Morning hike for reptiles and amphibians

Md 25v

Md 25v

Joined
Jun 11, 2008
Messages
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I had some time this morning before work so I took a few of the herpetology students down to a park for a short hike. Here are some of the things we turned up this morning.

A pair of Dekay's snakes

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A black racer

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Two box turtles

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Some very happy toads

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And A very docile copperhead

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[youtube]-LWZhOaI7m0[/youtube]
 
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great pics that copperhead looked dull. was it too early in year? in summer in tex. they glow like new pennies.
 
Nope, some are just prettier than others. Her may also have shedding issues early in the season. That's pretty common just after their brumation but I think that one was just kinda plain.
 
Thanks for sharing great pics. If my digital camera worked better I would have some of my own to share.
 
Great stuff bro! I wish I could find that many snakes in a morning. Over here its just N. water snakes and Gardners. I never have luck finding Copper heads. :(
 
Thanks Guys. I'm going out in a couple hours (around 11pm) to do a herp survey in a new area. Not comming back till 7pm tomorrow evening. Hopefully I'll have some good pics to post when I get back.
 
That's a great pic of the copperhead, expecially in the sense that it captures the eyes, which helps easily distinguish it from the water snakes they are often confused with. The eyes are a dead giveaway even when you can't make out the head shape/colors due to obstructions.
 
Nice we only have one snake here well 2 Garter and rubber boa.Never seen the last though
Thanks for posting
Dan'l
 
+1 on what Dennis said. A copperhead that's freshly shed its skin really glows like a brand new penny. I think they're one of the most beautiful snakes you'll ever see.

Whereabouts on "Earth" are you Md 25v? You still have box turtles and that's awesome to see. Most of the box turtles and horny toads were killed out in Texas by fire ants. Here in Central Tx, when the fire ants first moved in 25 years ago, they killed out anything that moved: frogs, toads, horny toads, lizards, turtles, and even a lot of the song birds. It was only 10 or 12 years ago that the frogs and toads came back. Since then, most of them have started to make a pretty good come back. Still, I've only seen 2 box turtles in the last 20 years.

BTW, I believe your box turtle is a male. Red eyes for males and yellow for female. Is that right?
 
Yes, it's a male. Both of them are. Males can have red or brown eyes.
there are some really nice habitats in the parks where I work. It's not unusual to get a dozen species of snakes in a weekend.
I'm in Md.
 
No offense, but you're crazy playing with that copperhead. :)


But, who am I to talk? For example, here's a pic of my son with his pet Black Mamba. I hear they make great pets.
 

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Those are great pictures but I believe I would have to take the copperhead's picture with a telephoto lens.

I do not like them and certainly not that "up close and personal."

Thanks again for sharing the pictures.
 
Awesome pics! The video was really cool also. The only wild copperhead that I have been up close to was a baby I found in my parents exterior stairwell. It was maybe 12" or 14" long. I grabbed a snow shovel and a small plastic rake and picked it up with no problem whatsoever. It barely moved. Totally docile. I'm told that my older brother grabbed one and put it in a bucket and brought it home when he was very young. He didn't know any better. Thank God, they are so reluctant to bite.
 
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