Search found 521 matches

by VanAR
August 13th, 2014, 11:22 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.
Replies: 135
Views: 36578

Re: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.

Among other things, I assume Ernie is pissed because of the "python ban". Does anyone think that making it illegal - a federal crime - to offer for sale a rock python or a Burm housed in e.g. Minnesota, and to then sell that animal to someone residing in e.g., Wisconsin, is going to do an...
by VanAR
July 27th, 2014, 5:36 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.
Replies: 135
Views: 36578

Re: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.

Im not clear which item is meant here, i dont think it was my lame irrelevant one about the panties though. No, it wasn't. I thought it was pretty funny. That said, what I say below could just as easily be applied to Gerry's point. I disagree that one's language necessarily defines one's prejudices...
by VanAR
July 27th, 2014, 1:17 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.
Replies: 135
Views: 36578

Re: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.

some people just can't take a joke and will use any excuse to nitpick on their position
by VanAR
July 22nd, 2014, 1:06 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Replies: 2
Views: 1299

Re: Kangaroo Island, South Australia

KI is a great place. The waters near there are great too- probably the best place in the world to see great white sharks.
by VanAR
July 20th, 2014, 9:05 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.
Replies: 135
Views: 36578

Re: Everglades monster constrictor hunt. Doing my part.

Aaron wrote:Did they ever release the results of that experiment with the outdoor burms in South Carolina? Or is that study still going on?
It was published in Biological Invasions a few years ago:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.100 ... 010-9869-6
by VanAR
July 10th, 2014, 1:05 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Freaky getula
Replies: 4
Views: 1601

Re: Freaky getula

Yup, that's normal. Most nigra and holbrooki usually have a bit of a banding pattern like that until they mature.

Van
by VanAR
July 1st, 2014, 4:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Best product to use as a field journal?
Replies: 16
Views: 4830

Re: Best product to use as a field journal?

They're a bit costly, but I like hardbound rite in rain notebooks and rite in rain pens. They last, can be dunked completely in water without issue, and are generally foolproof.
by VanAR
May 30th, 2014, 5:55 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: sustained pretty decent bite/ northern black racer. OPINIONS
Replies: 47
Views: 13935

Re: sustained pretty decent bite/ northern black racer. OPIN

Looks like a latent infection. Given that its 2 weeks after the bite I would definitely get it checked by a doctor. As far as cleaning the bite area goes, it definitely can't hurt. I'm not sure how much it helps. Snake mouths are sure to have a lot of bacteria- same as any mouth. The problem is that...
by VanAR
May 29th, 2014, 7:01 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: goodbye carl
Replies: 38
Views: 16752

Re: goodbye carl

Sorry to hear. I never met him but he was a great member of the online fieldherping community.

Van
by VanAR
May 22nd, 2014, 6:48 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: mystery DOR in Fujian Province
Replies: 13
Views: 3753

Re: mystery DOR in Fujian Province

Does China have any Amphisbaenians? That would be my guess. A rodent tail would look similar, but it wouldn't be scaly/rough.

Van
by VanAR
May 4th, 2014, 5:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A few finds from the past 12 months in Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 2760

Re: A few finds from the past 12 months in Australia

The shark was one of many seen on a trip with Rodney Fox's group out of Port Lincoln, SA- they're awesome! It was in a cage, but this was one of my few shots that by chance didn't include the cage. It was from underneath the shark because the RF team operates a cage that goes to 25 meters under the ...
by VanAR
May 4th, 2014, 6:25 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A few finds from the past 12 months in Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 2760

A few finds from the past 12 months in Australia

Since moving to Sydney for a postdoc 2 years ago I've been a lot busier with the demands of academia and haven't been able to herp or post as much as I would like, but I'm working on cataloging a few gigs of photos of the past year. Here are a few standouts from the past year: http://www.pbase.com/s...
by VanAR
April 27th, 2014, 9:06 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Road cruising tips
Replies: 16
Views: 6291

Re: Road cruising tips

Canadian county. what time during the day you see them on the road? I've had lots of success roadcruising in west Oklahoma and north Texas, especially in late June. The tips everyone has given are good, but I'll add another- don't give up too early, especially as it gets hot. The times I've been in...
by VanAR
April 8th, 2014, 1:15 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Noob questions re: technique, safety, etc
Replies: 38
Views: 11187

