Search found 39 matches

by ackee
July 4th, 2019, 1:00 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Jersey Softshells Locations
Replies: 3
Views: 10951

Re: Jersey Softshells Locations

I saw a fairly sizable Spiny Softshell in Union Lake six years ago. It's the only one I've come across in NJ. It was almost dinner plate size, in very shallow water, in a small cove.
by ackee
May 20th, 2019, 1:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping the Island of St. Lucia
Replies: 6
Views: 8498

Re: Herping the Island of St. Lucia

Thanks for the correction, Jimi. I heard the story from a boat captain when I was diving St Lucia for a couple of days, boating over from Dominica where I was spending a couple of weeks. I should have known better. I lived in Jamaica for a sabbatical year back in the late 80s. I was actually researc...
by ackee
May 16th, 2019, 12:16 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping the Island of St. Lucia
Replies: 6
Views: 8498

Re: Herping the Island of St. Lucia

I was on St Lucia in 2015, but went for the scuba diving and did not do any herping. The previous year a St. Lucian was killed by a Fer de Lance, which are fairly common is some areas. These venomous snakes were imported and released in large numbers during the slavery period in order to deter Afric...
by ackee
April 26th, 2019, 12:26 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping the Island of St. Lucia
Replies: 6
Views: 8498

Re: Herping the Island of St. Lucia

I have not herped St Lucia but I have done a lot of snake hunting on Dominica, where a Boa very similar to the St Lucia Boa Constrictor is found. Both Boas are sometimes called 'Clouded Boas' because they tend to get quite dark as they age, with most of the pattern becoming obscure except for the ta...
by ackee
May 22nd, 2018, 11:35 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: OMG, she did'nt!
Replies: 51
Views: 131604

Re: OMG, she did'nt!

E-squared actually makes a good point, even if (as so often) he missed his actual target ( & confidential 2 ernie, i've tried to tag lats snout ... I'm right on target. As is always the case. Perhaps it might not appear that way to those to distracted or to slow to follow. About the dopes that ...
by ackee
July 8th, 2017, 6:20 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Question: What is the etymology of the word oreganus
Replies: 8
Views: 4546

Re: Question: What is the etymology of the word oreganus

Well John, you kinda sorta answered your own question with the quote indicating that the origin of the word 'Oregon' is not known for certain. Why would some poor taxonomist have any idea regarding the obscure derivation of the word for that region? Certainly you cannot be asking about a mere variat...
by ackee
May 31st, 2017, 7:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: QUESTION: Does Your State Ban Road Cruising?
Replies: 21
Views: 18228

Re: QUESTION: Does Your State Ban Road Cruising?

How do you classify states which forbid picking up or otherwise interfering with a wild animal anywhere, roads obviously included? NJ is one, and there are others. If 'do not touch' laws are general why would roads have to be specifically mentioned?
by ackee
May 27th, 2017, 10:19 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: QUESTION: Does Your State Ban Road Cruising?
Replies: 21
Views: 18228

Re: QUESTION: Does Your State Ban Road Cruising?

I think road cruising is legal everywhere as long as you stay in your vehicle. In many states, including NJ, if traffic allows it's ok if you stop but do not pick up or interfere with the creature in any way. Many road cruisers are wildlife thieves. In NJ exceptions to the do not touch rules are mad...
by ackee
May 20th, 2017, 12:45 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: question about moving turtles across roads
Replies: 13
Views: 6477

Re: question about moving turtles across roads

If there is a line of cars behind you doing 60+ mph, honking and passing if you merely slow down the option of stopping to assist a turtle in the middle of the road does not realistically exist. These are typical conditions here in the crowded NE, especially during morning commuting time when most t...
by ackee
May 15th, 2017, 8:51 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: question about moving turtles across roads
Replies: 13
Views: 6477

Re: question about moving turtles across roads

I assumed that . On roads with traffic i tend to leave things alone and hope for the best. A few days ago I saw a Snapping Turtle on an isolated grassy margin of Rt 78 a few miles from Newark. I can't imagine how she got there, but she was digging away.
by ackee
May 15th, 2017, 8:30 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: question about moving turtles across roads
Replies: 13
Views: 6477

Re: question about moving turtles across roads

If possible, and traffic permitting, I do not get out of my vehicle at all. I stop and let them complete their trip. This is especially true on dirt side roads. Their journey,especially during egg laying season, is more important than my curiosity or photo opportunity. Exceptions are when the turtle...
by ackee
May 10th, 2017, 2:13 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Eastern kingsnake with possible fungal infection
Replies: 6
Views: 3348

