Reptile Replicas

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Hi all,
It's been a long while since I posted here. It's good to see so many friends and familiar names still active in the field.

Some of you are aware that I make reptile replicas for museums, state and local parks and nature centers. I've been doing it for a number of years. Below are a few photos of some of my work. The willardi replica is currently on display at Bob Ashley's Chiricahua Desert Museum along with a few other pieces of my work. The klauberi and cerberus replicas will soon be there.

I'm currently in need of good adult Rubber Boa and CA Mountain Kingsnake specimens from which I can make molds to cast replicas. I don't collect animals from the wild for the purpose of replicating them, so I'm restricted to finding people who already have molds and castings of certain species, or need to find good quality frozen specimens that have died in captivity from private collections. Road kills are difficult to work with since they are often damaged beyond repair. I would be very grateful if anyone might have a good quality frozen Charina or L. zonata (or L. pyromelana) specimen that I can use for replication.

Please feel free to reply on this thread or send me a PM.

Thank you,
Steve

C. w. willardi - 17" replica
Replica - C. w. willardi 03 (7).jpg
C. l. klauberi - 26" replica
Replica - C. l. klauberi 03 (2).jpg
C. cerberus - 30" replica
Replica - C cerberus 02 (11).jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by LouB747 »

Very cool work Steve. Sorry I don’t have anything for you. Looking forward to seeing more...
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Thanks Lou. I'm enjoying your videos.
You're having too much fun for a guy who's supposedly "working".
We need to get out together again one day, but then finding a dozen Kingsnakes in a day is probably too boring for a guy who strolls Retics, Banded Kraits and King Cobras on his coffee breaks! LOL
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Porter »

Your replicas are awesome Steve :lol: :thumb: I remember you posted one on one of my posts… Not sure which replica but I know it’s not pictured here. And I was like, “oh cool where did you find that “ or something along those lines… And you’re like, “it’s a replica.” :lol: :lol: :lol: ... which is a sincere compliment coming from a guy who bitches about the importance of overlooked fine details lol

LouB747 wrote:Very cool work Steve. Sorry I don’t have anything for you. Looking forward to seeing more...
Steve Bledsoe wrote:Thanks Lou. I'm enjoying your videos.
You're having too much fun for a guy who's supposedly "working".
We need to get out together again one day, but then finding a dozen Kingsnakes in a day is probably too boring for a guy who strolls Retics, Banded Kraits and King Cobras on his coffee breaks! LOL
You guys should contact Hubbs.And do a full process vid...First part of the video could be hubbs and lou out getting the Mountain King. Then bring in the king over to Bledsoe And show the process of making the replica cast. That would be interesting to see... :idea:
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Porter »

Or a video showing how you cast one of those live buzztails. :shock: 8-)
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Porter »

OK so… Are we talking DOR here? Lol i’m at work when I responded to the post. Now it’s about three hours later and I just thought about it again and I’m realizing… That Flippin snakes got to be Dad if he’s going to make a cast of it :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sorry Steve :oops:
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Bingo!
LOL
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Yes - the problem with doing what I do is that I need a dead specimen to make a mold, and I don't want to kill anything to accomplish it. DORs will work if they're in nearly perfect shape, but most herps that have been run over by a 2 ton vehicle aren't much good for what I'm trying to accomplish, which is to create life-like replicas. Thus the need to find animals that have died in captivity and have been frozen before decaying too far, and are in reasonably good shape - not easy to find sometimes.

Here are a few more replica photos.

