Search found 383 matches

by The Real Snake Man
November 15th, 2017, 11:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Could Pattern Mimicry in Snakes be Misinterpreted?
Replies: 97
Views: 137270

Re: Could Pattern Mimicry in Snakes be Misinterpreted?

To those confused as to whether or not nonvenomous look-alikes are actually mimicking coral snakes, combine the paper I shared earlier (giving strong evidence for the power of coral snake aposematism, even working to a degree in non-visual predators) with the biogeography of Pliocercus elapoides . T...
by The Real Snake Man
November 12th, 2017, 10:26 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Could Pattern Mimicry in Snakes be Misinterpreted?
Replies: 97
Views: 137270

Re: Could Pattern Mimicry in Snakes be Misinterpreted?

http://faculty.virginia.edu/brodie/file ... l%2095.pdf

This 1995 paper discusses the subject of the extent to which coral snake patterns are a deterrent to birds. Turns out, aposematism is pretty effective stuff!

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
April 27th, 2017, 8:09 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Bornean spine-jawed snake (Xenophidion acanthognathus)
Replies: 6
Views: 5841

Re: Bornean spine-jawed snake (Xenophidion acanthognathus)

I don't know that many people here appreciate the magnitude of this discovery. Spine-jawed snakes (Xenophiidae) are two species of snakes, one known from Borneo and one known from Peninsular Malaysia, both of which were only documented once a few decades back and then never seen again. They are the ...
by The Real Snake Man
February 22nd, 2017, 3:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Western Cape Herping Trip - South Africa. [Photo Heavy]
Replies: 6
Views: 5457

Re: Western Cape Herping Trip - South Africa. [Photo Heavy]

I think that as opposed to "symbiotically", what you meant to say was "sympatrically". Very good photos and very interesting post.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
December 13th, 2016, 4:26 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Borneo Dispatches #84: What happened to "Borneo Dispatches"?
Replies: 6
Views: 5908

Re: Borneo Dispatches #84: What happened to "Borneo Dispatch

Your photography is just fine, don't let other people's work discourage you. Kurt does decent work but his flash is the softest lighting ever to render a photo subject colorless (I know you'll probably read this Kurt, and I am mostly kidding). Sorry to hear about your knee, but glad to hear the writ...
by The Real Snake Man
August 15th, 2016, 10:15 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico
Replies: 90
Views: 104716

Re: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico

1. I am not certain that epigenetics are the reason that subspecies look different from one another, and would like to see the scientific research that you are citing for this argument. 2. If that were the case, then there would be no need for subspecific designations, because they wouldn't say anyt...
by The Real Snake Man
July 19th, 2016, 2:22 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico
Replies: 90
Views: 104716

Re: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico

Jeff: Just out of curiosity, what kind of milk was that? My gut says annulata but there are a few possible issues with that guess. Where did you find the picture?

-Gene

Edit: found the picture and looks like I was wrong. Welp, just shows to go ya.
by The Real Snake Man
July 16th, 2016, 1:48 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico
Replies: 90
Views: 104716

Re: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico

Scott, you're a goddamn idiot. I know sarcasm when I hear it, but try to have a little class when you do it. -Gene PS: Did you ever think of all the civil conversations we could have with all the people that we shared interests with if only we could do this in person? I have yet to know an ethical h...
by The Real Snake Man
July 12th, 2016, 6:26 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico
Replies: 90
Views: 104716

Re: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico

Scott: I'll be 20 this month, but I've spent the last 15 years reading about snakes and other herps (I learned how to read from my snake books). I don't give a damn if you've read about snakes for 40 years, if you don't accept the reality of genetics in defining evolutionary relationships, then you ...
by The Real Snake Man
July 7th, 2016, 1:11 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico
Replies: 90
Views: 104716

