A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

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Bostaff of Asclepius
Posts: 43
Joined: January 29th, 2013, 9:21 am
Location: Central Coast of California

A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

Post by Bostaff of Asclepius »

Hello everyone, after much distraction and a bit of procrastination I have finally organized my photos and thoughts to share with you: 2013 has been quite a year for me, a year packed with significant changes, wonderful life experiences, and, of course, field herping. I present to you a series of photos chronicling some of the reptile and amphibian species I have been lucky enough to encounter within the year that has passed:


Arizona:

The 'herp year' was off to an early start. January brought about high expectations as the calendar year 2013 signified a special and exciting time to come, holding a sort of "the future starts now" association in my mind. Since May 2012 I had been very busy in veterinary medical clinical rotations, working rotation blocks back-to-back, through the holidays, taking no breaks. Granted, I enjoy working hard, especially when accomplishing the task at hand is interesting, challenging, and rewarding; however, my hard work cloaked a hidden agenda.

Thanks to a rather tenacious albeit exhausting rotation schedule, my "vacation periods" were congealed into one protracted chunk of free time. I used this time to schedule some nifty veterinary externships in some even niftier places. The first brought me out west for six weeks to work along side one of the country's best reptile veterinarians. Although January in Arizona isn't quite the ideal time to experience the desert's herpetofauna, simply visiting the southwestern US has been a childhood dream of mine; any reptile and amphibian species encountered would be an added benefit.

The long work hours didn't often yield to herping, but I was out and about poking around for critters whenever I could. I was born and raised in Chicago; most reptiles and amphibians of the US Southwest, up until now, had only been encountered as two-dimensional field guide plates and as inhabitants of my reveries. Every potential herpetological encounter here was new and exciting, regardless of how common or mundane the species.

Coleonyx variegatus

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I have always been fascinated with geckos, particularly the eublepharids. These little guys, to my delight, were commonly encountered. Also, to my surprise, they scream when startled! I nearly jumped out of my shoes when one took off running and squealing like a tiny pig!

Uta stansburiana

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Aside from geckos, I think saurians are the least stimulating of herp (sub)orders to encounter in the field. They're hard to photograph, even harder to catch, and can be a total pain in the ass to identify. I was lucky to find this side-blotched lizard under a rock on a 65 degree day; it had little choice but to stay still long enough to be photographed.

Sauromalus obesus

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Now this is a lizard species I have always wanted to see (I know, I'm contradicting myself). This individual was actually heard before seen; the sound of one of these things squeezing itself into a crevice is unmistakable! After a bit of gentle prying, this beautiful female chuckwalla was exposed.

Hypsiglena torquata

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It is a real toss-up between snakes and salamanders in regard to which organism triggers the most excitement when uncovered in the field. Rest-assured, when I flipped a rock to see this night snake neatly coiled beneath I was over the moon! This is a species I had always wanted to see and was certainly a welcome site after hours of rock flipping and canyon hiking.

Melbourne:

Following my fantastic reptile medicine stint out west I was LAX bound to catch a flight to Melbourne, Australia. I was to meet up with a good friend of mine who also happens to be - if not the best reptile veterinarian in Australia - one of the best reptile vets I've had the pleasure of meeting, Dr. Shane Simpson. I was slated to spend about two months sinking my teeth into cutting-edge herpetological medicine, which at this point brings us to late February through early April. We had some phenomenal reptilian wildlife cases presented to us, and, since the importation of foreign reptile species is banned in AUS, our patient load consisted of strictly Australian species from all over the continent! Again, field herping took a back seat to work. I found over a dozen species whilst poking around suburban Melbourne; displayed are the pictures that came out half-way decent.

Lerista bougainvillii

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This is perhaps the most interesting of the many skink species I encountered in the field (believe it or not, I didn't find any blue-tongues!). I flipped this little guy along side a bike path. His undulating body confused me at first, but upon looking closer his stubby little legs became apparent and he was nabbed!