Re: Noob questions re: technique, safety, etc

A group from my university went to Costa Rica. They did a forest/jungle tour, and were told to wear big rubber ditch boots. These were to keep pit vipers from sensing their lower legs and feet as heat sources. It made sense to me. Would wearing boots and long pants, along with serving as a buffer i...
by VanAR
April 6th, 2014, 5:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Noob questions re: technique, safety, etc
Replies: 38
Views: 11187

Re: Noob questions re: technique, safety, etc

I'm on the fence regarding gaiters. I agree with Gerry's point that simply wearing protective equipment may make people less vigilant, and in some cases it may even make people more bold (see those who dumbly catch vipers with welding gloves). Equipment can, and does, fail, and you can't rely on it ...
by VanAR
April 5th, 2014, 5:00 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Noob questions re: technique, safety, etc
Replies: 38
Views: 11187

Re: Noob questions re: technique, safety, etc

I certainly wish carrying less gear and weight was an option, but it is not. My primary purpose is photography, and most of my equipment is very heavy and big (aside from the 70-200 lens and camera, I will also be carrying another camera with a 500mm f4 IS II lens and teleconverter, a beefy tripod ...
by VanAR
March 28th, 2014, 1:11 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Australia trip Part 2
Replies: 9
Views: 14095

Re: Australia trip Part 2

Cool stuff- love the frillies! Your snake at the end is a brown treesnake
by VanAR
March 20th, 2014, 4:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

The other cite seemed to be more along the lines of the literature in this regard is mixed, and caveats serpents are not an easyily studied group. Did your work Van w/ atrox have these kinds of wanderings? I've generally thought of them as effective ambush predators that move as little as possible,...
by VanAR
March 19th, 2014, 5:24 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

Hmm, interesting article, Bryan, but I'm skeptical about its conclusions for 2 reasons. First, burmese pythons are big, and I think it might be premature to assume that a displacement of 20-30 km is necessarily outside of their home range, or at least outside of the area that they might have travele...
by VanAR
February 26th, 2014, 1:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A few photos from the Snowy Mountains (NSW, Australia)
Replies: 9
Views: 4389

Re: A few photos from the Snowy Mountains (NSW, Australia)

Thanks very much, Van, for all the interesting info. Pseudemoia is certainly a difficult genus. Your study in Victoria must have been lots of fun if not a little frustrating. I herp very little in Victoria so am still missing several Pseudemoia including P. spenceri that ranges up to the Blue Mount...
by VanAR
February 25th, 2014, 1:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A few photos from the Snowy Mountains (NSW, Australia)
Replies: 9
Views: 4389

Re: A few photos from the Snowy Mountains (NSW, Australia)

Cool post, David. Kosciuszko is an underappreciated spot for herping. I think all of your Pseudemoia are entrecasteauxii , except maybe#3, #4 and the last one. Those, pagenstecheri , and cryodroma can be really hard to tell apart in some places. I did a collecting trip for entrecasteauxii for my res...
by VanAR
February 18th, 2014, 5:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

You notice how little the individual snake factors into this equation. For my part, I agree with this argument (and all of its other components that have been described here) 100%. My simple point is that translocation itself should not be viewed as the option that is always the most humane for the...
by VanAR
February 17th, 2014, 4:41 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

Or what about the glades pythons: Surely the difference between their captive circumstances and the south florida wilds is even greater than the differences between two swamp quadrants five miles (or 500 yards) apart. Maybe vast majorities of released pythons died from "relocation" effect...
by VanAR
February 17th, 2014, 2:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

I'm way more encouraged by the attitude shift it illustrates, than bothered by its heartless cruelty. We've come a long way, baby, from just whacking every one seen. Fast, too. That's a good thing, people. I don't agree entirely. I agree it's a good thing that people have an aspect of animal welfar...
by VanAR
February 16th, 2014, 10:14 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

Are you aware, Van, or anyone else, of any study or just hypothesis on the importance of an olfactory imprinting and mapping of their home range. This would certainly help explain to us laypeople why they get disoriented in a foreign range of identical habitat? I'm not aware of such a study, but th...
by VanAR
February 15th, 2014, 12:21 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea
Replies: 84
Views: 60914

Re: Yet another study showing snake relocation is a bad idea

Sounds like a cool study in any case. It definitely agrees with most of the studies on snakes to date. Most of these studies are biased toward big adult vipers, relocated as singletons. I've wondered about this for a while too. There's a lot of taxonomic bias in these studies, and the effects may n...
by VanAR
February 14th, 2014, 5:50 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.
Replies: 77
Views: 27937

Re: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.