Re: Eastern kingsnake with possible fungal infection

I think these are the typical 'hibernation blisters' I've seen dozens of times, not SFD. These lesions generally disappear after a shed or two in my experience. They are common on snakes that brumate in more moist conditions, like Kingsnakes and the swamp dwelling Timber Rattlesnakes found in the Je...
by ackee
May 10th, 2017, 1:12 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Eastern kingsnake with possible fungal infection
Replies: 6
Views: 3348

Re: Eastern kingsnake with possible fungal infection

Looks like prolonged exposure to extreme dampness, not fungus.
by ackee
October 12th, 2016, 5:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County
Replies: 31
Views: 10780

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Checkered Eastern Garter Snakes are regularly encountered (mid-Atlantic states) in this area. I know what I've seen. www.paherps.com/herps/snakes/garter_snake/
by ackee
October 9th, 2016, 8:25 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County
Replies: 31
Views: 10780

Re: Mystery Snake

I've seen nearly identical checker patterned eastern Garter Snakes in central and south NJ. Not often, but every now and then.
by ackee
October 8th, 2016, 6:06 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County
Replies: 31
Views: 10780

Re: Mystery Snake

Garter Snake?
by ackee
September 20th, 2016, 1:25 pm
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: America's Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake
Replies: 10
Views: 18182

Re: America's Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattles

My Jamaican Boa (Epicrates subflavus), on a long term indefinite loan to a select endangered species AZA breeding project, is more than 25 years old and still an active breeder.
by ackee
August 20th, 2016, 7:06 am
Forum: Fish Forum
Topic: Wow, nobody has been on the water?
Replies: 4
Views: 16326

Re: Wow, nobody has been on the water?

Some Gulf Stream strays here in NJ, including juvenile Lookdowns, Spotfin Butterfly Fish, 4 Eyed Butterflyfish, many bean sized Trunkfishes, Seahorses, two small Short Bigeyes, two three inch Parrot Fish, one tiny Blue Angel, many Cornet Fish, 3 Spiny Boxfishes, and a Snowy Grouper all collected one...
by ackee
August 7th, 2016, 6:44 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Why You Dont Collect
Replies: 279
Views: 1425190

Re: Why You Dont Collect

All animals includes all people, and there truly is only one world: reality. Virtual reality is a conceit, a redundancy, nothing more than images that disappear when the power shuts down, living or electric.
by ackee
July 10th, 2016, 11:24 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Need a frog I.D.
Replies: 12
Views: 4947

Re: Need a frog I.D.

I've seen quite a few peepers with no back pattern, or a pattern only faintly present. These little pinkletinks are extremely variable.
by ackee
July 9th, 2016, 12:41 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Need a frog I.D.
Replies: 12
Views: 4947

Re: Need a frog I.D.

Looks like a Chorus frog, I think a Spring Peeper.
by ackee
May 13th, 2016, 8:01 pm
Forum: Fish Forum
Topic: Another ID question
Replies: 2
Views: 12347

Re: Another ID question

A Grass Pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus. A smallish pickerel, common in small streams, bogs, etc. They are common here in NJ, especially is slow moving Pine Barrens streams. Found all the way down to Florida. Unlike the very similar Red Fin Pickerel, no reddish fins and bars are wider. They a...
by ackee
April 16th, 2016, 8:49 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NJ pine Barrens and regulations
Replies: 19
Views: 13083

Re: NJ pine Barrens and regulations

When I started herping in NJ 60 years ago it was perfectly legal to keep anything you pleased. Things have changed. Most of these changes took place in the 80s and 90s. Laws and regulations became increasingly restrictive. Picking up a wild turtle or snake is a violation of state regulation and law ...
by ackee
April 15th, 2016, 9:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NJ pine Barrens and regulations
Replies: 19
Views: 13083

Re: NJ pine Barrens and regulations

There is a great deal of information available. You will not find it in regulations which apply to possession permits. These are (and it should be clear from the list you mentioned) pet store regulations and have nothing to do with interactions with wild creatures. These pet store regs make distinct...
by ackee
April 14th, 2016, 1:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NJ pine Barrens and regulations
Replies: 19
Views: 13083

Re: NJ pine Barrens and regulations

Harassing wildlife is a crime, simple and direct. This includes picking them up. Remember the man who was playing with a rattlesnake in North Jersey? He was bitten, and when he was discharged from the hospital he was given a summons. The regulations are much more complex and thorough than a quick re...
by ackee
April 14th, 2016, 8:46 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NJ pine Barrens and regulations
Replies: 19
Views: 13083

