Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

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dthor68
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Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by dthor68 »

In the last 6 years my area has only hit teens one time. So far this year we have hit the teens four times. How do herps deal with this?
dthor68
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by dthor68 »

It is 29 degrees warmer in Fairbanks Alaska than it is in Clayton Georgia.
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Josh Holbrook »

No problem - as long as they're able to find appropriate hibernacula (i.e. holes/cracks/etc. to get below/away from frost) the vast majority of southeastern herps will do just fine. The only time you might encounter problems is if the hibernacula isn't quite as good as the herp thought it was, or if the herp was already underweight and doesn't have the food stores to last the winter.
Coluber Constrictor
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Coluber Constrictor »

Native stuff will do fine. Exotic species might have mixed results. I've already seen a few dead greenhouse frogs here in Mobile this year.
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PNWHerper
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by PNWHerper »

I found this comic to be very topical to this conversation:

Image
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muskiemagnet
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by muskiemagnet »

you know what? if they can't deal screw them. i'm having a hard enough time with it myself. -40 wind chills for the next three days. i wish i was short and fat.

the herps will be fine. they have been dealing with it for a very very long time. i, on the other-hand, may not make it.

teens??????? how bout -6 high air temp for five days in a row? we did this once already and now it looks like we have no choice but to do it again. a big sarcastic yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

20 inches of ice and building on the lakes.

go stick your tongue to a pole.

sorry, just venting. no harm intended. i just got done shoveling snow for the billionth time. :) :) :)

i'll amend this. it won't be such a long duration. we will get a warm-up of the teens by thursday. monday night. -20. that's air temp. it is supposed to be very windy as well. -60 wind chill.

-ben
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Stohlgren
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Stohlgren »

muskiemagnet wrote:you know what? if they can't deal screw them. i'm having a hard enough time with it myself. -40 wind chills for the next three days. i wish i was short and fat.

the herps will be fine. they have been dealing with it for a very very long time. i, on the other-hand, may not make it.

teens??????? how bout -6 high air temp for five days in a row? we did this once already and now it looks like we have no choice but to do it again. a big sarcastic yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

20 inches of ice and building on the lakes.

go stick your tongue to a pole.

sorry, just venting. no harm intended. i just got done shoveling snow for the billionth time. :) :) :)

i'll amend this. it won't be such a long duration. we will get a warm-up of the teens by thursday. monday night. -20. that's air temp. it is supposed to be very windy as well. -60 wind chill.

-ben
Move.
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The Real Snake Man
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by The Real Snake Man »

Here in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, we are having pretty regular daily highs in the mid-seventies, and lows in the forties and fifties (at night). I found a baby bullsnake out basking in December. Having a hard time relating to what's going on out east.
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Mark Brown
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Mark Brown »

muskiemagnet wrote:sorry, just venting. no harm intended.
Got a very similar email from an old friend of mine who's been in Minneapolis for the last decade or so. He's had enough and they are already gathering boxes. I've been trying to talk him into Austin for a long time but his wife wants a place "with seasons".

Hey, we have seasons......usually all in the same week, too! :lol: 82 last Monday, snow Thursday night, 76 yesterday and more snow forecast for tomorrow morning. I'm ready to move south, too.
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Josh Holbrook »

82 here...
Carl D. May
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Carl D. May »

muskiemagnet wrote:you know what? if they can't deal screw them. i'm having a hard enough time with it myself. -40 wind chills for the next three days. i wish i was short and fat.

the herps will be fine. they have been dealing with it for a very very long time. i, on the other-hand, may not make it.

teens??????? how bout -6 high air temp for five days in a row? we did this once already and now it looks like we have no choice but to do it again. a big sarcastic yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

20 inches of ice and building on the lakes.

go stick your tongue to a pole.

sorry, just venting. no harm intended. i just got done shoveling snow for the billionth time. :) :) :)

i'll amend this. it won't be such a long duration. we will get a warm-up of the teens by thursday. monday night. -20. that's air temp. it is supposed to be very windy as well. -60 wind chill.

-ben

Gee, now I feel bad for sweating my ass off at work today on the beach. It was 84 today in Palm Beach.
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muskiemagnet
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by muskiemagnet »

first off, i won't move. i like it too much. we have been spoiled the last few years with mild winters. i have to say, this is more what it is supposed to be like. i don't have to like it though.

i also am trying to remember it could be worse. i can't imagine being in central canada. they would be calling me a sissy.

just enjoy your warm weather right now because there is always a trade-off. i hate hot and muggy summers. you have that crap a whole lot longer than we do.

too bad the snow is so cold. i can't even build a snowman. good for him at least cause i'd kick him in the jimmy. :lol: :lol: :lol:

-ben
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Mark Brown
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by Mark Brown »

The older I get, the more cold weather isn't just inconvenient.....it's painful. Personally, I love hot weather, and it comes with the additional benefit of 9-10 months of field herping.
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by chris_mcmartin »

muskiemagnet wrote:too bad the snow is so cold. i can't even build a snowman. good for him at least cause i'd kick him in the jimmy.
"Stay away from that house, kids...that's where the creepy guy who makes anatomically-correct snowmen lives."
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muskiemagnet
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Re: Can Southern Herps Deal with Extreme Cold?

Post by muskiemagnet »

chris_mcmartin wrote:
muskiemagnet wrote:too bad the snow is so cold. i can't even build a snowman. good for him at least cause i'd kick him in the jimmy.
"Stay away from that house, kids...that's where the creepy guy who makes anatomically-correct snowmen lives."

i got really really good kool-aid. and a big crawl-space that still has some room. :P :P :P

-ben
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