Ctenophorous pictus

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I ended up renting a real bomb of a car, a 1980-something Corolla for 30 bucks a day, under the stipulation that it could not be driven more that 50 kilometers from the city. Well, I took that bad boy some 300 miles northwest in search of "greener pastures", visiting the Little Desert preserve, where I spent a few days herping and a few nights stuffed in the back seat trying my best to get a wink of sleep. The herp gods were against me that weekend (they're rarely on my side); these painted dragons were one of the only herp species I encountered. I did see other amazing animals, however, including some great psittacine species, emus, wallabies, huge red kangaroos, and some sugar glider-looking things.


Notechis scutatus

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It amazes me that, in terms of commonality and adaptability, some of the most venomous elapids on earth are to suburban Melbourne what garter snakes are to the developed areas of the midwest US. I encountered four or five relatively large snakes alarmingly close to public walking paths. It was almost painful resisting the innate urge to spring on the distal tail disappearing into the underbrush. "It's big and it is deadly" is about as advanced an identification as I could get each time. Nonetheless, a neighborhood snake catcher let me tag along as he released a few tiger snakes captured from residences earlier in the week.

Hobart:

I scheduled a week to visit a veterinarian I had the pleasure to meet and work for as a student in 2010; a true old-timer, a veritable ocean of knowledge, and the only exotics
veterinarian in Tasmania, I was off to bother the great Dr. James Harris. This man instilled in me, early in my academic career, the confidence that I might in fact have what it takes to be a half-way decent veterinarian, even when feelings of the opposite occasionally burn through (who the hell am I kidding, I'm a new grad - I am ecstatic to even catch a transient moment of confidence). Again, more species were encountered than are pictured, below are the good ones!


Crinia signifera

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These little froglets come in a variety of colors and patterns; they're always neat to find!

Niveoscincus ocellatus

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Now here is another interesting species of lizard, the ocellated skink. In addition to being absolutely beautiful, this species is endemic to Tasmania. It was quite a reward to turn up this single specimen amongst myriad snow skinks and metallic skinks.

Austrelaps superbus

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Agkistrodon contortrix is one of my favorite species of snake, and, after several disappointing endeavors to locate one in the field, it remains elusive to my yearning eye. No worries, however; this snake will hold me over! This Australian copperhead is one of those rare instances in which a target species was actually encountered. I was walking along the boundaries of where a paddock meets the forest of my host's property, kind of lost in thought, when I heard the somewhat characteristic sound of serpent locomotion through leaf litter. Again, I just caught a glimpse of the tail as the snake slid into a pile of rock and dirt. I quickly hopped the awkward wire fence, held my breath, clutched a large rock, and moved it aside to expose this stunner of an animal! She was huge, at least 4 feet long and as thick as my wrist! It started to downpour just seconds later, and, to further complicate things, I left my camera on the other side of the fence. While staring down the snake I used my trusty snake hook to retrieve my camera and snap off a few pictures.

Midwest United States:

It is now mid-April and, unfortunately, it is back to the grind of the remaining few clinical rotations. I learned a wealth of knowledge and gained an even greater amount of experience in herpetological medicine - and the midwest winter was brilliantly evaded! April rolled into May pretty uneventfully. May, however, was the start of a new beginning as, not only had my long-time girlfriend traveled from very faraway to stay with me, graduation was just around the corner!

IA

Graduation came and went and, with it, the transition from lowly ignorant student to *doctor* had begun. Thanks to some wise spending, just-good-enough carpentry skills, and an eye for interior design, I was able to make a nice little profit off of the place I had been living for the past few years. The extra cash bought me a few months to live a bit of a nomadic, prodigal son lifestyle and figure out just what in the hell I was going to do with myself now that the eight year academic marathon had finally ended.

Anaxyrus americanum

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A large part of my newfound free time, in addition to starting a little life with my girlfriend, was spent out in the field. My herp luck, however, was lacking. These guys are always here for me though. Who doesn't like toads?

Thamnophis radix

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This is a species I used to find regularly behind my parent's house growing up. After the little prairie I used to frequent was paved over I hadn't seen one in years until coming across this Plains garter (and many other individuals). I've always loved garters; my childhood reeks of their musk.