There is no proof that the pythons were established by breeders. They might have come from anywhere, we may as well speculate that animals rights activists put them there to further their agenda. You can also buy large dogs, horses, and many animals far more dangerous than a large snake. It makes m...
by VanAR
February 13th, 2014, 6:16 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.
Replies: 77
Views: 27937

Re: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.

Are there aquatic habitat dependent species that are both not prey for pythons and not prey for raccoons/opossums/etc? I have no idea if there is. Most of the larger fish would fit that description. In fact, the invasive fish would be ideal for this type of study because their populations should be...
by VanAR
February 13th, 2014, 12:03 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.
Replies: 77
Views: 27937

Re: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.

Thanks, John, for pointing out the differences between scientific uncertainty and media hype. Too often those details get lost in the shuffle and scientists get blamed for media's fearmongering. That said, I often hear of this "hydrology" rebuttal, but never from the literature. If this is...
by VanAR
February 12th, 2014, 3:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.
Replies: 77
Views: 27937

Re: A big Burmese python in Everglades National Park.

LOL, let me assure you guys that, as an NSF- funded researcher, the last thing the government cares about in terms of "political biases driving science" is burmese pythons, in any way, shape, or form. The politics involved in getting government grant funding have nothing to do with support...
by VanAR
February 6th, 2014, 3:27 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Questions and Advice on Komodo National Park
Replies: 6
Views: 2528

Re: Questions and Advice on Komodo National Park

I haven't been there, but I know quite a few Aussies who have, and their advice mirrors Tom's. The consensus I've heard is that dragons are much easier to come by on the nearby island of Rinca, but you can also see them on Komodo and on parts of Flores. The trips I've heard described typically fly i...
by VanAR
January 14th, 2014, 2:38 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Rattlesnake depicted in Afghanistan in Lone Survivor
Replies: 28
Views: 29172

Re: Rattlesnake depicted in Afghanistan in Lone Survivor

Something that is little known about the whole "Lone Survivor" thing is that is was not in fact a SEAL Operation but it was a US Marine led operation. Ahmad Shah never killed 20 Marines as said in the movie. He killed less than 5 Marines. How do I know this? Oh I might have been there. Ha...
by VanAR
January 7th, 2014, 3:31 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: SSAR Standardized Names
Replies: 39
Views: 6894

Re: SSAR Standardized Names

The turtle subcommittee decided that it was bad form to imply that a taxon was common, so they elected to change all "common" to something like "Eastern, Northern", etc. IMO, a direction is just as relative as an estimate of abundance. I think we should standardize all of the ve...
by VanAR
January 2nd, 2014, 12:01 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Enulius flavitorques?
Replies: 5
Views: 2181

Re: Enulius flavitorques?

Yep, Chris, you nailed it. That was one of the few snakes I saw in Costa Rica a while back. Really weird how purple they are.

When are you and Melina going to come visit down under?
by VanAR
December 29th, 2013, 9:50 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anybody see this movie where...
Replies: 27
Views: 15317

Re: Anybody see this movie where...

I've had those very thoughts (Ocam's razor) That said, he may have not been anywhere near the set when it happened, nor had any knowledge about how it was really done. Actors don't control movie sets, and even if one is for animal rights, there are a lot of animal rights activists (the vast majorit...
by VanAR
December 29th, 2013, 2:34 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Heading to Australia - help?
Replies: 2
Views: 897

Re: Heading to Australia - help?

Its been a while since I've been in Cairns, and there are folks on here who can probably give you better/more detailed advice, but here's a quick 2 cents. Salties should be easy if you can get a lift up to the Daintree River. Carpets and scrub pythons are also both relatively common throughout that ...
by VanAR
December 29th, 2013, 2:30 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anybody see this movie where...
Replies: 27
Views: 15317

Re: Anybody see this movie where...

No one seems to want to venture a locality for the snakes (or even confirm them as bulls :roll: ) My point here is... if the correct snakes for Missouri, that speaks to incredible attention to detail, and makes me think that they were actually killed less likely, which is the direction I am leaning...
by VanAR
December 29th, 2013, 6:31 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anybody see this movie where...
Replies: 27
Views: 15317

Re: Anybody see this movie where...

