On the Road–Texas Fauna

tanjabrittonwriter 68 Comments

The main motivator for undertaking a Texas road trip this spring was to experience Texas’s avifauna. There are more avian-themed posts in the wings but today’s post highlights animals other than birds. I try to keep an open mind while traveling instead of having too many preconceived notions, in order not to be disappointed when some wish or other doesn’t come true. While I would have loved to come face-to-face with an Ocelot, there was no realistic expectation of seeing one—fewer than 100 individuals are left in the United States and roam between South Texas and Mexico. On the other hand, I was surprised not to catch a single glimpse of a Virginia Opossum, the only marsupial native to North America, or of the iconic Nine-banded Armadillo, but both were elusive.

With regard to reptiles, I have already talked about the fun experiences with my new favorite lizard, the Green Anole, featured with its prominent dewlap in the photo above, as well as with the respect-filled encounter with the American Alligator. We regularly saw turtles but only caught one glance of an amphibian, the handsome Leopard Frog.

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it.

American Alligator at Aransas NWR
Red-eared Sliders at Llano Estero Grande SP
Leopard Frog at Llano Estero Grande SP

The most common insect sightings were mosquitoes. A plague for humans, they are, however, indispensable food for birds and bats and many other critters, so we need to put up with them somehow. Dragonflies and butterflies tend to be more popular as they won’t suck our blood. If anybody recognizes the two dragonflies species in my photos, please let me know. I wish I could have taken a few photos or a video of the unforgettable and rare light show put on by fireflies at Goose Island State Park, but all I can do is conjure them in my mind when I close my eyes, and maybe you can do the same.

Dragonfly (? species) at National Butterfly Center
Dragonfly (? species) at Estero Llano Grande SP
Queen Butterfly at National Butterfly Center
Black Swallowtail at Aransas NWR

A fun crustacean observation occurred on South Padre Island where we watched crabs in the mud when the tide was out. The featured individual was moving its big pincer back and forth. It seemed to be missing the second one but after a little research, I wonder if was a male Fiddler Crab, a species known to show significant sexual dimorphism, with the males having one claw that’s much bigger than the other (both claws are the same size in females). It definitely seemed to be fiddling, moving the be-pincered arm to and fro. Also visible in the photos are pneumatophores, the specialized root structures which help mangrove plants breathe.

Crab at South Padre Island
Crab at South Padre Island

Besides mosquitoes in the millions and birds in the hundreds, mammals were the most conspicuous animals, with squirrels and rabbits being the most numerous (which might be the case in many other states as well). I saw one lone Raccoon at a small pond at Port Aransas pre-dawn, but it was too dark for a photo. Similarly, we only caught a brief glimpse of the tail end of a Bobcat at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge before it disappeared among the trees. We heard Coyotes less often than I expected, and sadly, didn’t see a single one. The only aquatic mammals visible were porpoise.

Porpoise in the water off Goose Island State Park
Mouse (? Deer Mouse) on South Padre Island partaking of an orange placed there for migratory birds
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit at Laguna Atascosa NWR
Eastern Fox Squirrel at Laguna Atascosa NWR
Mexican Ground Squirrel at Laguna Atascosa NWR
White-tailed Deer at Aransas NWR
Wild Boars in the distance at Aransas NWR

We missed out on an audience with a Nine-banded Armadillo, the designated Small State Mammal, but on our last day in Texas, we finally caught sight of the Large State Mammal. As we were leaving Palo Duro Canyon, a few of this State Park’s herd of Texas Longhorns were grazing close to the road, granting us a view and a photo.

Texas Longhorn at Palo Duro Canyon State Park

If you are interested in my previous posts about our road trip, you can find them under the Texas tab in the menu.

