Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

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Shane_TX
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Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Shane_TX »

Perhaps I'm not the only person who utilizes Google Earth. It's a wonderful "intelligence" tool that I'm glad to have. A short ten years ago much of the imagery that it offers was classified as confidential. Screw that tape, I want to easily scroll where I damn well please (thanks Google). However, it's only fun and games until you scroll down to a giraffe in south TX:

Image

Coordinates:

N 27 25 49
W 099 10 44

I've noticed some curious land-use practices, but that one takes the cake (so far). I'm stumped; thoughts?

Shane
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by BillMcGighan »

Cantaloupe mounds???
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Don Cascabel
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Don Cascabel »

I don't know but I've had fun looking for clandestine airstrips in w. Durango/ e. Sinaloa. I have found a few in the past, don't have any coords right now, but I will post one next time I am on GE at the office! I have found many herp species and difficult to access mountains thanks to GE.

Cheers,

Chris
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infidel
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by infidel »

I work down here in South Texas and my best guess here would be someone's idea of a deer habitat. Deer hunting is HUGE business in that area and I've seen some very odd ideas of what deer "like" I've seen some similar to this here they cut zig zagging swaths through the brush to give deer the "edge effect" while providing hunters a clear lane to shoot them. The little islands of mesquite provide deer places to hide during the day.

My second guess would just be some very oddly patterned root plowing techniques. These guys down here will root plow their places in patterns to thin out the brush plants allow some of the mesquite and other native "trees" to grow to grow into their full potential / natural size with the available water. Bad range practices down here in South Texas has caused some VERY ugly brush (aka Monte) that rarely gets over three to four feet tall. If however, you have seen some of the very rare virgin areas down here in South Texas, you'd be amazed at some of the Mesquite, Acacia "jungles". The Mesquite can reach 30-40 ft in some places and the various acacia trees can reach 20-30 feet. They are very easy to walk through offer plenty of shade. This type of native habitat is great for wildlife. You can see places like this in Bensen Rio Grande Valley SP or the World Birding Center.
Over grazing and over plowing have decimated these places. With cooperation from Texas A&M and some private Range Management companies, some of these south Texas Ranches are trying to return to what nature intended. One way is to root plow selected areas allowing the nearby brush to remain and grow with less competition for the scarce water. It actually works. This might just be one of those areas. Just a guess.

Other than that, I'm clueless.
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tdimler
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by tdimler »

I agree with infidel....some type of habitat improvement for wildlife. I think I know someone who could shed a little more light on this and will see what I can find out.

Travis
Shane_TX
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Shane_TX »

One way is to root plow selected areas allowing the nearby brush to remain and grow with less competition for the scarce water. It actually works. This might just be one of those areas.
That makes a lot of sense, especially given the somewhat random patterns. It almost looks like it could be an experimental area with the different patterns in each north-south swath. I've never been to any of the south TX preserves and therefore don't know what "pristine" is supposed to look like down there.

On another note, have any of you had much luck with annulata and kennerlyi this year? I have an opportunity to head down south this weekend but I'm on the fence due to the drought.

Thanks for the replies.

Shane
Gordon C. Snelling

Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Gordon C. Snelling »

I am thinking more along the lines of just "off road" type tracks thru the brush, as opposed to deliberate plowing or cultivation. See alot of that sort of track in the popular off road areas in the desert .
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Bill Love
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Bill Love »

I'd lean toward some sort of game management too, and the plan looks like it'd be interesting for walking to view herps too. Those 'roadways', if they grassed over, ought to be great for tortoises and most herps with so many edge zones created. I hope someone notices this post who can offer a solid explanation.
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tdimler
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by tdimler »

I did some checking and I am pretty certain that this country has been root/plowed disced to improve quail habitat.

Travis
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Texas Blonde
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Texas Blonde »

You should look at the Midland/Odessa area of W Tx, with all the oil field locations. It is also pretty crazy looking on Google Earth. A good area to search is Goldsmith, Tx. It's out in the middle of no where, with a lot of oil production.
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Texas Blonde wrote:You should look at the Midland/Odessa area of W Tx, with all the oil field locations. It is also pretty crazy looking on Google Earth. A good area to search is Goldsmith, Tx. It's out in the middle of no where, with a lot of oil production.

And from what I've heard from (ahem) commercial collectors, said oil fields are a lucrative spot for Crotaphytus collaris; at least 10 years ago a fella was talking about getting 100 a day out of some of those fields--including very high-yellow females. :?
Shane_TX
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Shane_TX »

Ahh, quail habitat. It slipped my mind that south TX is also great for that.