Re: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico

I am sure that it wasn't the author of this new book, but what kind of idiot would sink the species triangulum and make all of the sub species of milk snakes whole species? I may avoid buying the book just because I could not stomach seeing Lampropeltis triangulum polyzona listed as Lampropeltis po...
by The Real Snake Man
June 20th, 2016, 4:10 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico
Replies: 90
Views: 104716

Re: NEW BOOK: Snakes of Mexico

They go back and forth between having none and having almost none. Get your copy while you can. I have a feeling this will be one of the harder books to obtain in the years ahead, and one of the most important publications of the decade. -Gene PS: This post probably should've gone on the literature ...
by The Real Snake Man
June 17th, 2016, 10:09 am
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: Peterson Field Guide to Eastern/Central...Fourth Edition
Replies: 7
Views: 16812

Re: Peterson Field Guide to Eastern/Central...Fourth Edition

Kyle from Carolina wrote:I showed it to a friend and he said that some of the newly split map turtles weren't accounted for.
I looked through the book again and the CNAH list of map turtle species, and they're all accounted for. I don't know what your friend must've thought was missing, but I assure you it's not.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
March 4th, 2016, 10:45 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Common name for Crotalus ornatus and Crotalus molossus
Replies: 9
Views: 6532

Re: Common name for Crotalus ornatus and Crotalus molossus

Eastern and Northern also technically makes sense because of the other Mexican subspecies of blacktail, which of course live further south. That said, western isn't bad.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
February 13th, 2016, 12:30 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Eastern Europe's Convergent Example To The Axolotl
Replies: 3
Views: 5070

Re: Eastern Europe's Convergent Example To The Axolotl

Actually, I wouldn't describe Olms as being convergent with Axolotls much at all. The wild type Axolotls ( Ambystoma mexicanum ) are mottled brown, only certain captive morphs are white. Also, with the exception of the black-colored olm subspecies ( Proteus anguinus parkelj ), olms are white, blind ...
by The Real Snake Man
October 18th, 2015, 12:19 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: West Palm Beach Hot Spots?
Replies: 1
Views: 1591

Re: West Palm Beach Hot Spots?

No one is going to point you to any spots for anything, in all likelihood. "We don't know anything about you, so why would we give you our spots?" is the general reaction to posts like this on the forum. This can be a very helpful community, and they'll gladly tell you about the kind of ha...
by The Real Snake Man
October 6th, 2015, 10:44 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: ID Black Snake from Lebanon
Replies: 33
Views: 12346

Re: ID Black Snake from Lebanon

Oh brother. No need to go all passive aggressive on this guy, just tell him his avatar demonstrates a poor handling technique and apparent desire for... attention? I agree that poor handling needs to be addressed in amateur members, but if you see it first, just say something. Brendan almost certain...
by The Real Snake Man
September 10th, 2015, 5:27 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Who on the forum would you most like to meet in person...
Replies: 44
Views: 65054

Re: Who on the forum would you most like to meet in person..

Justin Michels (justinm), Kyle Elmore (soopaman), and Hans Breuer (twoton).

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
August 16th, 2015, 2:06 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: I made a Gopher Snake Music VIDEO
Replies: 10
Views: 3682

Re: I made a Gopher Snake Music VIDEO

Was it windy? Do the vibrations mimic that of grass that might be present? One of them isn't around any grass, but snakes aren't always too sharp if you know what I mean. I've seen some weird shaking behavior in speckled racers, in one specimen that I was watching in situ, but it was much more preci...
by The Real Snake Man
August 12th, 2015, 2:15 pm
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to now
Replies: 11
Views: 19602

Re: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to

Oh, you're like the only person I know as nerdy as I am about books. I finally found a copy of http://www.amazon.com/monograph-colubrid-snakes-Elaphe-Fitzinger/dp/8090169988 that wasn't too expensive and in good shape. I should have it this week! Only a few more books needed to make me feel complet...
by The Real Snake Man
August 11th, 2015, 2:43 pm
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to now
Replies: 11
Views: 19602

Re: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to

Justin: I recently got a copy of Ditmars' The Reptile Book. It's a 1907 book, and the cover is completely separated from the pages. I'd planned on looking up how to repair it myself, but would it be better to take it to the library?

