My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
InfantryVeteran
Posts: 58
Joined: April 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
Location: Palm Bay, Fl

My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by InfantryVeteran »

Hello all!

As stated in the header, this is my first official post of my findings since moving to Brevard County, Florida. I moved down here to start my dream job. I am a Wildlife Removal Specialist covering the entire county. Its an extremely fun job and it allows me to see wildlife on a daily basis (FYI, I am NOT an exterminator and always relocate any animals I capture with the exception of Rats.)

Since moving here, I have attempted to get a feel for this area. Its a huge difference in every aspect than what I am used to being from the mountains of South Carolina. Road crusing hasn't been yielding very much thus far, however, after speaking with a few of you on this forum, I have gotten amazing advice and hope that will all change. Anyway, lets get to the meat of the post.

Image
The very first herp I found was not a huge shocker, but still a lifer for me. A Brown Anole. Down here, you can see at least 20 per bush, so its not something very uncommon. I caught this guy in mid-flight.

Image
The second herp I found was also a lifer, and on the top of my list! A Gopher Tortoise. This Tortoise was crusing across the road in a neighborhood while I was searching for a place to live. I really love these animals.

Image
Image
I road cruised a few nights in a row and found very little in the way of animals. I did find 2 Cornsnakes which are always a welcome sight.

Image
While servicing a customers home, I noticed a Southern Black Racer slipping into the mans Garage. Naturally, I grabbed it and it in turn grabbed me back. The home owner asked me to release it back into their yard, so I did. Florida is much different than where I'm from. If I had done the same thing back home, most people would have wanted it dead.

Image
After settling into my new home, I went out on the porch and found this gorgeous Green Anole. Sadly, I've only seen 2 of these since I arrived here. The Browns seem to have completely taken over.

Image While working at another customers house, I found another lifer! Eastern Glass Lizard. These are so neat.

Image
I was standing at least 50 feet away from the water at a customers house, when I noticed an Alligator swimming across the pond in my direction. It swam up to within 3 feet of me. I was able to get some good photos, but its obvious that some of the residents of this neighborhood are feeding this animal.

Image
Florida Storms are no joke. I've never seen a shelf cloud until I moved here. Spooky, but beautiful.

Image
I got a phone call one afternoon asking if I would come out and remove a snake out from under a customer's kitchen sink. I said sure. It was a fairly large Yellow Rat Snake. Another Lifer for me!

Image
The only other snake species I've road cruised down here was this out of focus Southern Ringneck Snake. I need a new camera.

Image
I was heading to go do some laundry and found this large Softshell Turtle hanging out in the middle of the Parking lot. I believe this is a Florida Softshell, but please correct me of I'm wrong. Either way, This is a lifer!

Image
There are 3 of these Geckos living above the door to my place. I am afraid I do not know the species of these. Are they Mediterranean Geckos?


Image
A fairly large Southern Black Racer. He was surprisingly easy to photograph.

Image
Another Yellow Rat Snake

Image
I see at least 5 Racers a day on the job. They're everywhere.

Image
This large Spider crawled across my foot. I may or may not have, but definitely did, let out a girly scream. I'm not a fan of Spiders. Can anyone tell me the species?

Image
I found another large Gopher Tortoise grazing on the side of the road. I love this photo.

Image
Another Lifer for me! I finally caught and was about to photograph a Northern Curly-tailed Lizard while exploring in Cocoa Beach. These are hard to catch!

Image
I "road cruised" a group of baby Muscovy Ducks Sleeping in the parking lot on my way home. I've come to realize this species of Duck doesn't seem to have much intelligence.

Image
Finally, here is a photo of a small Gator I found while exploring in Palm Bay. I love seeing Alligators!


That ends my post on finds up to today. I am still searching for my first Florida Venomous snake. I really wasn't expecting it to be this difficult to find any.

