Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a century

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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a century

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Good news: Indraneil Das has tentatively ID'd the homalopsid (mud snake) pictured in this thread as Gerarda prevostiana, which would not only officially expand its distribution range onto our little island, but also make the above pix the first of this species ever taken in Borneo. There was one (unpublished) record by Robert Shelford, curator of the Sarawak Museum at the end of the 19th century, but nothing after that...until now.

Now I will learn how to write a notification for the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.

Neil and one of his grad students are also currently busy manhandling me into turning my roadcruising trips into proper science. They'll teach me how to record proper data on my favorite road, which then will serve as a transect, and are expecting a paper in 12 months.

Shit. Just when I was beginning to think about taking it easy..... :D
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Tim Borski
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Tim Borski »

Wow Hans, that's really exciting on BOTH counts!!
Big, big kudus!

:thumb: :thumb: :beer:

Tim
Tamara D. McConnell
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

Outstanding! :thumb:
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks! I hope the high will last...I'm currently preparing by reading a tome called "Reptile Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring" (edited by McDiarmid et al.), which also has a chapter on roadcruising. Not exactly "A Cobra Hijacked My Camera Bag!"...never thought you college boys (and gals) had it so tough :-)
Tom
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Tom »

Congratulations, always good to rediscover something! Wait until you have to read Biostatistical Analysis (Zar 1999) though - it's thrilling :lol:
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

<groan>
ritt
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by ritt »

Very cool, Hans. Congrats. There's still a ton to be learned on the herpetofauna of Borneo, so here's hoping for some more excellent finds in the future.
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by ZantiMissKnit »

That's a beautiful snake. Congratulations on the find!!
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jonathan
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by jonathan »

Awesome!
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Kevin Messenger
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Kevin Messenger »

a road cruising study in Borneo sounds like a dream study!! I love that book by the way - reptile biodiversity, standard methods for inventory and monitoring
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gbin
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by gbin »

That's great, Hans! Congratulations on the find and good luck with the studies! :thumb:

Gerry
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Andrew G
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Andrew G »

That is really cool! Congratulations on a great find, and good luck with the paper!
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by walk-about »

Congrats Hans!

That is really a special find. If such an animal could go unseen for nearly a century, just think what else could be lurking in the shadows and just waiting to be found? Likely something possibly unknown to science I could speculate. I seldom comment on your posts because I know absolutely nothing about those species you find in that part of the world. But I do know the feeling of experiencing such excitement. Please share your find with the scientific community in publication. ALso I was wondering about the name sake of this snake specie, and what its habitat and prey (snails, frogs, etc.) preferences are?

RocK ON!

Dave
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by FunkyRes »

WooHoo!

That's truly something to take pride in :)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by hellihooks »

Awesome Hans! I sorta know the feeling...I found a snake in a certain canyon, that hadn't been seen in those parts since 1958, by Stebbins himself. That find resulted in that canyon being converted from an off road 'party spot' to a very nice campground. Do you envision your find having any conservation type changes made? I hope so... that brings a whole nother level of lasting accomplishment to bear, that (in time) exceeds the thrill of such an exciting find. Probably too early to tell... but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it does produce concrete results... it's a GOOD feeling, that I hope you get to enjoy... :thumb: jim
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Rags
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Rags »

Great find Hans, you must be absolutely made up. Congratulations!

To be mentioned alongside Robert Walter Campbell Shelford is amazing. Many of Shelford's collected insect specimens ended up at Oxford University Museum. The museum is close to where I grew up and I have some fond memories of wandering around the place gazing at the various displays of butterflies, moths and beetles etc. (Some of Wallace's collection is also there.)

Well done again.
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by MaartenSFS »

Congratulations, you lucky bastard! ;)
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks very much, guys...yes, it's a weird feeling indeed. I'll post the paper here when it's been published. I'm not sure if the find will change anything in the habitat - it's coastal nipah swamp peppered with little villages - highly disturbed area already.

Speaking of Wallace....I went roadcruising with Neil Das tonight (a spitting cobra, a large B. cynodon, and a Lycodon effraensis that munched on my sandal-clad toe with hellish intensity while Neil shot a video of my ordeal with a big grin on his mug), and he suggested that I give a talk on the International Wallace Conference 2013, the topic being "Wallace and Snakes" (his collections, his mentioning of them in his writings etc.) What a great honor that would be...
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by chad ks »

Epic! Congrats man, that's a once in a lifetime achievement, though hopefully not for you!
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Ruxs
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Ruxs »

If you had discovered a new species, would you have named it something helpful relating to it's colour and identification or would it have been 'Breuer's Mud Snake' (Gararda Breueri)?
Good job anyway, I'm sure everyone is jealous :lol:
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Whatever I would name it after, it most certainly wouldn't be my own name. Very bad form! :-) Moreover, I've promised my wife years ago to name the first new species I find after her. Gerarda lisae...now that has a romantic ring to it.
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by JakeScott »

Good job, Hans. Not something that happens everyday, but something we all wish to do. Come to Florida, we have one that needs your help.

-Jake
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by FunkyRes »

When I discover a new species of tri-color kinhsnake - Lampropeltis bettypaige - heh, if we are naming fish after presidents, why not? ;) :mrgreen: :lol:
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spinifer
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by spinifer »

JakeScott wrote:Good job, Hans. Not something that happens everyday, but something we all wish to do. Come to Florida, we have one that needs your help.

-Jake
Everyone can contribute to science like Hans by submitting their data here!
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Soopaman »

JakeScott wrote:Good job, Hans. Not something that happens everyday, but something we all wish to do. Come to Florida, we have one that needs your help.

-Jake
Are they still offering the "bounty" (for lack of appropriate term, maybe reward?) for that one? If they'll pay me, I'll sleep in the creek till I find one.

And congrats, Hans! The thrill of discovery is not something easily equaled!
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Kelly Mc »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Whatever I would name it after, it most certainly wouldn't be my own name. Very bad form! :-) Moreover, I've promised my wife years ago to name the first new species I find after her. Gerarda lisae...now that has a romantic ring to it.

You Rock Hans! With heavy orchestration :beer:

But even if you did name the serpent after you no one could see it in bad form. Not from you sir :thumb:
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Soopaman
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Soopaman »

Kelly Mc wrote:
Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Whatever I would name it after, it most certainly wouldn't be my own name. Very bad form! :-) Moreover, I've promised my wife years ago to name the first new species I find after her. Gerarda lisae...now that has a romantic ring to it.

You Rock Hans! With heavy orchestration :beer:

But even if you did name the serpent after you no one could see it in bad form. Not from you sir :thumb:
With all due respect to Hans, anytime someone names something after their self, it is, in my opinion, in bad form. It's just such a Hoser thing to do...

Someone else should name it after Hans ;)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by ratsnakehaven »

What a great find, Hans. I'm so envious. I love all your colubrid pics from Borneo too. One of the greatest places in the world for colubrid diversity. Congratulations~!

Terry :thumb:
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks for the continued support, folks - that means a lot!
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by FunkyRes »

Isn't Borneo where that really cool Dragon snake is from?
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Yes!
tai haku
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by tai haku »

Soopaman wrote:It's just such a Hoser thing to do...
True that!

Nice work Hans. For your next mission........Orang pendek please.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Yay: I rediscovered a snake thought lost for over a cent

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

tai haku wrote:For your next mission........Orang pendek please.
Right :-)
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