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
August 9th, 2015, 3:53 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX
Replies: 8
Views: 6004

Re: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX

Holy Crow! That is some pretty dang cool finds. Yep on what everyone else has already said. The Tamaulipin Hook-nosed is pretty cool for sure and I am not sure that I have ever seen a Texas Scarlet Snake posted here on FHF or if so, I think it has been a few years. Very COOL! That specimen looks no...
by The Real Snake Man
August 9th, 2015, 3:47 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX
Replies: 8
Views: 6004

Re: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX

Cool find on the lineri, although I still consider Leptodeira a better find. I think the real prize in the valley is Leptodactylus fragilis though. Oh ...and its not the forum's first though....I posted mine 9 years ago. ;) Now if you can post a TX Leptodactylus, you might take that title. Haha, we...
by The Real Snake Man
August 4th, 2015, 2:28 am
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to now
Replies: 11
Views: 19602

Re: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to

As of today, I finished obtaining all the books on that list of mine, and it appears no one has anything to add. I know the feeling of getting a really sweet copy of an old book. I've got a few thirties books (Curran and Kauffeld, Ditmars, Pope, etc.) that still even have great dust jackets. Even go...
by The Real Snake Man
August 4th, 2015, 2:22 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX
Replies: 8
Views: 6004

Re: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX

Having never visited that corner of the country I am not sure as to the rarity or significance of any of those finds, but I quite enjoyed your photography. Very nicely shot. Also that Ficimia streckeri is cool, not sure if I have seen one of those posted before. Kinda boggles my mind to hear that, ...
by The Real Snake Man
August 1st, 2015, 10:23 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: North Jersey Herping Look at this baby
Replies: 3
Views: 3016

Re: North Jersey Herping Look at this baby

I believe that is a young Storeria dekayi, or brownsnake.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
July 30th, 2015, 2:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX
Replies: 8
Views: 6004

Short but very sweet: Summer herping 2015 in S TX

Well, I don't really feel like writing a whole lot and due to the protected status of most of the things I'm about to post, I think I'll keep the details at a minimum. Basically, I was only at home for 2 weeks this summer, and I only went herping four times. So get ready to have your mind blown. Als...
by The Real Snake Man
July 29th, 2015, 9:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A week in the United Arab Emirates
Replies: 26
Views: 17494

Re: A week in the United Arab Emirates

Great stuff. The Eryx jayakari is really neat. My buddy John is stationed in Bahrain right now, and he's enjoying finding those freaky boas. Thanks for sharing.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
July 29th, 2015, 3:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: North Jersey Gaters
Replies: 5
Views: 3479

Re: North Jersey Gaters

Glad to see you don't get all defensive, and just take good-natured advice. Have you ever read Carl Kauffeld's Snakes and Snake Hunting ? He looks for stuff all over, but he's specifically got several chapters about his herping experiences in New Jersey. It's a great read, I'd highly recommend it. -...
by The Real Snake Man
July 29th, 2015, 1:52 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: North Jersey Gaters
Replies: 5
Views: 3479

Re: North Jersey Gaters

Cool shots. Another handling quibble though: it's not as big of a deal with smaller snakes, but it's generally a good idea to avoid holding a snake near the tail tip as you do in the final shot. Holding the snake near the center of the body is best for it, and the more points of contact when holding...
by The Real Snake Man
July 29th, 2015, 11:59 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: New Jersey herping, two ring necks and a toad
Replies: 2
Views: 2239

Re: New Jersey herping, two ring necks and a toad

Cool stuff. Just a tip for the future: I know you were just trying to demonstrate the yellow underside of the ringneck, but in the future, I'd refrain from holding a snake of this size and temperament by the neck like that. It isn't really necessary, and may not be the best thing for the snake. I lo...
by The Real Snake Man
July 28th, 2015, 9:49 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: South Africa: Zululand, Transkei and Drakensberg
Replies: 1
Views: 2912