68 thoughts on “On the Road–Texas Fauna”

    • Thank you, Mr. P. I agree that the horns look too heavy to carry around.
      It was interesting to see the mouse nibbling on the orange, something I would not have expected. We put our oranges in the spring and summer for migrating orioles but have noticed that many other birds enjoy them as well–American Robins and House Finches most notably. As someone with a sweet tooth, I can relate. 😊

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  10. Quite a variety of wildlife. I can imagine the fireflies, but really only have to look out the window after dusk. My daughter used to sit by her bedroom window at night and watch the “blink blink” of the fireflies in the woods. Just goes to show the natural wonders that are all around us, if we only pause for a moment to discover and enjoy them.

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    • Thank you, Brad. You are lucky to live in an area that still has fireflies. Sadly, their numbers have been declining. How special for your daughter to have grown up with this lovely nighttime “blink-blink.”
      I completely agree with your last statement–we need to keep our eyes open for all the miracles around us, great and small!

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    • Thank you, Jill, I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
      Of course we’d love to see NH and you and Lou again. That would be another looong road trip, even longer than the one to Texas! We need to start planning! 😊

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  13. I am fortunate to have fireflies here in our yard. Last night I went out at near dark and just stood there with a silly smile on my face observing the delightful light show. They really are special!

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    • You are fortunate, Eliza, and I’m envious. We used to see fireflies regularly when we lived in Indiana, but that was many years ago. It was magical seeing them light up every night while we were camping at Goose Island SP.

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  14. I’m fairly certain the green dragonfly at Estero Llano Grande is a Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesticulosa); I’m not certain about the reddish one.

    I was curious about your photo of the ‘wild boars.’ We have a native called the Javelina, but we also have a non-native feral hog that’s causing rampant destruction throughout the state, from wildlife preserves to ranches to Houston suburbs. This page outlines some of the distinctions. Your ‘boars’ look like the feral hogs I’ve encountered. The Javelina’s characteristic white stripe is missing, and they have chunky build of feral hogs. They don’t get hit by vehicles as often as deer, but it happens; I see dead ones on TX 35 between Port Lavaca and Rockport from time to time.

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    • Thank you for your comment, Linda.

      I appreciate the suggestion–Great Pondhawk sounds good. I know woefully little about insects and always want to learn more. I recognize some butterflies but that’s about it. I think iNaturalist would be a great way to go, but I’m spending so much time on my laptop and phone already that I don’t want/need to find another rabbithole to fall into.

      We learned about the difference between javelinas and wild boars (feral hogs) and the group in the photo belongs to the latter. We have seen javelinas in New Mexico in the past but didn’t come across any in Texas.

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      • I’ll add just one more word, because I resisted the Seek app from iNaturalist for some time, and now regret my hesitancy. It’s a gem. It’s free, and easy to use. You select a location, then designate a category: birds, reptiles, fungi, plants, and so on. If your subject’s in front of you, snap a photo and get an ID.

        But best of all, you don’t have to use it in the field. You can take photos from your computer screen. On a visit to Kansas, I saw much I couldn’t identify. Now, years later, I can pull up a photo from that trip, tell Seek to search plants around Blue Springs, Kansas, and voila! It gives me an identification. I usually double check, but the accuracy is astounding — and I’ve even used it for birds and plants in Australia and New Zealand.

        Since it’s free, you could give it a whirl and then delete it if you don’t like it. It’s available on the Apple app store, and elsewhere, I’m sure.

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  15. I take it you made an intentional play on words in “There are more avian-themed posts in the wings….” As that appears early in your first paragraph, we could say you gave it top billing, even if no cooing followed.

    Fireflies were common when I was growing up in a New York City suburb in the 1950s. I think they’ve all long since disappeared there.

    It’s easy to see why the green anole—especially the male with an extended red dewlap—became your favorite lizard on the trip.

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    • My play on words was indeed intentional. Thank you for noticing. If anyone else did, they made no mention of it.

      It’s nice having grown up with the miracle of fireflies. I didn’t get to experience them until my twenties, when we lived in Indiana. How sad that now we can only see their miraculous twinkling in very select places.