If anyone in Brevard County, or in the neighboring counties, would like to meet up and go herping, I'd love to meet some Florida Herpers. Feel free to PM me.

Thank you for taking the time to look!
User avatar
Noah M
Posts: 2293
Joined: November 3rd, 2012, 7:00 pm
Location: Gainesville, FL
Contact:

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by Noah M »

I didn't think curlies had made it that far north. Also, your gecko looks to be a tropical house gecko, H. mabouia

Okay, so no venomous so far, but you sure do seem to finding some nice stuff!
User avatar
InfantryVeteran
Posts: 58
Joined: April 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
Location: Palm Bay, Fl

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by InfantryVeteran »

captainjack0000 wrote:I didn't think curlies had made it that far north. Also, your geck looks to be a tropical house gecko, H. mabouia

Okay, so no venomous so far, but you sure do seem to finding some nice stuff!

According the the research I've done, there seems to have been a breeding population of them in Cocoa since 1991. That's the only place I've seen them at so far. I had no idea they were here either.
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

... you sure do seem to finding some nice stuff!
I second that.
Man, your job sounds wonderful. How does one get a job like that? Also, what critters do you get called to remove the most? Also, what is the oddest removal call you've had?
I want your job.
User avatar
sdbeazley
Posts: 27
Joined: January 14th, 2011, 12:14 pm
Location: Melbourne, FL
Contact:

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by sdbeazley »

Nice to have another Brevard resident here! IME Hots can take a while to find
Tamara, I see his company posting jobs a lot on craigslist, sounds like a lot of fun.
User avatar
InfantryVeteran
Posts: 58
Joined: April 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
Location: Palm Bay, Fl

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by InfantryVeteran »

sdbeazley wrote:Nice to have another Brevard resident here! IME Hots can take a while to find
Tamara, I see his company posting jobs a lot on craigslist, sounds like a lot of fun.

There are people on here from brevard county!! Thank goodness! I was beginning to wonder.
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by BillMcGighan »

Lots of good stuff, guy.
Good break-in/intro post.

How long have you been Brevard?

Some time in the next couple years, we need to hear some of your interesting incidents/discussions with clients! ;)
User avatar
InfantryVeteran
Posts: 58
Joined: April 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
Location: Palm Bay, Fl

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by InfantryVeteran »

Tamara D. McConnell wrote:
... you sure do seem to finding some nice stuff!
I second that.
Man, your job sounds wonderful. How does one get a job like that? Also, what critters do you get called to remove the most? Also, what is the oddest removal call you've had?
I want your job.
I actually started looking for a new job a few months ago while still in NC. Florida has always been my dream place to live, so I started putting in a lot of applications all over the state. I really don't have much of a background for skills other than security jobs (I was army infantry) and animals. I really focused on as many animal related jobs I could find including the one I have now. I had just been offered a position with bay county animal control when this company called me for an interview. Just look for wildlife removal companies in your state and post your resume.
User avatar
InfantryVeteran
Posts: 58
Joined: April 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
Location: Palm Bay, Fl

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by InfantryVeteran »

BillMcGighan wrote:Lots of good stuff, guy.
Good break-in/intro post.

How long have you been Brevard?

Some time in the next couple years, we need to hear some of your interesting incidents/discussions with clients! ;)

I've been here for almost a month. Haha my wife has stayed in NC for the past 6 weeks to finish up work up there so I have been living the bachelor life lately. It's given me lots of time for herping.
User avatar
mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by mtratcliffe »

InfantryVeteran wrote: I've been here for almost a month. Haha my wife has stayed in NC for the past 6 weeks to finish up work up there so I have been living the bachelor life lately. It's given me lots of time for herping.
Not bad for just a month's worth! I've been in FL a year and have yet to see some of the species you've found. Also, that FL softshell is huge! Nice finds.
User avatar
soulsurvivor
Posts: 530
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:09 am
Location: NE Florida
Contact:

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by soulsurvivor »

I applied to one of those animal removal companies about 10 yrs ago. They would never call me back. I got the feeling it was just because I was a female that they weren't interested, because I had tons of animal experience, including venomous. Oh well.