CGI doesn't mean that you have to completely create an artificial, animated snake. It just means that the shot you see is not a single, unmanipulated sequence. I'm not a film expert, but I think what they might do in this situation is get a shot of the real snakes being held by Brad Pitt and twitch...
by VanAR
December 28th, 2013, 3:16 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anybody see this movie where...
Replies: 27
Views: 15317

Re: Anybody see this movie where...

It's definitely not CGI. As good as it is, no CGI in any other film animates natural behaviors/textures with that kind of accuracy, especially of snakes. CGI also wouldn't be able to replicate the tissue tearing away as the knife sweeps through- it would give a much cleaner cut. They could have been...
by VanAR
December 27th, 2013, 8:10 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Anybody see this movie where...
Replies: 27
Views: 15317

Re: Anybody see this movie where...

the scene in question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x6ACOMVRs4 Looks pretty real to me given the tail movement post-decapitation, but I can't find any further info regarding it online (not really surprising). Do the film credits at the end include a statement that "no animals were harmed dur...
by VanAR
December 23rd, 2013, 9:17 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Cutest lil snake of all
Replies: 11
Views: 4072

Re: Cutest lil snake of all

Wow, that little guy is only a few days, if not hours, old- it still has its egg tooth!

Very cool find and great photos!
by VanAR
December 22nd, 2013, 3:20 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Milksnake changes published
Replies: 62
Views: 51209

Re: Milksnake changes published

To WW and others who have vastly more experience in phylogenetic techniques than I- to me this paper is better than a lot of earlier Burbrink-lab work, but there is one thing that isn't clear to me. This paper (as well as several others recently published from this group) uses a Bayesian method to a...
by VanAR
December 19th, 2013, 1:09 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Surf and Herp Summer Vacation 2013 - shark discussion too
Replies: 30
Views: 9362

Re: Surf and Herp Summer Vacation 2013 - shark discussion to

Reading someone complain about shark attacks while surfing reminds me of hearing people complain about rattlesnakes in their backyard after they decided to move into the desert/prairie. The sharks are doing their thing. You are entering their habitat to do a recreational activity. You are far more l...
by VanAR
November 15th, 2013, 6:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Masters at A&M?
Replies: 23
Views: 3921

Re: Masters at A&M?

I've been tremendously lucky in my experiences with advisors and supervisors throughout my BS, PhD, and 2 postdocs so far. I agree 100% with Gerry that the primary key is to make sure you can work with the person, above all else. What you make out of your degree rests mostly upon your own shoulders ...
by VanAR
October 24th, 2013, 3:23 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Rattlesnake protective gear, thoughts and opinions?
Replies: 64
Views: 49420

Re: Rattlesnake protective gear, thoughts and opinions?

I completely disagree on the use of welding gloves for handling rattlesnakes. I personally know several long-time researchers who have been bitten by, of all things, pigmy rattlesnakes, through such gloves. The glove of power has rave reviews, but I wouldn't personally put my faith in it. Read Beaup...
by VanAR
October 24th, 2013, 4:57 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Rattlesnake protective gear, thoughts and opinions?
Replies: 64
Views: 49420

Re: Rattlesnake protective gear, thoughts and opinions?

I've worn gaiters but I don't like them because they get really hot in hot weather. Vigilance is the best method, though I have stepped very near (nearly on) rattlesnakes I didn't see before and gotten quite a shock to have something rattling so close. That said, each one has rattled and rapidly mov...
by VanAR
October 6th, 2013, 4:39 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Good books on herps of Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 1880

Re: Good books on herps of Australia

Any idea on where you are going? There are state-specific guides for New South Wales and Queensland that are quite good, as well as one for the Sydney area alone. Note that they are all by the same authors and contain basically the same information, but the maps in the state-specific guides are more...
by VanAR
September 10th, 2013, 12:18 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: egg tooth photo request
Replies: 9
Views: 3465

Re: egg tooth photo request

Hi all, Thanks for the comments thus far. I echo Kelly's point that this may not end up being as useful as I'd hoped (though it wasn't meant to provide strong evidence, just a starting point). Most viviparous pit vipers in particular appear to have egg teeth (according to preserved specimens), but t...
by VanAR
September 5th, 2013, 4:33 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: This one can kill ya
Replies: 13
Views: 3846

Re: This one can kill ya

Deadly or no, they're beautiful snakes. Nice to see one posted here.