Field Herp Forum

I have only done mark/recapture on racers and coachwhips, and didn't measure them -- just wanted to check for return offenders in the pine snake traps. I had a look at Fitch's study on Red-sided Garter Snakes in northeastern Kansas, and he has some growth records. Average snout-vent length of young ...

Nick

Last week a few peepers were calling at midday, full sun, about 63°F, southeast Louisiana at just under 31° Lat. That was unusual, as there have been some good rains this winter, and I haven't heard them calling in a few weeks. I thought it would be over, but there are stragglers.

Jeff

Beebe did, in fact, keep the specimen, which went to his base of operations at the American Museum of Natural History. Using that pickled specimen, Wilmer Tanner described it as a new subspecies (Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus unaocularis) in 1946, and using the newly collected things, Mulcahy recently el...

The funny rat from Collier County looks like what was known as Elaphe obsoleta deckerti into the 1970s - the Key Rat, which was a yellow rat that kept the baby blotches. My Massachusetts Blanding's Turtle story was posted prior to the crash, so I will repeat: In 2nd grade, about 1967 in Acton, Mass,...

I'm not saying you can see snakes using Google Earth, but there is a young adult San Joaquin Coachwhip that someone posted in the Cuyama Valley. The icon is at 35-03-21 N and 119-54-49 W.

I have many journals, fairly complete sets, mostly 1960s-1990s of

Copeia
Herpetologica
Journal of Herpetology
Herpetological Review
Herpetological Natural History

They are free, you just have to come to Louisiana to pick them up.

Send me a PM if interested,

Jeff

Those look like Giant Spotted Whiptails as they look in the Pajarito Mountains.

Jeff

It's a Plethodon dunni, but of a morph that was known for some time as the Mary's Peak Salamander, Plethodon gordoni.

Jeff

Eight known from Louisiana, last one in 1990.

The quick ID character for it being a Mountain Garter is the finely serrate margins of the vertebral stripe, which can be seen as tiny pale marks extending outward from the stripe.

Jeff

I'm hearing you Musk, I guess I didn't have the looks back in the day (1960s-1970s).

However, we were well warned......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcy_6anmVUc

My home in suburban Baton Rouge Backyard http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m581/JeffBoundy/DSC_0428.jpg Most common (only) salamander is the Three-toed Amphiuma http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m581/JeffBoundy/DSC_0755.jpg Most common anuran is the Eastern Narrowmouth Toad http://i1133.photobuc...

This was a trick question.

I would refer you to a book, "Harmless Snakes of the West", which provides the necessary, um, diagnostic..., um, photograp....

...nevermind

what Owen said.

Jeff

I just got a Hubbs alert about this critter, and see that before I could hang up the phone he had already edited his post, riding my coattails to correctness. It is, indeed, a Diablo Range garter. They occur on the southeast flank of the Santa Cruz Mountains in the semi-open country, and mingle with...

Matt That is a great peak of activity. Unless you are under water now due to subsequent floods... Is that a place that might have Houston Toads? You heard Strecker's Chorus frogs: a colleague thought he might have heard some in central Louisiana at the same time. How does a guy know for sure that is...

Heather

Are you SURE that the Sceloporus and pine tree were part of that particular Bioblitz? Neither are native inhabitants south of Lake Pontchartrain. As the semi-official herpetogeographer for Louisiana, I must ask.

Jeff

It looks like Homalophis doriae, formerly Enhydris doriae.

Jeff

Charlie was a great guy, and I consider his a very untimely, and misfortunate passing. The last time I spent time with Charlie was at a Federal meeting in 2010. He sat next to me for four days, and we grilled each other during the tedium about herpetofaunal exploits over the years. He spent much of ...

Draco

Amazing spot on that alligator lizard.

Jeff

The US Fish & Wildlife Service has determined that a petition to list the Western Pond Turtle as federally Threatened or Endangered is warranted, and they are soliciting information that supports or contradicts that determination.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-04 ... -07837.pdf

Jeff

Second on Telegans

This just in... 314 pages, $40 paperback....







Jeff

First lizard looks like Gonocephalus grandis

Kongi

Second lizard looks like a female Calotes mystaceus

First snake looks like a species of Calamaria

Second snake is Pseudoxendon macrops

Jeff

Some previous discussions on the matter....

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... 16&t=21377

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... 16&t=20983

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=18801

Jeff

Noah

I also heard the crickets chirping. Snake and lizard activity is really up over here as well. I think the folks north of the 31st parallel are in denial. By the time their snow melts we will be contemplating the Fall activity peak. Hasta Septiembre!