Nice finds. That curlytail is cool. We don't have an immense population of exotics up here in north Florida, other than these damn cuban anoles.
User avatar
Noah M
Posts: 2293
Joined: November 3rd, 2012, 7:00 pm
Location: Gainesville, FL
Contact:

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by Noah M »

Yeah, I had only heard of curlies down by Dade Co and the Keys. Interesting to know there is a population farther north. It seems like they stay localized, unlike those dang anoles. Different species of geckos seem to be spreading around too, and Cuban Tree Frogs. I see them in places I would never expect them to turn up.
User avatar
dery
Posts: 1779
Joined: October 1st, 2011, 12:01 pm
Location: huntsville

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by dery »

Your spider looks like some species of wolf spider. I've been tagged and am unaware of any species in the southeast that is medically significant.
User avatar
PrimitiveTim
Posts: 154
Joined: September 8th, 2013, 9:05 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by PrimitiveTim »

You done pretty good! I'm up in North Brevard but our county is so dang long. That softshell is quite the saucer! :)
User avatar
Mike VanValen
Posts: 2074
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by Mike VanValen »

Curlytails are quite common in Broward County. Take a ride through Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood and you'll see what I mean.
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by Jimi »

I was standing at least 50 feet away from the water at a customers house, when I noticed an Alligator swimming across the pond in my direction. It swam up to within 3 feet of me. I was able to get some good photos, but its obvious that some of the residents of this neighborhood are feeding this animal.
Yeah, seems pretty obvious. Bummer. That one will need to be taken out - hopefully before it hurts someone. Anyway, maybe you'll get the call. Lemonade, huh?

There's really only one cardinal rule with gators, which if followed would virtually eliminate the other ones you could also cite - "Don't ever feed a wild gator". Taken as a group, people seem hopelessly incapable of following that one very simple rule. "These are not chipmunks or seagulls, OK people?" :(

Cheers, and congrats on your success. Hopefully your wife will soon be joining you.

Jimi

PS I suggest you invest in some hurricane shutters. E.g., http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/shutters/index3.html. The "storm panel" variety are pretty affordable and work great. You look like you'll be quite capable of putting them up and taking them down. Beats the hell out of plywood, trust me.
Lloyd Heilbrunn
Posts: 285
Joined: June 9th, 2010, 8:15 pm
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by Lloyd Heilbrunn »

Mike VanValen wrote:Curlytails are quite common in Broward County. Take a ride through Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood and you'll see what I mean.
Palm Beach County as well. I have some that hang out on my driveway.
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by BillMcGighan »

Martin Co as well
gretzkyrh4
Posts: 661
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 12:17 pm
Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by gretzkyrh4 »

Cool post and congrats on the new job. I lived in Brevard for 4 years and never realized there was a population of curly tails.

Chris
simus343
Posts: 566
Joined: March 30th, 2014, 1:16 pm
Location: Okaloosa ca, Fla.

Re: My first official post- Brevard Cty, FL June to present

Post by simus343 »

Sounds like a fun job you got there! Always nice to have a job that allows you to go out and move around the area to see different things.

Also, do you have a venomous permit or your job provide you with one? Something to look into even though you are animal control -- just nice to avoid the head ache if an FWC officer ever finds you with a venomous animal. I say this because at work we had an animal control guy bring us a juvenile alligator and we asked him about removing rattlesnakes if he would bring us any to release. He said he couldn't because Florida Fish and Wildlife was limiting him to anything that was not venomous because he lacked the permit to remove venomous reptiles. I guess they count the temporary transport as possession, I don't know what the deal is if its just to relocate into the wild. It'd be worth looking into to avoid issues later, though your company many have you covered with a company license or something like that.
Post Reply