FieldHerpForum

Sauter's Water Snake (Grass Snake, depending on who you're talking to), Amphiesma sauteri sauteri, is the serpent you're most likely to encounter in leaf-littered drainage and roadside ditches in Taiwan and South China. Leaf litter is home to earthworms, grubs, and other tiny moisture-loving critters,and that's what these snakes eat. They hardly ever exceed 1 1/2 feet in length, have the sweetest demeanor one can wish for, and keep the musking to a minimum - perfect training snakes for kids. The juveniles tend to be very dark and round-headed, but get lighter and more pointy-snouted with age.

Here's an assortment of shots taken this summer.

Hans,

They are great looking little snakes. It is good to see your kids growing up with these experiences. They will really appreciate nature.

Regards,
David

I liked these little snakes, and it's awesome to see the kids growing up this way. I see too many kids growing up on chips and video games. If I ever have kids I hope to do the right thing too. Keep the posts coming.


Justin

Your posts always get my attention. And for good reason. Even as a "ditch snake" this is very cool!
I'm glad your children can enjoy it with you, and there is no doubt that this will turn into a life long respect because of this.

-Jake Scott

1. This post is great - like National Geographic for free!

2. You should update your Snakes of Taiwan page with links to your posts on each species.

3. You're becoming the herp guru for English popular science re: snakes of Taiwan. But your page is beaten on Google by the fat tire boys and by the first hit, Yangmingshan's own guide. The guide has some grammatical errors, so maybe you could help them out? Soon, outdoorsy strangers of every description will be seeking you out for advice!

As you stated in your rationale for Snakes of Taiwan, many people find a snake and are not satisfied with being told it's not dangerous. They want to know more about it. That's where the park stops and you begin!

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone - much appreciated! The kids have graduated from the grass snakes and are working their way up the ladder as we speak.


That's an excellent idea! Alas, since my page is an Excel sheet, it would require some restructuring, as even changing a picture currently results in a massive spatial distortion of the entire page. I think I'll tackle that in the winter months....


Strange, eh? I 'll consult a web-savvy person and will find out how to heave my page closer to the top.


I asked them already....never heard back from them again.


I did? Where?