Mackay Island NWR Part Two

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Reptiluvr
Posts: 258
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 7:49 pm

Mackay Island NWR Part Two

Post by Reptiluvr »

The herping peaked in April. The temps have been very mild here for the time of year so things are still moving around. My best find was just recently. Cottonmouths are still plentiful. Cloudy days we find the most. Our one day high is 16.
This one might be the biggest I've ever found:
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Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscviorus) by photographerp, on Flickr
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Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscviorus) by photographerp, on Flickr

Young N. taxispilota
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Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota) by photographerp, on Flickr

A few Rough Greens have been in the shrubby areas of the marsh.
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Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) by photographerp, on Flickr
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Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) by photographerp, on Flickr
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Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) by photographerp, on Flickr

Red-bellied Water Snakes are pretty common
Anyone have any idea what happened to this one:
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Red-bellied Water Snake by photographerp, on Flickr

This adult had its tail clipped at some point. Likely one of the many Snapping Turtles around here.
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Red-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia e. erythrogaster) by photographerp, on Flickr
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Red-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia e. erythrogaster) by photographerp, on Flickr


My herpetological find of the year: A Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) after Tropical Storm Andrea
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Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) by photographerp, on Flickr
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Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) by photographerp, on Flickr
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Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) by photographerp, on Flickr
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AndyO'Connor
Posts: 1019
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:14 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two

Post by AndyO'Connor »

some nice finds, especially the mud. Nerodia are capable of dropping their tail similar to lizards (so are Masticophis and Thamnophis) except they can't regenerate.
SnakeDude
Posts: 417
Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two

Post by SnakeDude »

some nice finds, especially the mud. Nerodia are capable of dropping their tail similar to lizards (so are Masticophis and Thamnophis) except they can't regenerate.
That would explain a lot. Every time I grab a garter, they do that little death roll thing and a couple times with the larger ones, the tail kind of just... twisted off... Glad to know it wasn't some crazy spinal injury I gave him. Nice stuff, too. I never noticed how similar the heads look on muds compared to rainbow snakes.

Ian
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AndyO'Connor
Posts: 1019
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:14 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two

Post by AndyO'Connor »

They do look similar sometimes to me in pictures too. Yeah, I think the death roll is specifically because they know the tail will break off, which is why I'd recommend grabbing them mid section, so as not to rob them of the "one-time" tail break that they might need for a predator later in life. Not saying I've never done it either, it's how I found out, grabbed a nerodia for the first time on a visit to AR and it spun twice in my hand and left my with 2 inches of tail in my hand...
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TurtleTim
Posts: 38
Joined: December 4th, 2012, 12:27 pm

Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two

Post by TurtleTim »

I never knew snakes could drop tails. Neat! One day I'll find a mud snake and that will be a great day.

Thanks for sharing!
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