Search found 28 matches

by Mark Hazel
February 6th, 2018, 3:08 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Utah 2017 Review
Replies: 17
Views: 11529

Re: Utah 2017 Review

Like Jimi I would encourage that, if pyros are your target, then in the interests of science you should aim for pyros in those other ranges like those he mentions, rather than in the Confusions. I photoed 4 in the Confusions, in 2 different drainages, during 2011-13. If you spend time in all those r...
by Mark Hazel
September 1st, 2017, 2:03 pm
Forum: News
Topic: State pushes to tighten wild reptile collection rules-Nevada
Replies: 235
Views: 376640

Re: State pushes to tighten wild reptile collection rules-Ne

I have not become informed regarding NV's specifics under discussion here, but here's one general, personal perspective: Government entities think it's just fine to privatize parts of publicly owned ecosystems (logging, mining, fossil fuels extraction, livestock grazing, some water diversion issues)...
by Mark Hazel
November 20th, 2015, 2:57 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 Photos
Replies: 17
Views: 6686

Re: 2015 Photos

Everyone is so literal? Rye's Utah Milksnake's banding pattern and even head pattern (with the bit of red) happen to be far more similar to those of L. zonata pulchra or multifasciata than those of most Utah Milks I've seen. You can look at that photo quickly and it registers "zonata" at l...
by Mark Hazel
November 18th, 2015, 1:45 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 Photos
Replies: 17
Views: 6686

Re: 2015 Photos

Thanks for organizing such nice photos.
You remind me I still have yet to see my first chorus or leopard frog in Utah--but I usually stay farther from water.
Congratulations on the lyresnake.
And nice zonata.
--Mark
by Mark Hazel
October 9th, 2015, 2:11 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Horned Lizard ID request
Replies: 26
Views: 10232

Re: Horned Lizard ID request

Somewhat unrelated... Does it strike anyone else as odd that this paper's "short horned" map shows specimens' squares in several low valley areas in W UT's Iron, Beaver, Millard, Juab, Tooele Cos (...but no squares in the higher-elevation habitats of the Cedars, Simpsons, House, Confusions...
by Mark Hazel
October 8th, 2015, 3:30 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 25 Years of Amphibian Declines: Looking back and Forward
Replies: 2
Views: 1636

Re: 25 Years of Amphibian Declines: Looking back and Forward

This Mendelson, right?
http://www.zooatlanta.org/home/zoo_expe ... ff_s=trfkN

He knows Utah because he's a former professor at USU who supervised students' field projects. I wonder how he views challenges involving Utah's amphibian populations?
by Mark Hazel
May 18th, 2015, 6:20 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: early survey of your interest - pyros in the west desert?
Replies: 31
Views: 10677

Re: early survey of your interest - pyros in the west desert

I'm the "principal surveyor" Jimi referred to earlier in this thread. Jimi works full-time for UDWR, mostly in an office. I work part-time (& seasonally) for UDWR as a field technician. This season my project's goal is to photovoucher lesser-known species in W UT. The main target is mo...
by Mark Hazel
May 18th, 2015, 6:02 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Search Tips for Utah Mountain Kingsnakes
Replies: 5
Views: 4501

Search Tips for Utah Mountain Kingsnakes

Search Tips for Utah Mountain Kingsnakes (Mark's May 18, 2015 version) Introduction: Here are some suggestions for anyone searching for Utah Mountain Kingsnakes, Lampropeltis pyromelana infralabialis--which I'll casually call "pyros" here. I initially composed a version of this in spring ...
by Mark Hazel
January 29th, 2013, 11:02 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hans Koenig Died
Replies: 4
Views: 2187

Re: Hans Koenig Died

I knew Hans just a little, but appreciated the contact we had. It would be great if other state wildlife law enforcement officers, who are often out in the field as part of their work, communicate some of their interesting herpetological observations like Hans did when he worked in Arizona: Title: S...
by Mark Hazel
November 28th, 2012, 3:06 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Utah Milksnake Habitat
Replies: 45
Views: 13853