Lithobates pipiens

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In Iowa leopard frogs were damn near everywhere late in the spring through the summer. As one of my favorite anuran species, I was thrilled. Even after a hot, sticky day of being snubbed by the herping gods, I could always count on finding a few of these to chase around.

Pseudacris triseriata

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Another pretty unremarkable species; however, the last time I had captured one of these was over 10 years ago. It was indeed a thrill to happen upon this random western chorus frog meandering about the meadows.

Lithobates blairi

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For whatever reason, this rather mundane species of frog captured my interest as a child and over the years has worked its way to the top of my anuran "wish list". Interestingly, individuals were regularly found displaying characteristics of both R. pipiens and R. blairi.

Thamnophis proximus

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Lost in thought whilst utilizing nature's urinal (a tree), as I gazed upon the shallows of a small pond something caught my eye: Two beautiful, thin, golden-striped snakes were neatly draped over a large, floating log some 10 meters from where I was standing! I took a closer look using my telephoto lens and snapped off a few reference pictures before the shoes and socks came off, the pant legs went up, and I went in!

Hyla versicolor

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It's funny how childhood interests have such a residual effect into adulthood. As a youngin', I was absolutely enamored with treefrogs. I remember having a poster of the world's treefrogs on my wall; I would sit, looking at each frog, and sort of let my little mind take me to the faraway tropical places that most of these frogs inhabit. Even to this day, simply finding a grey treefrog still fills me with immense satisfaction and briefly sweeps my thoughts away to exotic places.

Rana catesbiana
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Like many herpers, I like to get lost in my field guides and create dream-like scenarios in which I heroically discover a species that has always held my interest yet has never been encountered. On this day I was walking a clear, rocky, flowing small river that carves its way through central Iowa that is just chock full of crayfish; on this day I was enchanted with the idea of turning up a crayfish snake. Unfortunately, like so many of my wild-eyed, pigeon-holed excursions my target was nowhere to be found. Still, there were plenty of young bullfrogs around, and, until now, I had been shirking the task of getting a decent photo of one.

Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis

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Again, I love garters; the combination of commonality and beauty gives content to often otherwise unrewarding herping excursions. This one's temperament was as fire-y as her colors!

A healthy portion of my post-graduation free time was spent catching up with those who had fallen at the way-side during the pursuit of higher education. Much time was allocated to visiting family and friends, with a bit of herping thrown into the mix. A couple of short side-trips, while yielding meager results relative to herps, created lasting memories for both my girlfriend and I.

WI

Lithobates palustris

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One such side-trip during a short family trip to southern WI was to a beautiful nature reserve located within Crotalus horridus range. Whenever I enter into the range of a particularly interesting species my mind jumps to the assumption that individuals of that species will be anywhere and everywhere, falling over themselves upon my arrival. As evidence by this photo of a pickerel frog, this was indeed not the case.

Central IL

Another brief trip took us to Champaign to visit my undergraduate alma mater and catch up with a very good friend and avid herper. I was hoping to follow on the heals of his recent hot streak and turn up a few relatively common species that, based on my prior horrible luck in the field, I believe not to actually exist in nature. Besides a few Fowler's toads and Northern water snakes, about the only other thing we came away with was a bad case of poison ivy.

Anaxyrus fowleri

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Southern IL

The calendar now marks the onset of fall; however, the heat of summer has yet to yield to the mild weather of autumn. Another set of changes has been put into effect with the girlfriend returning overseas to spark her career in business and myself returning to my hometown to begin preparing for my own professional endeavors abroad. Before departure, though, I found myself with an ideal time to visit a fabled field herpetology location.

Snake Road

Conveniently, the annual Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarian conference was to be held in Indianapolis, which happens to be approximately the same distance from southern IL as it is from Chicago. I loaded up my 1987 Chevy van with a couple of weeks worth of supplies and hit the road, following an itinerary that would first take me down to Shawnee for a few days of van herping and camping before swinging east to the conference.