      Yes, the Green Anoles were very special. We have different lizards here, but none quite as spectacular.

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  17. These photos are a joy! I think I find our tiny fauna friends just as fascinating as the large ones. I have seen that kind of rusty red dragonfly as well, but I have no idea about what kind it is… another natural mystery I suppose. 🦋🦟🪰

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  19. Wow! This was a photo trip par excellence! I like your balanced view on the mosquitoes which play an important role in our ecosystem.

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    • Thank you, Peter. It makes me happy to know you enjoyed the photos. I think it’s important to remind ourselves that everything in Nature is connected to everything else, and that everything we do will affect everything else. I think it’s something that many of us have forgotten.

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  21. Hi, Mrs. Tanja-

    Thank you for sharing all of the beautiful pictures! It seems as if you were able to get an accurate view of the animals we Texans call our own. I am surprised you did not see a possum or armadillo as they are very prominent in my opinion. Often times, they are only seen at night, though.

    The crab you featured was also very neat!

    Thank you, once more, for taking us along with you on your trip! 🙂

    Blessings,

    Gavin

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    • I appreciate your comment, Gavin.

      We would have loved to see an opossum and armadillo. I wonder if they are more common in your part of Texas than where we were. But as you said, we might have missed them because are more active at nighttime.

      Watching the crab was a lot of fun. A video would have showed the side-to-side movement of the pincer very well.

      Thank you for following our travel experiences.

      Tanja

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    • Thank you, Takami. It’s always interesting to learn as much as possible about a new place, be it geography, geology, botany, or biology. We obviously missed many things because of limited time but I hope I can still learn more in retrospect.
      Thank you for your interest!

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  24. Very interesting finds from your trip. The Longhorn has the longest horns I have ever seen.
    The Green Anole’s dewlap looks as if someone left their thumb impression on it. Such beautiful contrasting colors. I couldn’t believe it was real. In India, we have Draco Lizards that can glide and have a smaller yellow dewlap, which is only displayed occasionally.
    Thanks for sharing. 🙂

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  25. Tolle Entdeckungen! Die Falter sind so schön! Leoparden-Frosch, was für ein Name, aber er sieht hübsch aus. Ich mag ja die Squirrels gerne. Die sehen immer sehr niedlich aus. Über die Amphibien staune ich und die Krebse sehen witzig aus mit ihren großen Scheren. Wir haben hier übrigens auch kürzlich nach Glühwürmchen geguckt. Es gab so viel wie lange nicht und es ist sooo zauberhaft. Deshalb weiß ich genau, was du meinst. Man kann es nicht festhalten (jedenfalls nicht ohne einen gewissen technischen Aufwand, aber dann verpaßt man so viel!). So muß man versuchen, sich dran zu erinnern. Es ist wie im Märchen oder?

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    • Danke, liebe Almuth, es freut mich, daß Dir die Bilder gefallen. Und daß Du nachvollziehen kannst, wie magisch die Glühwürmchen sind. Ich kann mich nicht daran erinnern, sie jemals in Deutschland gesehen zu haben, aber als ich noch dort lebte, habe ich, ehrlich gesagt, nicht nach ihnen gesucht oder auf sie geachtet. Das muß ich versuchen, nachzuholen! Vielleicht beim nächsten Besuch!

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  26. You didn’t see a wild Ocelot the entire time you were in Texas…were you not looking hard enough!?! Just kidding, of course, the holy grail in my opinion of the fur world, similar to the King Rail in the feathered community (although, oddly enough, far more likely to see a King than one of those gorgeous Cats). I always thought I would see more live Dillos on our many Texas trips, but beyond the many noted on the road dead (can you imagine running over one of those wow), we really do not see very many. There was one at the Butterfly Center at the feeder station during our trip this year. I keep forgetting not everyone has their own backyard full of blinking lights. For your ID help, that would be a green Dragonfly and an orange Dragonfly – glad I could help hehehehe.

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