Jeff

Are those desperate animals, or typical spring verdure? Folks in the United States may not realize that you are at the latitude of middle Canada and southern Alaska!

it's no secret to those who pay attention to the literature that there simply are not enough books out there to satisfy one's appetite for herpetological knowledge. Particularly frustrating is the lack of books that discuss a country or region's herpetofauna in a monograph-type fashion. I have been...

Your statement "bring harm" is equivocal - bring spiritual harm? physical harm? Perhaps holding the snake and allowing each student, volunteer only, to come and touch the snake, as per potential physical agonistic reactions. The kid in question can watch through the classroom door. That would be edu...

Noah

I volunteered myself as Vice President

Jeff

In addition to Jerry's comments -- I have both in hand, and have never been anywhere near that part of the world. Thus, with some objectivitiy: 1- Lee has range maps for each species, Campbell has none 2- Lee covers all of the Yucatan, Campbell only the southern base 3- Lee uses excellent ink drawin...

Peepers really going around Baton Rouge as of this afternoon, with more rain coming.

Nick

No rain in the southern half of LA for two weeks, and none forecast. The northern half of LA has gotten some light showers, but probably just the sort that gets the soil damp.

Jeff

That's a very unique picture, and looks precarious as well! It reminds me of rock rattlesnake habitat at the top of the reef in Carr Canyon in the Huachucas.

Jeff

John Presumably the isolated gulf coast populations of green snakes, 13-lined ground squirrels, and ring-necked snakes are derived from populations to the north. I say that because there are no populations nearby in the other directions. I've never seen those species depicted from the gulf populatio...

Chris That garter snake is a spectacular find. Thamnopis sirtalis was the topic of my dissertation, but I was not able to cover the Texas coast populations. They are not assignable to current subspecies, and there is no connection between them and T. s. annectens or T. s. sirtalis. Yours matches the...

Dear Failedherper I guess we need an "attempted satire" alert (emoticon, please!). Neither Hubbs nor I were much out of diapers in the 50s. Also need a "waiting for the point" emoticon.... Scott.... anybody? Nevermind, got it :sleep: There are some true 1950s Florida field trip accounts in old local...

Yuesam Can you tell us what country or organization you were associated with during your negative experience? Bryan, Cappy, Jerry, mfb and Bill M have countered with the modern explanations about why additional animals are collected, and I will try not to repeat their experienced responses. The mean...

Ditto on the Wows! Your photo says much more about the species than published photos of dead or limply dying specimens. For example, at the midbody it is evident that the snake is extending its ribs outward, evidently to grip the rock. And if that is its typical habitat, the rib clutch is well suite...

Sorry Jeff Cricket frogs can be tough, even with a piece of note paper and pencil in my shirt pocket. One day along the sandy shore of the Comite there were seemingly 5-10 juveniles leaping at every step, and some would jump over each other, some landing ahead, perhaps to be counted again. To furth...

from what I can tell, it is a Desert Grassland Whiptail

Yes, DG Whiptail

Oh, yes, the thighs. I'm with the young tesselata ID.

Jeff

Kermit

That's close...at least you identified it as a frog...

No, he identified it as a puppet

Kermit

That's close...at least you identified it as a frog...

No, he identified it as a puppet

Brian There is nothing behind the eyes that indicates that it is anything but a Wandering Garter Snake. Clearly, the rostro-ocular area is messed up, probably pre-parturition. The snout is blunted, the iris is black, the rostral area is non-pigmented -- these are not characteristics of T. sirtalis. ...

The water is N. erythrogaster - pattern clear in the underwater shot
First lizard is Sceloporus merriami
Spiny is S. magister/S.bimaculosus, whatever you wish to call it
First whiptail is Asp. tessellatus
Second is A. septemvittatus

I'd be guessing on the rest....

Jeff

a

They vary geographically and ontogenetically in spot size and density.

Jeff

a

That blue-spotted salamander looks VERY much like a Slimy Salamander (even spotting, nasolabial protrusions, round tail, etc.). I know they aren't supposed to be in Ontario, so did you take the photo elsewhere?

Jeff

Darn well I got one less lifer I guess... but hey I still got quite a few!

Welcome, you are a herpetologist!

Jeff

That's a pretty good haul for this time of year, especially the marbled salamander plus 3 racers.

If you can count the TMTC, please do -- it makes a difference for trend analyses.

Jeff