Barataria Preserve south of New Orleans, part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, is one of the park’s 6 locations and contains more than 23,000 acres of swamp, marsh and waterways. I had expected to see a myriad of birds while there, but the true diversity in my wildlife sightings turned out to be in the herpetofauna. A few days prior to my visit, Louisiana had experienced unseasonably cold weather with temperatures in the 30s.  The bright sun and 70 degree temperatures on the day I was there likely brought many of these ectothermic (“cold-blooded”) animals out in the open to help restore and maintain their body temperature.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) was by far the largest and most abundant reptile I spotted during my walk. Endemic to the southeastern United States, alligators can be found from Texas to North Carolina.  The one pictured below was approximately four or five feet long, but they can commonly grow up to twelve feet in length.  Alligators can live in a variety of habitats, but they prefer freshwater swamps, marshes and rivers.  They are extremely opportunistic feeders, and will eat any animal they can catch, from mammals and birds to insects and other invertebrates, depending on the size of the alligator. Alligators play a vital role shaping the ecosystem through the creation of alligator holes, which are often the only sources of remaining water during the dry season as other areas dry up.  Alligators likely excavate these holes in order to stay cool during hot weather, to attract prey and to reproduce, but the extra water present in alligator holes is beneficial to many other wildlife species including fish, snakes, turtles, insects and birds.

The American green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) is one of three tree frogs found in the Preserve, and is the state amphibian of Louisiana. The green tree frog pictured below was found on a leaf of a dwarf palmetto (Sabel minor) growing in standing water.  This was fitting since these frogs prefer habitats with plentiful floating and emergent vegetation.  Their toes, like those of all tree frogs, have adhesive disks that allow them to climb easily.

The water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma), also known as a cottonmouth, is the most frequently encountered venomous snake at the preserve. These snakes are brown to reddish-brown with lighter crossbars along their back when they’re young. However, they darken as they age and in adults this pattern becomes less distinct. Besides their coloring, water moccasins can be identified by their stout, thick bodies, and a spade-shaped, flat head, as well as a cottony-white mouth, which they will open wide, revealing their fangs if threatened.  As their name implies, water moccasins are at home in wet, swampy places.  They are capable swimmers, and can bite underwater.  In fact, their preferred prey is fish.

The Gulf coast ribbon snake (Thamnophis proximus orarius), a subspecies of the Western ribbon snake, is a non-venomous, slender olive-brown to black snake with a gold stripe down the center of its back, and lighter yellowish stripes down its sides. Although not quite as at home in the water as the water moccasin described above, the ribbon snake is semiaquatic and prefers to stay close to water sources. The small ribbon snake pictured below was actually hiding in a rotting stump at the edge of the water.

While walking along the boardwalk trails of the Preserve, I also encountered green anoles, ground skinks, southern leopard frogs, red-eared sliders and black-masked racers.