Agkistrodon piscivorous

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My first evening in Shawnee was a miserable one. The significant drop in temperature had not occurred as forecasted, and the night was spent hopelessly chasing sleep while simmering within a night-time temperature that dipped no lower than the high 80's. The next day the smoldering weather again failed to relent and my first day of herping along LaRue was, outside of fence lizards, cricket frogs, and seemingly millions of southern leopard frogs, met with little success. Now I cannot convey just how damn unlucky I am when it comes to finding reptiles. Trips out with others to areas where they have regularly turned up prime specimens are seemingly cursed by my presence; we will see nothing. The curse follows me everywhere, even to Snake Road. The following day a drop in temperature brought out a few other herpers to the road, one of which was a veteran to the LaRue area. He was kind enough to let myself and another young herper tag along with him, and together the three of us hit the road. He regaled us with stories of happening upon 6 different snake species within meters of each other and other such lucrative herping accounts that had me on the edge of excitement. Once again, the 'David Attenborough-esque, reptiles hanging fro the damn trees' image my mind had prematurely painted failed to materialize. Still, one of the only targets I had my sights set on was a cottonmouth. Fortunately, we found two sub adults and, later in the day, found a den littered with neonates! This observation in itself was worth the trip, and marks my first encounter with a venomous species of snake in the United States.

Eurycea lucifuga

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The order Caudata, to me, is perhaps the most interesting group within the herpetological critters lineup. It wasn't until I was 17 years old that I encountered my first caudate in the field (Ambystoma laterale); by this time, salamanders had reached the level of mythical in my young mind and to this day have maintained the position.

I chose to pursue the road running adjacent to 'snake road', passing behind the limestone bluff that runs parallel to the marsh land. I ducked down into a rather promising-looking crevice to encounter, well, nothing - that is, until I switched on my flashlight. There had to be nearly two-dozen of these little guys at different levels along the cave wall, some in locations that I would have never expected them to be able to reach!

Hyla crucifer

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This individual spring peeper was found bouncing through the leaf litter as I crunched my way along the backside of the limestone bluffs.

Ambystoma maculatum

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Here is another unexpected yet incredibly rewarding find - the spotted salamander!
I absolutely adore the ambystomid salamanders and this species is one of my favorites.

IN

In all about 14 species of herps were encountered within Shawnee before it was time to leave the starry skies and head towards the lights of Indianapolis. The conference was an absolute blast. In addition to procuring some excellent knowledge and having the opportunity to re-convene with my Australian mentor Dr. Simpson, it was fantastic to have been befriended by some of the world's best reptile veterinarians. Following the conference I promised my mentor a trip to explore the 'wilds' of the midwest. Fortunately, Turkey Run State Park is only a hop and a skip from Indianapolis. We encountered very humid, overcast, misty and otherwise miserable weather after a week of sunshine; I could feel the curse manifesting itself. The bad weather actually proved beneficial, however, keeping other hikers at bay and bringing out a plethora of amphibian species. By the end of our seven hour hike we had successfully observed 17 different herp species!

Acris crepitans

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These guys were as common here as anywhere else. I felt a decent picture was in order.

Plethodon glutenosus

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This rather large Slimy salamander was found under the first log flipped! As there are no salamander species to be found 'down-unda', I was hoping to encounter at least one salamander to show to Shane. I was not disappointed; we would eventually come to encounter some 30 or so individual salamanders representing five different species!

Plethodon dorsalis

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I've encountered a bit of difficulty differentiating zigzags from red-backs; the dorsal pattern of this individual, however, left little doubt in my mind as to its identity.

Eurycea cirrigera

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Another of the salamander species encountered, the Southern two-lined salamander.

Plethodon cinereus

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Red-backed salamander

Eurycea longicauda

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Oddly, this usually ubiquitous species was only represented by this lone individual.

Terrapine carolina

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Aside from the copperhead, the eastern box turtle was at the top of my wish list for the state park. It is amazing what one will find when he is not searching for it. This beautiful female was found while scaling a rather steep, slippery and, well, seemingly turtle-inaccessible rock ravine, just sitting in the middle of the path! I have no idea how in the hell she arrived here; after a couple of (terrible) photos, we left her to continue her great adventure.

