Smokies trip and questions

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ohiojeff
Posts: 9
Joined: December 7th, 2012, 5:11 pm

Smokies trip and questions

Post by ohiojeff »

We're heading to Bryson City, NC in a couple weeks for a trip with the in-laws. So it's not a herping trip, per se, but we will do some hiking and there's a creek near where we'll be staying. My sons, who are 10 and 11, love to herp. I think they're most interested in salamanders, but they like to find everything.

My questions are:
We've never really herped anywhere that has venomous snakes. What sort of precautions, warnings, etc. do we need to take? My boys are pretty responsible for their age and usually are pretty cautious, not likely to run off or do too many stupid things.

We live near Cincinnati and we're used to just looking everywhere. The people we'll be with probably won't be into too much herping, so we'll probably just be limited to excursions near any other places we go.

Thanks,
jeff
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kevin h
Posts: 99
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 3:04 pm

Re: Smokies trip and questions

Post by kevin h »

Copperheads and Timbers are the only venomous snakes in that area and you should have to worry too much about them. Copperheads like to migrate towards streams this time of year to cool off so just be wary were you put your fingers if you plan to be flipping and if you see one obviously just leave it alone. Timbers are quite shy and you probably won't see one unless you actively search. All in all just use your common sense and you should be fine. Keep your eye out for salamanders too!
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Noah M
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Joined: November 3rd, 2012, 7:00 pm
Location: Gainesville, FL
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Re: Smokies trip and questions

Post by Noah M »

The rule I've heard is to flip things in a manner so the escape route is away from you, in the event it is a venomous snake. You do this by putting the rock or log between you and the animal when you lift it, and it can kinda double as a shield. But I've also experienced that doing it this way makes it easier for quick lizards and salamanders to dart away, so... :roll:
ohiojeff
Posts: 9
Joined: December 7th, 2012, 5:11 pm

Re: Smokies trip and questions

Post by ohiojeff »

Thanks for all the help. Due to the people with us, we couldn't really do any herping, but had to squeeze it in where we were. I definitely want to go back since it was clear that there were many great habitats. Here are some pics, but I definitely won't identify them all very well.

American toad
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Box turtle saved crossing highway 441
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Saw a few of this kind peeking out from rocks. Larger than we're used to seeing here. Sorry for the blurry pic. Maybe a black-bellied salamander?
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Very small two-lined salamander?
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Maybe another black-bellied?
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Might be an imitator or red-cheeked; hard to see the red cheeks in this picture, unfortunately
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Five-lined Skink
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Queen snake fishing on a chair in the creek
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Aneides Aeneus
Posts: 47
Joined: November 15th, 2014, 8:54 am
Location: Lexington, KY

Re: Smokies trip and questions

Post by Aneides Aeneus »

Nice finds. Looks like you are right about the black-bellied and two-lined salamanders. I would call your red-cheeked individual a red-cheeked salamander and not an imitator, but I'm not totally sure. Do you have any other photos of it? Could you describe the habitat it was found in?

Your skink might actually be a coal skink. This would be an amazing find.

-Ananth
ohiojeff
Posts: 9
Joined: December 7th, 2012, 5:11 pm

Re: Smokies trip and questions

Post by ohiojeff »

I didn't get any more pictures of the salamander. But I found it under a rock near the bank of this:
Image

I really need a decent camera.
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