Re: Utah Milksnake Habitat

In Brian E's earlier post, he showed photos of two types of Utah Milksnake habitat. I'd call these: 1) grassy foothills with scattered scrub oak & sagebrush, 2) homogeneous sagebrush. There are other habitat types utilized too. The eastern NV habitat, as far as I know, could be described somethi...
by Mark Hazel
September 14th, 2012, 1:02 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: SW PARC Annual Meeting - Fabulous Las Vegas!
Replies: 6
Views: 2067

Re: SW PARC Annual Meeting - Fabulous Las Vegas!

Baker, NV...definitely the area I've spent the most time in, in that glorious state. (Sorry, Las Vegas.) In summer 2010 I was hanging around the Great Basin N P visitor center's main entrance, just past its closing. Two different sets of tourists walked up within a short time, & said the same th...
by Mark Hazel
September 14th, 2012, 12:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Legal to maliciously kill an EDB in Florida? I ask because
Replies: 23
Views: 7418

Re: Legal to maliciously kill an EDB in Florida? I ask becau

I know nothing of the legal issues, but: How much state or federal money is spent to "prevent Florida's EDBs from reaching federal threatened status" or to simply study the species' status since there's been some level of generally observed or accepted population declines? If there is gove...
by Mark Hazel
September 13th, 2012, 11:52 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Rocky Mountain Chapter Throwdown
Replies: 12
Views: 4468

Re: Rocky Mountain Chapter Throwdown

Seems quite clear to me: The NM group won since they found the Lampropeltis.
--Mark
by Mark Hazel
September 13th, 2012, 11:47 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Southern Utah trips (pic heavy)
Replies: 11
Views: 6102

Re: Southern Utah trips (pic heavy)

I agree with occidentalis about those two being Utas. Who is this occidentalis person who sees lizards like I do? In that area you have to be up pretty high (higher than your habitat pics suggested) to see S. graciosus, at least according to my experience so far. Thanks for the post. I may have a ch...
by Mark Hazel
August 30th, 2012, 2:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Utah toad search news
Replies: 0
Views: 831

Utah toad search news

I've been up that trail, although not this year:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54764 ... e.html.csp
by Mark Hazel
August 13th, 2012, 11:13 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Couple Utah Lizard ID's?
Replies: 8
Views: 2794

Re: Couple Utah Lizard ID's?

I agree with those IDs.
You should be able find Sceloporus graciosus, too. Maybe aim a little higher in elevation, for those.
--Mark
by Mark Hazel
April 23rd, 2012, 11:19 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: roadcruising farther N, too
Replies: 0
Views: 688

roadcruising farther N, too

In the center of W Utah's Millard Co, salvaged a fresh DOR 17" male longnose snake late last night.
I think that's pretty early--even for that cold-tolerant species?
Saw no other reptile out, although many rodents played dodge-the-tires.
--Mark
by Mark Hazel
April 4th, 2012, 11:09 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Things are heating up in S. Utah
Replies: 16
Views: 2990

Re: Things are heating up in S. Utah

Cameron-- Do you think sidewinders & lutosus overlap in habitat in some areas? I'm now thinking that they must. Last April (while tagging along with Brian Eagar) I photographed a Washington Co sidewinder walked up on in red sand N of the Virgin R. Just a few miles N & a bit higher than that ...
by Mark Hazel
March 26th, 2012, 12:35 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A couple of springtime snakes from this week.
Replies: 10
Views: 2341

Re: A couple of springtime snakes from this week.