Chicago

It is time to return to square one and set up shop at the parent's house for a few weeks as I awaited my flight abroad to tackle life. As a young adult male, following a boomerang-like, parabolic path back to the nest is not a route I was keen to follow. Despite my apprehension the move back home was a warm, ingratiating experience. Home is indeed where the heart is.

Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus

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Nothing says Chicago herping like a Chicago garter snake!

The Philippines

I entered veterinary medical school with a very specific, yet straight-forward objective: To become one of the best reptile veterinarians in the world. Unfortunately, unlike other areas of veterinary medicine, there is no "set path" that one can follow to become an accomplished reptile and amphibian veterinarian. Many of the best "cut their chops" with dogs and cats before moving on to bigger and better things (that is, reptiles, of course). Out of sheer stubbornness and, well, disdain for creatures of the feline type (I made a promise to myself: If, at any point after graduation I was ever regularly touching cats, then my life had taken a horrible, horrible turn) I chose a different route. The idea of spending what little time is left of my 20's doing something I am not absolutely passionate about has been a catalyst for risk-taking. I'm still not sure if this was one of the best decisions I have made or if I have stamped a one way ticket to successfully prolonging the development of a stable future, but I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue a career in crocodile medicine.

Davao City

"How the hell does one become a crocodile veterinarian? Does the need for a crocodile veterinarian even exist?!". These are questions I am still seeking the answers to. The answer to the former question, like any other career, requires first procuring experience where ever opportunity may present. Beggars can't be choosers, and this beggar found his opportunity in Davao!

Hemidactylus platyurus

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Identifying and creating an informal guide to differentiating the many, subtly-individualized species of house geckos in the area has become my 'white whale'.

Hemidactylus frenatus

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Another house gecko species, the spiny-tailed gecko, is abundant in the area.

Rhinella marinus

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Ah yes, the ubiquitous, seemingly omnipresent Cane toad: Even the slowest of herping days is bound to stir up at least half-a-dozen of these guys.

Polypedates leukomystax

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Here's another genus who's strikingly similar-appearing species are a pain to identify. I believe this is a Four-lined treefrog.

Fejervarya cancrivorous

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The Crab-eating frog is a common inhabitant of dinner plates here in the Philippines.

Kaloula picta

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An interesting species of microhylid, these Painted narrowmouth frogs are a species endemic to the Philippines. The are quite common and very, very loud! Like other Kaloula, they gulp air when threatened, expanding to comical proportions.

Gekko gecko

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Ah yes, the Tokay gecko: I think this is one of the most beautiful species of lizard in the world. There is a 'family' of tokos of all sizes that live behind a banner just outside of the office I regularly take a peek at.

Lamprolepis smaragdina

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These beautiful Emerald tree skinks are also a common site. They are damn near impossible to catch; this individual was spotted at night beneath a leaf in a rather busy area of town!

Calamaria gervaisi

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This poor Worm snake was dug up as workers were excavating a small pond. Flipped into the small pool, it was being pelted with small rocks and sticks (everything to locals is a damn cobra until proven otherwise). Using a stick I pulled him ashore, showed everyone he wasn't in fact a monster cobra, and released him in a compost heap well away from the work site.

Rhamnotyphlops braminus

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These 'Flower pot snakes' are always a cool find!

Dendrolaphis pictus

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Indeed my curse has followed me abroad. Fortunately, I have become somewhat of a local celebrity (the crazy, long-haired whiteboy with a strange obsession with reptiles) and people often bring me snakes to identify. This painted bronzeback was one of them.

Chrysopelea paradisi (hatchling)

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Chrysopelea paradisi (adult)

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The hatchling Paradise flying snake was again an individual brought in for astute identification ("No sir, this is not a cobra"). The adult was found just outside of my quarters by one of the workers who's first question, after having somehow captured the damn thing in a large water bottle, asks "How about this one? This is a cobra, right?".

