2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

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semasko
Posts: 27
Joined: June 18th, 2014, 6:30 am
Location: Latrobe, Pennsylvania

2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by semasko »

All pictures of from various parts of southwest and northern PA. All rattlesnakes are Crotalus horridus and copperheads Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen.
It took me a while to see this one.
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Get your lean on. A nice ~50 incher encountered randomly in fall 2013.
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Hanging out.
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Inside a palette under a tarp along with a racer and slimy salamander.
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I was explaining to a new guy not to worry about finding timbers while we were flipping rocks in a clearing looking for milks/greens/etc. when I flipped a rock and found this 2nd year. Oops!
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I wish I took a better photo of this guy, as this does no justice to his color. I flipped him in a friend's yard and used him for an educational program, where he shed in captivity. I also fed him a mouse before I released him, which he struck and ate within 2 minutes to my surprise (I heard wild ones don't eat too well in captivity).
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A very gravid female.
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The old "slit eyes" trick doesn't work for this lady.
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Best of bi-racial friends.
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My first of 2014, April 24.
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The last snake of 2013, I found him on the first day of PA archery season. I took a couple from Sweden hiking and we ran into this guy along the trail ten minutes into the hike. What a first timber for them!
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A close up.
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I unexpectedly flipped this copperhead in a predominately shady area, and after a few minutes of ill temperament, he/she coiled like a statue.
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A few gravids overflowing.
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A few more.
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A few more.
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And more.
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Do you want a kiss?
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Photobomb expert.
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Posing.
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Medusa.
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Unfortunately not in situ, but this leaf made a nice boat. Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus)
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A very brown colored YOTY timber rattler.
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The elusive "black phase" Norther Red Bellied Snake (Storeria o. occipitomaculatus)
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Flipped under a rock on a powerline, this copperhead is near the farthest north of their range in north central PA.
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Mmmm lasagna. Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
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This was the third time in two years I ran into this monster male. The year before, I watched for nearly an hour as he fought with another male and attempted courting several already gravid females.
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Emergence can be a neat time to see scenes such as this.
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These whippoorwills aren't easy to see during night, let alone day.
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The view from Hyner View State Park.
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The scenic Wykoff Run.
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The same area in 2013, with less water and less tripod.
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Last but not least, the brightest yellow phase timber rattler I've ever seen. During ingress 2014.
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The Jake-Man
Posts: 224
Joined: June 25th, 2012, 4:08 pm
Location: Lebanon Pennsylvania

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by The Jake-Man »

Stunning post! A great representation of the beauty of Pennsylvania's vipers.
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Andrew G
Posts: 278
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 1:53 pm
Location: South-Central Kansas

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by Andrew G »

That is an awesome assortment of timbers! Great color variation in that part of their range, they don't have that variation in my part of the country...
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MattSullivan
Posts: 419
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 2:07 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by MattSullivan »

the juvies and adult feeding on the chipmunk are awesome. as is the bender
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walk-about
Posts: 567
Joined: June 14th, 2010, 12:04 pm
Location: 'God's Country' aka western KY
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Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by walk-about »

My goodness what a beautiful post! That shot of all those Timbers on that rock ledge together is magnificent!. Love that Hellbender shot as well. PA so fine. Thanks for the trip.

Dave
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pjfishpa
Posts: 123
Joined: June 2nd, 2013, 6:51 am
Location: NW Ohio / SE Michigan

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by pjfishpa »

Very cool! Love the variation in color especially. I'll have to give PA a look in the future. I always go South to So OH, KY, or TN to search for new herps to photo. Thanks for posting.
KevColubrid
Posts: 77
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 2:04 pm

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by KevColubrid »

Holy....
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Martti Niskanen
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Joined: June 11th, 2010, 11:19 am
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by Martti Niskanen »

Wow! Some amazing timbers.
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axeman2729
Posts: 445
Joined: November 5th, 2012, 2:10 pm
Location: Cranberry township, PA

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by axeman2729 »

awesome post! I live in southwest PA and have never even seen one timber or copperhead let alone all these! hey if you are near the Pittsburgh area im doing a class on reptiles and amphibians for my senior project shoot me a pm if you would be interested!
semasko
Posts: 27
Joined: June 18th, 2014, 6:30 am
Location: Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by semasko »

Thanks for the compliments. I think sometimes I take for granted the color variation in PA, then I see pictures from across the country and it makes me feel grateful.
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ahockenberry
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Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by ahockenberry »

Awesome!
Very happy to see the quantity of Timbers that appear in your photos - and they all look very healthy
Good work
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Steve Barten
Posts: 162
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:13 pm
Location: NE Illinois

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by Steve Barten »

Fantastic post. The variability in the timbers is stunning, and your photography captures it nicely. Loved the dark timber in the tree, and the pile of basking gravid females was amazing. Thanks for sharing.
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reptologist
Posts: 80
Joined: July 28th, 2013, 7:56 am

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Post by reptologist »

You sure are lucky to have access to an abundance of awesome snakes. I am still looking for my first timber. Thanks for sharing.
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