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:
Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscviorus) by photographerp, on Flickr
Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscviorus) by photographerp, on Flickr
Young N. taxispilota
Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota) by photographerp, on Flickr
A few Rough Greens have been in the shrubby areas of the marsh.
Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) by photographerp, on Flickr
Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) by photographerp, on Flickr
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:
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.
Red-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia e. erythrogaster) by photographerp, on Flickr
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
Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) by photographerp, on Flickr
Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) by photographerp, on Flickr
Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) by photographerp, on Flickr
Mackay Island NWR Part Two
Moderator: Scott Waters
- AndyO'Connor
- Posts: 1019
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:14 pm
- Location: Pacific Northwest
Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two
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.
Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two
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.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.
Ian
- AndyO'Connor
- Posts: 1019
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:14 pm
- Location: Pacific Northwest
Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two
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...
Re: Mackay Island NWR Part Two
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!
Thanks for sharing!