Yesterday March 25, 2pm, found a basking sagebrush lizard along a trail in a well-visited canyon E of Salt Lake City. SE-facing slope, ~6200 ft elevation. I think I heard two others rustling the dry leaves, but only actually saw one. March 25 is the earliest I've seen that species in the Wasatch Mtn...
by Mark Hazel
March 15th, 2012, 11:41 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Help finding rubber boas?
Replies: 17
Views: 5723

Re: Help finding rubber boas?

simpleyork-- My earliest-season rubber boas were found when I once found two male rubber boas basking together in late afternoon sun at the top of a rockpile. It was the first week of April, several springs ago, in a W-facing spot in a generally W-flowing cyn of the W Wasatch Mtns. Elevation was abo...
by Mark Hazel
March 14th, 2012, 11:14 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herps on Antelope Island
Replies: 9
Views: 4050

Re: Herps on Antelope Island

I happened to be on Antelope Island one day late Sept 2011, and saw sagebrush lizards on the W side of the N end of Antelope Island, near Buffalo Point, along a footpath. Predominant vegetation was cheatgrass, wormwood (Artemisia ludoviciana), & sunflowers, I believe. It's curious to me how low ...
by Mark Hazel
November 23rd, 2011, 7:08 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Year end 2011 and some 2010 from Utah.
Replies: 28
Views: 5641

Re: Year end 2011 and some 2010 from Utah.

Brian-- How many hours in the field did it take you to flip those 5 milks in new places in 2 days--only ~4 hours or so, probably? Very impressive. Even more impressive will be when you start doing that in the western third of Utah--hah! Thanks for taking the time to post. Thanks for the habitat shot...
by Mark Hazel
November 1st, 2011, 12:56 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Wilmer Tanner obituary
Replies: 4
Views: 2145

Re: Wilmer Tanner obituary

Wilmer Tanner seemed a great guy, although I only had two conversations with him, several years ago. One thing I remember well is the extremely large font of the salamander-related manuscript out on his desk at the Bean Museum. Never saw someone work on a draft manuscript using such large font. But ...
by Mark Hazel
October 26th, 2011, 4:52 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Milksnake Hibernaculum
Replies: 4
Views: 1435

Re: Milksnake Hibernaculum

That is pretty wonderful. Thanks for sharing. I think you may have initiated a challenge for someone to find such a site in neighboring states like Utah. What about the sexes of the snakes? I think it is possible that sometimes a male would encounter a female in fall and then not leave her until aft...
by Mark Hazel
August 16th, 2011, 8:13 pm
Forum: Herpetoculture Forum
Topic: see through egg update
Replies: 17
Views: 6508

Re: see through egg update

I had the same thing happen with a clutch of 3 CB zonata multifasciata eggs in 2007 or so--the only time I've seen that in kingsnakes. The general look of the eggs was the same as yours. In my case, all 3 babies were normal size, and the one that hatched was healthy & normal & grew up fine. ...
by Mark Hazel
April 19th, 2011, 11:42 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Is it spring yet?
Replies: 22
Views: 3364

Re: Is it spring yet?

Earlier this month, April 2, at the end of that stretch of 3 unusually warm days we had then, I found a piece of recent shed from a striped whipsnake at ~5200ft in the southern Oquirrh Mtns. That's the earliest I've seen active snake evidence in the N half of Utah. (Have never investigated garter sn...
by Mark Hazel
April 6th, 2011, 10:24 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Don't let these pigs destroy your favorite herp site
Replies: 51
Views: 7228

Re: Don't let these pigs destroy your favorite herp site

If people had not chosen to over-hunt or regionally exterminate cougars, jaguars, bears & wolves, there would be more predation of feral swine by these native predators...I think?

Do feral swine displace (or spread disease into) some javelina populations?

--Mark
by Mark Hazel
March 8th, 2011, 2:41 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Utah in April?
Replies: 9
Views: 2465

Re: Utah in April?

In northern Utah I have found sagebrush liz (out basking), western skink (under rock), and rubber boas (out basking) in early April...all above 6000ft but in generally S- or W-facing areas & on warmer days. In central Utah I have found pyros in a W-facing >6000ft rock crevice in mid-Apirl, in la...