Re: South Africa: Zululand, Transkei and Drakensberg

Very impressive stuff! A cobra, a mamba, all great. Thanks for sharing.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
July 28th, 2015, 6:49 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Forgive me for not putting this on the literature forum
Replies: 2
Views: 2885

Re: Forgive me for not putting this on the literature forum

Just thought I'd add: I emailed Professor Powell today, and he said that the book will include all the taxonomic changes that have taken place over the last 18 years since the last edition, including some of the more "controversial" ones (like the getula split, P. ramspotti , P. slowinskii...
by The Real Snake Man
July 25th, 2015, 5:05 pm
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to now
Replies: 11
Views: 19602

North American Herpetofauna: the literature from 1900 to now

I have recently taken up an effort to obtain all of the definitive 20th and 21st century guides to North American reptile and amphibian orders/suborders, specifically books that focus on frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, or turtles in the United States (and mostly Canada, and occasionally Baja). ...
by The Real Snake Man
July 22nd, 2015, 6:52 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Gartersnake (cyrtopsis) behavior - Rhabdophis impersonation
Replies: 41
Views: 16785

Re: Gartersnake (cyrtopsis) behavior - Rhabdophis impersonat

I was looking at the Virginia Herpitological Society pages for another reason, and found this... "Thamnophis sirtalis will often flatten its head and anterior body and strike if molested. Juveniles especially will perform this behavior and will strike so forcefully that they may completely lea...
by The Real Snake Man
July 21st, 2015, 11:45 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Gartersnake (cyrtopsis) behavior - Rhabdophis impersonation
Replies: 41
Views: 16785

Re: Gartersnake (cyrtopsis) behavior - Rhabdophis impersonat

Well all of this escalated quickly! Darn cool snake behavior, but I'd say it's definitely mimicking the dueling stance of a rattlesnake and the neck-spreading of a hognose all in one display, as these snakes are all in its range. I mean really, didn't anyone stop to think that a newbie probably woul...
by The Real Snake Man
July 17th, 2015, 11:57 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Which Whiptail ??
Replies: 4
Views: 3315

Re: Which Whiptail ??

I'm going with six-lined. Between the two dorsal lines it has a lighter region more typical of sexlineata, whereas the Plateau Striped Whiptails appear to have a faint to pronounced stripe between the analogous lines. Could be wrong, but that's my guess.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
July 16th, 2015, 3:35 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Forgive me for not putting this on the literature forum
Replies: 2
Views: 2885

Forgive me for not putting this on the literature forum

But it gets a lot less traffic, and I thought the vast majority of us would be excited to see this: http://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Reptiles-Amphibians-Eastern-Central/dp/0544129970/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437085848&sr=1-8&keywords=A+Field+Guide+to+Reptiles+and+Amphibians+of+E...
by The Real Snake Man
July 16th, 2015, 11:15 am
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: Bushmaster: Ditmars and the World's Largest Viper
Replies: 7
Views: 17140

Re: Bushmaster: Ditmars and the World's Largest Viper

I saw someone on Amazon complain about grammatical errors. That is one thing I cannot tolerate in a book, at least when they appear to be excessive (I mean, every book has typos). Can anyone verify that this complaint was valid, and whether or not it hampered the reading experience?

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
July 16th, 2015, 10:32 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Thamnophis Elegans speculation
Replies: 4
Views: 2659

Re: Thamnophis Elegans speculation

I don't know much about the topic, but it has long been my belief that a genetic study of Thamnophis , particularly T. elegans , T. proximus , and T. sirtalis , would give us a radically different view of these groups' taxonomy. For that matter, genetic studies of Diadophis punctatus , Coluber const...
by The Real Snake Man
June 25th, 2015, 8:25 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: New to the forum
Replies: 10
Views: 4476

Re: New to the forum

Nice job not asking for locales on your first post! I like you already. Welcome to the Forum!

