Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

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cameron.rognan
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Location: St. George, Utah
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Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by cameron.rognan »

Its been a while since I posted some new pics, so here are few for all of you still stuck in snow or cold weather. Most of these were taken this weekend while camping and herping with my son, and few were taken during the week. We saw most of the common snakes and lizards, but unfortunately we couldn't find our target - a speckled rattlesnake. The approachable collareds and chucks definitely made up for it. We saw as many as 7 chucks on one small hillside, and got to watch some interesting push-ups and courting behavior. Sorry - I haven't processed the videos yet.

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Chuckwalla by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Desert Collared Lizard by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Great Basin Rattlesnake by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Chuckwalla by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Desert Collared Lizard by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Chuckwalla by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Desert Night Lizard by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Gopher Snake by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Zebra-tailed Lizard by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Patch-nosed Snake by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Great Basin Rattlesnake by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Side-blotched Lizard by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Canyon Tree Frog by cameronrognan, on Flickr

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Desert Tortoise by cameronrognan, on Flickr
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PNWHerper
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by PNWHerper »

Cameron,

Beautiful post! Love your photos, they are always incredible. :thumb:

Glad to see you back on here, it seems like its been a while. Glad to see things are picking up again in your area. Love that beautiful red rock country out your way. :D

The tortoise shell looks like it may have been crushed in the jaws of a coyote. I can see an impact in the center of the shell that looks like it was made by a canine tooth. What is the scale on that shell?
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Neil M
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by Neil M »

Beautiful photos, I always love the stuff from Utah! Those GB rattlers are awesome!

Neil
cameron.rognan
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by cameron.rognan »

I'm not sure if the tortoise was predated by a canine, or raven. My initial thought was that it was a raven due to the size of the holes in the shell and the lack of obvious bite marks. The tortoise was only about 3 inches long and I found it in a pack rat nest (as photographed) alongside bones and shell fragments from an adult-sized tortoise. I would think a tortoise this small would have been really crushed and more damaged by a coyote. The were large cliffs nearby, which would be good raven habitat, but coyotes and foxes are pretty much found anywhere. I didn't think raven predation was a bid deal in Utah, so if anyone has any further thoughts on on the likely predator please chime in.

Thanks

Cameron
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PNWHerper
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by PNWHerper »

Cameron,

I am wondering regarding the evidence if there were associated punctures underneath?

Also, if you get a chance to see this shell again can you measure the distance between the 2 main holes on the top? Or you could just photograph it with a tape measurer on the shell.

There is a great chart of inter-canine distances in different mammalian predators in Mark Elbroch's MAMMAL TRACKS & SIGN. It would be more evidence to weigh in for coyote or fox. Or it could help us lean more towards raven if those details are not there.

On the note of tracks and sign, you seeing much in the way of tracks out there in the red sandy areas? Do you still wanna contribute your Gila monster tracks and GB rattlesnake lay spot to the Herp Tracking Book? I never did get those from you back in the day, as I could not access them via your flickr account (protected). Anyway, let me know.
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Jeremy Westerman
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by Jeremy Westerman »

Not sure what I envy more, your ownership and skill using that nice camera, or your apparent field craft. Your beautiful photos never fail to awe me and make my own contributions seem meager.
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SurfinHerp
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by SurfinHerp »

Excellent photos Cam!

Love the chuckwallas, collareds, and especially the gophersnake :mrgreen:
I'd really like to see more photos of the gopher if you have some.

Thanks!

Jeff
cameron.rognan
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by cameron.rognan »

Thanks for the comments everyone.

About the predated tortoise, I found another one in a packrat nest today, in a completely different area. The tortoise was about the same size as the one photographed here, but it had much more obvious bite/puncture marks and was severely crunched, making me further believe that this one was killed by a raven rather than a canine. But who knows for sure?

PNW - You may use some photos from my flickr account for your book, as long as you credit properly and share 50% of your earnings when the book goes to print... just kidding. A free copy of the book might be nice if you have any extra. The photos should be downloadable from flickr, but if you cant get them or need higher res just let me know and I'll see if I can find the originals to send you.

Cameron
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RCampbell
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by RCampbell »

Loved the chuck and lutosus shots.

Any chnace that the predation on the young torts were the result of packrats or squirrels directly? I have seen squirrels do a lot of damge, and have had a few serious discussions with some large scale tortoise breeders on squirrel predation on their young tortoises...
cameron.rognan
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by cameron.rognan »

This packrat nest also had body parts from an adult desert tortoise, and I have frequently seen tortoise remains, scat, and lots of other cool things in these nests. I cant rule out squirrel predation, but I think the packrats are mostly just good collectors.
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Fundad
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by Fundad »

Great photos, those tortoise finds would make great and important HERP database records.
:mrgreen:

Fundad
Brian Eagar
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by Brian Eagar »

Great shots Cameron. I love the shot of the two chucks.
I sure do envy your early spring and herp diversity.
Intersting patchnose. All the specimens I have seen in Washington county have been more greyish and didn't have so much yellow and brown.
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by ratsnakehaven »

Great stuff and photos. Really interesting about the tortoise parts in the packrat nests. Hope you keep us posted on this type of info.

Terry
cameron.rognan
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by cameron.rognan »

I also thought the patch-nosed was more brown and yellowish than any I remember seeing around here. But it was also the largest I've ever seen in Utah, so maybe that's part of it.
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PNWHerper
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by PNWHerper »

PNW - You may use some photos from my flickr account for your book, as long as you credit properly and share 50% of your earnings when the book goes to print... just kidding. A free copy of the book might be nice if you have any extra. The photos should be downloadable from flickr, but if you cant get them or need higher res just let me know and I'll see if I can find the originals to send you.
Wow, 50% of the earnings... you drive a steep price for a few photos! :shock: ;) Yes, they will be credited properly.

Can't download them for flickr. I will need you to email them to me. Higher res version would be amazing. I will send you a PM with details regarding which ones.
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Juxtaposition109
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by Juxtaposition109 »

Great photos. I think the one of the Gopher Snake was my favorite.
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LocalityRosys
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Re: Some pics of recent outing in S. Utah

Post by LocalityRosys »

Great stuff........I love the pituophes, looks awesome.

Jer
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