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The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 6th, 2019, 7:15 pm
by craigb
Sunday in one of the most beautiful state parks in CA.

Just 22 seconds. But it is plenty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APSMQhaOC8M

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 8th, 2019, 2:15 pm
by mark buck
Nice one!

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 9th, 2019, 2:07 pm
by craigb
Thanks Mark, more to come. All under 30 seconds.
Less talk more herps.

Craig

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 10th, 2019, 10:08 am
by Jimi
That is a nice one. The phenotypic diversity of that taxon in that specific area is amazing - no "locality look" at all to them, unlike elsewhere. I love the salt & pepper, low-orange ones like yours.

cheers

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 10th, 2019, 3:37 pm
by craigb
PICT0001crop.jpg

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 12th, 2019, 11:00 am
by Jimi
I didn't look very closely - do you think it's the same animal? Or are you just noting one of very similar appearance in the same general area?

Within a 20-minute walk of a certain campground with a little pupfish pool by the toilets, over the years since about 1983 I've seen animals just like yours, as well as brick-red ones, grey ones, yellowish ones, and also ones with way less black (almost all "salt", almost no "pepper"). Also highly variable are the "bands" - some animals (like yours) have fairly complete bands, some have dumbbell marks, some have spotted bars, and a few just have paired spots down the back on an otherwise fairly unicolored body. This is so unlike the taxon elsewhere, where you can either 1) often guess the local source population pretty confidently, or 2) guess the general region they come from (e.g., there's a "fugly Mojave orange morph"). Ha ha.

Cool snakes. I love how they really seem to understand just how camo they are, when they are comfortably set up in a resting spot (as opposed to on the crawl, out in the open).

cheers

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 12th, 2019, 3:31 pm
by craigb
No, I don't think it is the same animal. I think that the ones right there have that color pattern.
Not mentioned is that I think the mortality rate is high there. In the last ten years I have seen three others DOA (hit by car).
Three is not a low number for deaths, because in the last ten years I have only been there three other times.
I know that there are many more living further off the road, but it still bothers me.

I really prefer to see the live ones, and even " persuade" them to move further off the road.

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 15th, 2019, 4:07 pm
by craigb
Just an update: Another Crotalus mitchelli from the Highway 62 area, last night.
6.14.19 speck.jpg

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 18th, 2019, 8:47 pm
by craigb
Let's see if I can follow directions:


Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: June 24th, 2019, 6:29 pm
by craigb
Sorry folks nothing Crotalid wise to add today.
I was out and about last night and saw a few snakes.
Sunday nights are so pleasant, no traffic on the roads getting there. Nobody on my favorite roads.
Last night no moon until midnight. What could go wrong....
CHP was out citing stupid folks for speeding. I actually go too slow, and try to identify the doa's

Happy Trails :mrgreen:

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

Posted: August 24th, 2019, 8:43 am
by craigb
I was out and about in the upper desert last night. It stayed 87 degrees from 7:30 until we left about 10 pm. Lots of rodents and banded geckos were out. We saw one tarantula and one desert iguana out soaking up the road heat. Not a terrible night, but very warm and very windy. Next month may be better.

craigb