Boiga annulatus

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Yet another individual donated for identification: This Philippine cat-eyed snake is an endemic Boiga species. It was found on a construction site; to my surprise, the worker who donated it was genuinely concerned for the snake's safety, which was heartwarming and, well, in striking contrast to what normally transpires when man meets snake in the Philippines.

Trimeresurus flavomacularus

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Again, another donated individual: Perhaps one of the most beautiful wild snakes I have ever seen, this Philippine pit viper is also a species endemic to the Philippines.

I normally don't "count" reptile species captured by other individuals within my records but hell, my luck has been so bad this year I'm counting them, damn it! Besides, species like these aren't made available everyday.

Hydrophis spiralis

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The bossman is kind enough to allow me to enjoy his beach resort on occasion. I believe this was my second-ever opportunity to swim in the ocean, and I was not disappointed! The beauty of Davao Gulf is indescribable, I have never seen so much animal life in one place. While I was snorkeling I came across this dead Yellow sea snake in the shallows!

Platymantis sp?

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In addition to working to maintain the health of crocodiles, I am occasionally placed in front of the camera of the Mindanao travel channel to introduce people to local herpetological wildlife. On this day a small camera crew and I were sent to explore a local sink-hole on Samal island. Again, 'the curse' followed us down, and the only herp species encountered was this frog who's identification remains a mystery. Any ideas?

Draco sp

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Ah yes, the last herp of 2013, observed on a road-side tree on Samal island. This unknown species of Flying lizard marks the end of one hell of a herping year. Again, any suggestions as to the identity of this guy would be appreciated.






Life goes on:

So here we are, three months into 2014. I am writing this from the mountains of Antipolo, some 2 hours outside of Manila, surrounded by about 20,000 saltwater crocodiles. The last half-year has been an absolute crash-course lesion in the bastard of a subject that is life. The amount of knowledge gained within the areas of crocodile medicine, veterinary medicine, and general life outlook has been invaluable and is incapable of being replicated. As of late I sit and ponder what is next to come: While the viability of my dream career remains unpredictable and my work incredibly non-lucrative, life has been -and remains, anything but boring. Here's to a prosperous 2014, happy herping!

- Tony
BethH
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Re: A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

Post by BethH »

Beautiful pictures, and wonderful narrative! So many of these pictures capture the creature's personality, or at least seem to. Thank you for sharing.

Beth
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JAMAUGHN
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Re: A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

Post by JAMAUGHN »

Great post. I really like the angles you shoot the animals from. It gives a different sense of scale than I'm used to. You must spend a lot of time on your belly, though! :lol:

JimM
hellihooks
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Re: A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

Post by hellihooks »

Great post... really like the ocellated skink. not sure if it's just my crappy computer/monitor... but your text will match your largest pic, in width... and the constant scrolling back and forth to read, and see the whole pic... detracts from the enjoyment. When I reduce it to where I can see the whole pic...the text is then too small to read... :roll: Hopefully someone will chime in with the pic size that works best here... :thumb: (I'm technologically challenged... :roll: :lol: ) happy herping... jim
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Antonsrkn
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Re: A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

Post by Antonsrkn »

Great stuff, I was particularily interested in the philippine section, we dont see many posts from there and im extra interested in the herpetofauna from there as ill be there in just over a month! Good luck with the crocs, hope your gamble pays off!

not sure if it's just my crappy computer/monitor... but your text will match your largest pic, in width... and the constant scrolling back and forth to read, and see the whole pic... detracts from the enjoyment. When I reduce it to where I can see the whole pic...the text is then too small to read... :roll: Hopefully someone will chime in with the pic size that works best here...
Problem might be on your end, im reading this post from a little laptop and big images usually cause it problems, however it had no problems with this post. I think the guideline on here state images should be sized 800 pixels on the long side, but i dont remember exactly. 800 makes for some smallish images.
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Bostaff of Asclepius
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Re: A bit of everything: 2013 Narrative and Photos

Post by Bostaff of Asclepius »

Thanks for the replies/compliments, they are appreciated. My apologies for any irritating formatting errors. The post visually flows well on my tablet, though I'm not sure how it translates to a PC display.
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