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
June 15th, 2015, 9:28 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: April to June in So. Cal. - new photos added
Replies: 10
Views: 6162

Re: April to June in So. Cal.

Great stuff. The Cleveland National Forest mitchellii reminds me of the specimen on the frontispiece of the first volume of Klauber's 1956 book Rattlesnakes (which was also a San Diego County animal). Must be cool to see animals like Klauber saw, even if things have changed over the last several dec...
by The Real Snake Man
June 12th, 2015, 5:47 pm
Forum: News
Topic: From the Onion, I give you
Replies: 1
Views: 3620

From the Onion, I give you

An accurate snake identification (down to the genus at least). Pretty funny.

http://www.theonion.com/article/embarra ... w-ca-50649

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
June 9th, 2015, 2:26 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 so far.... (long post - many pictures)
Replies: 5
Views: 5145

Re: 2015 so far.... (long post - many pictures)

This post is freaking amazing! The mamba, the boomslang, the twigsnake, the cobra, the pythons, the platypus, the cassowaries, my mind can't handle it all. Thanks very much for taking the time to put this together. Did you find the mamba to be pretty temperamental, or did you leave it alone for the ...
by The Real Snake Man
June 6th, 2015, 1:59 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Some snakes from KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA
Replies: 14
Views: 7129

Re: Some snakes from KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA

Great shots. I don't entirely agree with Kelly on this one, assuming I understand what she means. If you're removing a mamba like you did there, I don't see how you can safely do that without handling it the way you did. You could have perhaps cleared things out of the way better, although that didn...
by The Real Snake Man
May 22nd, 2015, 9:33 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herp heroes
Replies: 39
Views: 19009

Re: Herp heroes

The real herp heroes are Ditmars, Klauber, Kauffeld, Carr, Wright and Wright, Ernst and Ernst, Conant, Stebbins, Smith, the list goes on and on. Not really related, but that's what I thought this would be about when I saw the title.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
May 20th, 2015, 2:05 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: trip report - Peninsular Malaysia april 2015
Replies: 25
Views: 16054

Re: trip report - Peninsular Malaysia april 2015

With reference to the discussion about variations in color pattern among C. bivirgatus , it should be noted that there are three subspecies, including a Borneo variety that has four white stripes down its back (like the DOR in this post): http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1...
by The Real Snake Man
May 15th, 2015, 5:47 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: trip report - Peninsular Malaysia april 2015
Replies: 25
Views: 16054

Re: trip report - Peninsular Malaysia april 2015

If you email Dr. Grismer directly, he will tell you that there is a second edition of the lizard book coming out, and there is also a snake book and an amphibian book on the way. Should be pretty great.

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
May 15th, 2015, 4:37 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: trip report - Peninsular Malaysia april 2015
Replies: 25
Views: 16054

Re: trip report - Peninsular Malaysia april 2015

Great stuff. The more material I see from Peninsular Malaysia, the more anxiously I await the publication of Dr. Lee Grismer's three up-coming books on the region. Just out of curiosity: do you use Grismer's lizard book to ID your finds?

-Gene
by The Real Snake Man
May 15th, 2015, 4:18 am
Forum: Reading Room
Topic: Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians
Replies: 1
Views: 12088

Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians

I don't know how many have heard of this new book. Written by Gordon Grigg and profusely illustrated mostly by David Kirshner, this book is most likely the best book ever written on the subject. It covers everything you could want to know in accessible language, and overall it's just an amazing book...
by The Real Snake Man
May 11th, 2015, 10:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Costa Rica jackpot
Replies: 10
Views: 4491

Re: Costa Rica jackpot

Beautiful Lachesis melanocephala. Good on you for showing the restraint/respect necessary to leave it be as much as possible.

-Gene