 6th, 2010, 10:59 am
Location: Athens, GA (Columbia, MO)

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by Stohlgren »

What if if happens immediately after you flip a cover object?

Image
User avatar
FunkyRes
Posts: 1994
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:19 am
Location: Redding, CA
Contact:

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by FunkyRes »

Are you sure they aren't making cross kingdom hybrids?
User avatar
FunkyRes
Posts: 1994
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:19 am
Location: Redding, CA
Contact:

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by FunkyRes »

psyon wrote:Why wouldn't you put "Artificial Cover Flipping" ?
Yeah, that's board flipping.

The Pac Gopher I saw get scooped up by a hawk, had I got a pic - that would have been visual encounter.
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by chrish »

FunkyRes wrote:The Pac Gopher I saw get scooped up by a hawk, had I got a pic - that would have been visual encounter.
I guess that means I can enter this photo, except I don't really know where the snake was a few minutes earlier... :lol:

Image
User avatar
Soopaman
Posts: 924
Joined: March 18th, 2012, 7:34 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by Soopaman »

Instead of method, perhaps a toggle box could be added that asks "Was this specimen a prey item? Y/N"

Then, add a search option to find a certain species being found as prey item. This way you maintain the original AC flipping/Visual encounter info whilst adding another dimension of data.
User avatar
spinifer
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:48 am
Location: Delmarva

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by spinifer »

Instead of method, perhaps a toggle box could be added that asks "Was this specimen a prey item? Y/N"
That is too specific of a case. It could be grouped under a drop down box with other actions such as basking, mating, resting, nesting, foraging, being prey upon, etc.
User avatar
M Wolverton
Posts: 417
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 2:46 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by M Wolverton »

You can put the info about the spider stuffing it's pie hole in the notes field.

Cool photos.
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by chrish »

Soopaman wrote:Instead of method, perhaps a toggle box could be added that asks "Was this specimen a prey item? Y/N"

Then, add a search option to find a certain species being found as prey item. This way you maintain the original AC flipping/Visual encounter info whilst adding another dimension of data.
The problem with this is that it makes an inference about what the prey item was doing prior to being captured.
That inference might be incorrect and would skew our data.

Should I enter "Flying through the air" as the method for the gophersnake in the hawk's talons? That's where I observed the snake. It would be silly to assume it had been up there prior to being caught. Did the hawk find the snake in a tree? On the road?

Here's a real scenario I came across:

This Ollotis nebulifer was found in the stomach of this DOR Drymarchon melanurus in northern Mexico. Does that make it a roadkill? That toad may have never been on the road in its life.

Image

Since I don't know, I would prefer to just enter it as "prey item" and leave it at that.
And then a researcher could search for all the database's examples of predation on a species (or group) they are interested in.
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: Here's a new "method" we might consider

Post by monklet »

There's a very active thread in the California chapter and the general opinion seems to be that the DB's main purpose is to support studies of species distribution rather than behavior and ecology. I personally would like to see more focus on the behavioir and ecology aspects but that requires more emphasis on environmental and situational data, and so more work for data collection and entry. As an extension of that, I'd also like to see more formalized surveys but again, that requires much more commitment on the part of non-professionals, as well as a lot more coding for Don ;-) , and so is impractical.
Post Reply