C. m. pyrrhus - white phase
C. m. pyrrhus replica 02 (14).jpg
C. m. molossus
C. m. molossus.jpg
C. m. molossus 2.jpg
H. s. suspectum
H. s. suspectum replica 01 (29).jpg
H. s. suspectum replica 01 (30).jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Porter »

That’s rad :thumb: The Gil’s Monster is the one I was thinking of. Amazing! You do a good job painting them and matching the colors accurately. Yeah, that makes since that a captive pet dying of old age would make best specimen. I thought that later on before reading it here. Makes sense. Ive been pretty successful in finding zonata DOR in my half-ass attempts to track one down. I think I’m at 4 now....3 or 4. And I’m convinced that it’s because of my stubborn rebellious opinion that they are the equivalent of the cheerleader blonde in high school that everyone is chasing who’s really just a poser coral snake to begin with :roll: :oops: Once I can get that outta my mind, I think the earth will present her to me...It’s more of a mental game :lol: ...but yeah, way things going I’ll probably find a perfect DOR before I’ve earned my lifer, So...... you may be in luck. I find boas in the same area so I’ll keep an eye out and throw one on ice if it’s fresh and not smashed.
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Porter »

Steve Bledsoe wrote:Bingo!
LOL
:lol: :lol: :lol: :thumb: :thumb: So glad to read this lol Cause I was seriously stressing afterwards thinking, “there I go again...indirectly and accidentally being an internet "insert profanity here".
:oops: F#%@ :oops:
:roll: :lol:
User avatar
chris_mcmartin
Posts: 2447
Joined: June 9th, 2010, 12:13 am
Location: Greater Houston TX Area
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Those are amazing!
rosyboakid
Posts: 2
Joined: September 16th, 2018, 12:34 pm
Location: Northern/Central California
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by rosyboakid »

Those replicas are absolutely killer! I bookmarked your website so I may just have to pick some replicas at some point. The speckled and banded rock rattlers in particular are my favorites. Good luck finding a Charina and zonata/pyro, I'd love to see those in replica form as well! :beer:
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Thank you Chris and "rosyboakid" for the compliments. Fellow herpers are my most valuable critics. If you guys think they look reasonably real, then pleasing the general public in a display at a nature center is guaranteed. I give a lot of venomous snake lectures in my area of Southern California, and it's surprising how many people will look closely at some of my replicas and ask me what they eat!
User avatar
Bryan Hamilton
Posts: 1234
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 9:49 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Bryan Hamilton »

Are they available for purchase?
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Hi Bryan,
Yes, they are available for purchase. They're fairly expensive because of the time involved in making and painting them. My rattlesnake replicas sell for $350 to $400 depending on the species. Some species are a little easier to paint than others.

I have more photos on the Reptile Replicas page on my website at http://www.swfieldherp.com
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Zach_Lim »

Hey Steve,

Fantastic work. At my current job, we have a deceased Northern Rubber Boa preserved in alcohol. It isn't the largest boa I have ever seen, but it isn't that small (probably a few years old?). It was found dead on a trail here in Northern California with no visible injuries. Maybe that can help you?

Zach
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

Thank you Zach.
If your specimen is preserved in alcohol or formalin, it probably won't be pliable, or soft enough to re-position into a natural pose. Can you remove it from the jar to check? My experience with preserved specimens is that they get very stiff after a short while.
User avatar
chris_mcmartin
Posts: 2447
Joined: June 9th, 2010, 12:13 am
Location: Greater Houston TX Area
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Steve Bledsoe wrote:Thank you Zach.
If your specimen is preserved in alcohol or formalin, it probably won't be pliable, or soft enough to re-position into a natural pose. Can you remove it from the jar to check? My experience with preserved specimens is that they get very stiff after a short while.
But on the plus side, a rubber boa would be relatively easy to paint... 8-)
User avatar
Steve Bledsoe
Posts: 1809
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:14 am
Location: San Clemente, CA www.swfieldherp.com
Contact:

Re: Reptile Replicas

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

chris_mcmartin wrote:
Steve Bledsoe wrote:Thank you Zach.
If your specimen is preserved in alcohol or formalin, it probably won't be pliable, or soft enough to re-position into a natural pose. Can you remove it from the jar to check? My experience with preserved specimens is that they get very stiff after a short while.
But on the plus side, a rubber boa would be relatively easy to paint... 8-)
That, it would be!
Post Reply