Re: NJ pine Barrens and regulations

Being on state land or private land makes no difference in NJ. The same laws apply. Do not touch or interfere with any reptile. It is against the law, endangered species or not. Photos are ok, but only in situ, and not involving any handling of the reptile. Collecting anything is forbidden. The only...
by ackee
August 30th, 2015, 7:57 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping in NYC
Replies: 17
Views: 6683

Re: Herping in NYC

Box turtles can still be found on Staten Island, a borough of NYC. Painted Turtles and Snapping Turtles are fairly common, as are released Red Eared Sliders. Garter Snakes, Racers, Dekays and Ringnecks are seen there regularly, the last two often turned up by gardeners. Various frogs and salamanders...
by ackee
August 20th, 2015, 9:03 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anyone see box turtles in Rhode island?
Replies: 21
Views: 13741

Re: Anyone see box turtles in Rhode island?

They used to be seen regularly on the Cape a long while back, but I suspect road kills and human expansion have depleted their numbers over the several decades that have passed since I spent summers there while in college. I saw them on occasion on Martha's Vineyard, in the open fields behind Gay He...
by ackee
July 29th, 2015, 9:12 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Food for thought - turtles
Replies: 20
Views: 7994

Re: Food for thought - turtles

Here in NJ Snapping Turtles can be taken with a fishing license, I think a limit of two per day. All other turtles are strictly protected. Snappers are not eaten very often. Most are taken in the Pinelands of South Jersey, where there is a long folk tradition. Turtles have gotten their revenge. Some...
by ackee
July 16th, 2015, 8:31 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Are turtles nesting later this year?
Replies: 5
Views: 3319

Re: Are turtles nesting later this year?

I saw a mating aggregation of Spotted Turtles this year in southern Ocean County, NJ in early April, a cold but sunny day. These mating dances are typical for the species, this time consisting of 5 turtles, what appeared to be 2 males and three females, swimming in a kind of circular pattern in wate...
by ackee
July 15th, 2015, 8:49 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Are turtles nesting later this year?
Replies: 5
Views: 3319

Re: Are turtles nesting later this year?

It was almost certainly a second egg deposition this year.
by ackee
July 9th, 2015, 10:51 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Are turtles nesting later this year?
Replies: 5
Views: 3319

Re: Are turtles nesting later this year?

Based on my observations and very old field notes, Spots generally nest twice, in the mid-Atlantic latitude typically once in early May, and again in late June, but this is variable based on any number of factors. The number of eggs is variable, but three for the first clutch and two for the second ...
by ackee
July 2nd, 2015, 9:52 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: May 8th 2015, 10:45 AM, Burlington County, NJ
Replies: 3
Views: 2046

Re: May 8th 2015, 10:45 AM, Burlington County, NJ

Not just Pine Snakes. This same secondary road and a number of others in this general area were once King Snake hot spots, on humid mornings and in early evening. This was in the 70s and 80s. Increased traffic from a number of sources, mostly new recreational users, resulted in a slaughter. I lived ...
by ackee
May 15th, 2015, 9:09 am
Forum: Mammal Forum
Topic: What was your last lifer?
Replies: 121
Views: 191219

Re: What was your last lifer?

Last year on Dominica I saw my first Leptodactylus fallax, the Giant Ditch Frog. These are almost extinct, now found only on Montserrat and Dominica, very rare in both places. The one I saw was a very large brownish orange creature with thickly barred legs positioned less than a meter away from a sm...
by ackee
May 13th, 2015, 1:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: black rat snakes in MA/CT/RI
Replies: 5
Views: 2769

Re: black rat snakes in MA/CT/RI

I don't know if this helps, but I have seen more Black Rat Snakes while fishing along trout streams like the Beaverkill, the Esopus, and the Delaware River than anywhere else. These are a climbing snake and I've almost always seen them stretched out along the trunk of a large tree, clinging vertical...
by ackee
May 9th, 2015, 4:25 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: May 8th 2015, 10:45 AM, Burlington County, NJ
Replies: 3
Views: 2046

May 8th 2015, 10:45 AM, Burlington County, NJ

Taken with a little Canon S95 point and shoot. This 4 ft. long Pine Snake was quietly sunning itself until I convinced it to move into the brush. There were 4 Verizon cable installation trucks moving up and down this secondary road with quite a few houses nearby. https://www.dropbox.com/s/o74oha9tca...
by ackee
April 2nd, 2015, 5:17 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Northeast Member Biographies- Introduce Yourselves!
Replies: 32
Views: 14250

Re: Northeast Member Biographies- Introduce Yourselves!

Greetings to all. I'm a new member here, but have been a herper since the 1950s. I've recently retired from academia (English), and look forward to getting out in the field more often. I've lived in NJ and NYC all my life, and developed my interest in reptiles very young, exploring the woods and fie...