Yeah, those heavy oil production areas are really pockmarked. The vicinity of Teague, TX has a lot of that going on.

Here's an interesting one:

Image

That is from east of Bastrop, TX.

Shane
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Scott_Wahlberg
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Scott_Wahlberg »

Shane,

You should talk to some of the people doing Houston Toad research out of Bastrop about the story behind that picture.

-Scott
Shane_TX
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Shane_TX »

You should talk to some of the people doing Houston Toad research out of Bastrop about the story behind that picture.
I don't need to talk to them, please share;) I figured a Houston Toad discussion might arise.

Shane
will lattea
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by will lattea »

Don Cascabel wrote:I don't know but I've had fun looking for clandestine airstrips in w. Durango/ e. Sinaloa. I have found a few in the past, don't have any coords right now, but I will post one next time I am on GE at the office! I have found many herp species and difficult to access mountains thanks to GE.

Cheers,

Chris
Is this good stej habitat?

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl= ... o-31627411

:P

-Will
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Don Cascabel
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Don Cascabel »

Ironically, I was just sent a photo of a stejie from that immediate vicinity a few weeks ago! I guess the Cannabis and Stejies really are indicator species of each other. LOL.

Good ol' Sinaloa.... such an adventure to herp....

Don Cascabel
Crotalus
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Crotalus »

ROFL thats hilarious. Like Chris said, there's a new record that recently came to light just to the SW of there. The specimen was photo'd by a team surveying for jaguars, and they mistook it for a lepidus.
erik loza
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by erik loza »

Out of curiosity, is it just NOT safe to go exploring in Mexico any longer due to cartel activities?
Crotalus
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Crotalus »

What do you mean? Exploring where?

It probably hasn't been safe to "go exploring" in the hills of Sinaloa for quite some time.

IMO it's the areas you don't want to go exploring (but have to pass through to get to good areas), that have turned to sh*t with the drug war. Shaking up cartel structure has really just turned hundreds of pueblos into battlegrounds over the right to sell drugs there, and then some major battlegrounds over traffic routes in some cities and ports. So instead of having a minor risk of robbery/car jacking all over the place and moderately dangerous sierras, you have an elevated risk of robbery/car jacking/kidnapping/cross fire/blockades all over the place as "order" has broken down quite a bit, and police are terrified or in on things or both. On the other hand, the sierras have stayed about the same.

A few years ago I really didn't have much apprehension when herping/traveling most of mexico (the exception of some parts of Durango/Sinaloa/Michoacan). Today I think someone would have to be stupid to spend much time herping, or even just driving around Tamaulipas (especially the north) and northern Nuevo Leon, and I feel like there's a high enough risk of trouble in parts of Guerrero/Michoacan/Nayarit/Durango/Sinaloa/Chihuahua that I would exercise extreme caution.

The US' recent travel warning for MX is pretty fair: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_t ... _5440.html but they left out DF and the surrounding 100mi.

One of the things to take into consideration is that, in a lot of these areas, life just isn't all the precious. People kill people, and thats just the way it is. "It was just their time to go" seems to be sufficient explation. Especially in the drug growing sierras, there really is sort of a wild west mentality, and VIRTUALLY EVERYONE, except you, is armed. That said, if you can get off on the right foot, and make it past the cross stares long enough to explain what you're doing, for the most part there are a bunch of really friendly people. Rub the wrong person the wrong way, you'll die and end up dumped somewhere and no one will say a thing.

-JJ
erik loza
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by erik loza »

Well, most of my time has been spent in Jalisco.

I live closer to the border now, so the MX border states are within driving distance and have always thought it would be interesting to explore Tamaulipas, for example. But I am aware of all the cartel violence, so thought I'd ask another herper their take on it.

Thanks for your reply.
Crotalus
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by Crotalus »

Go to Coahuila, or the southern half of Nuevo Leon (on the west side) The border crossing cities are all little nuts, but cross in Coahuila in the morning and drive through. I think you can still explore the mountains of Nuevo Leon (south of Monterrey, and W of Linares) without much issue, and there's plenty to see there. Don't bring an expensive vehicle.

Jalisco is generally pretty safe. A little craziness here, a little there, but overall it's like Disneyland.

-JJ
erik loza
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Re: Yes Virginia, South TX Looks Like a Giraffe

Post by erik loza »

Thanks for the advice.
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