Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

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BillMcGighan
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Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping (e.g. warning signs, oddball herps, uncommonly seen/rare things or herps, maybe just bizarre things seen on a herping outing.)



The spirit of this theme is to show, weird, wonderful, even creepy, unusual things or creatures, that you may have encountered on a herping outing. These can be “different” signs, oddball herps, uncommonly seen/rare things or herps, maybe just bizarre things seen on a herping outing, etc. You may have been struck by a condition or thing that made you say to yourself. “wow, that’s weird”, “Gee, that’s something you don’t see every day”, etc.
It could be “different” only to you so please explain this type.

(Ray, Tamara, James,
One of you showed a really creepy place in LA a couple years ago. That would be great here!)


General guidelines:
. One post per day.
. No more than 3 pics per post.
. Pics can be of great or poor quality, as long as they communicate the theme.
. Pics can be from any time in your library.
. If you like, paint a picture with any interesting short story that includes the theme and enhances your pics.


Theme 6 - Camouflage will follow next week on Saturday, unless contribution momentum slows to a crawl, then we’ll start it sooner.

Theme lineup for first group of themes:


Theme 7 Photo bombs (human or otherwise) that get into the frame as you are taking the picture. These would include inadvertent herps that you didn't realize were there when you took the picture.
Theme 8 Dealing with the public, either a lesson or a lecture to a group of non-herpers, LE encounters, etc. The common thread here being a herper in an interaction with non-herper
herper1
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by herper1 »

Seen while herping in Arkansas....

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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

Ok, That's funny...
In Arkansas, love appears in many forms! :lol: :lol:
.
In living all over the country, we once were sentenced to Dallas/FtWorth area for a year. On a warm, winter day an outing to see what herps were out took us to a northern remnant of hill country, which included the town of Strawn, TX. A pleasant surprise since the main street had several scrap metal sculptures, created by an artist named Marc Rankin.

Just some of these:



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Rich in Reptiles
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Rich in Reptiles »

Oh My! :shock:

Here's my contribution, I'm sure I'll dig up some more...
ImageOh the things you find when field herping! by Bethany Avilla, on Flickr
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by mtratcliffe »

All three of my photos are from kayaking trips. Not herping in the strictest sense, but part of the reason I go kayaking is to spot gators, turtles, and any other herps that might make themselves known. A fair number of my records in H.E.R.P. are from kayaking, too.

First up is a Peninsula Cooter out sunning on a log, but this one is showing off with a "Look, no hands!" move by balancing on its plastron with all of its feet up in the air. It didn't even attempt to slide away as I paddled by.

ImageDSCN1247 by zeonicweapon, on Flickr

Next is an abandoned boat on the Little Manatee River. I don't know what caused it to list and partially sink like that, but it's been that way long enough for a tree to start growing out of it. Not much further down the river were some small homes, and one of them had a Confederate Flag out. I didn't hear banjo music, thankfully.

ImageDSCN1631 by zeonicweapon, on Flickr

Finally, this photo was taken at the end of a paddle. This river otter came up to the loading ramp looking to snatch some fish that someone was filleting nearby, and a dog ran up to intercept it. They had a stand-off that lasted a minute or so, both making threatening noises to the other.

ImageDSCN2882 by zeonicweapon, on Flickr

Even took some video of this encounter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2biUEN ... =autoshare
simus343
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by simus343 »

So far it's just been strange stuff. What about the warning signs?

Stuff like this should get a herpers hopes up.
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And then a 500lb concrete practice-bomb from WWII. This was in a state park, but I had been going to this park for 17 years before I saw this, and never once did I see it there.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by mtratcliffe »

Interesting find with the practice bomb - was that at an old bomb range?
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

OK,
Signs...

Anyone who explores the Everglades National Park

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This Texas sign is really scary.....


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The most terrifying sign - - - - - - - - ever.

Rambo Rombo Campground Montana


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Noah M
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Noah M »

The '013 government shut down puts a damper on some herpin...

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Jason B
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Jason B »

Here's some strangeness:

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-Jb
simus343
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by simus343 »

mtratcliffe wrote:Interesting find with the practice bomb - was that at an old bomb range?
The land use to be part of Eglin before it was sold to the state for civilian use and park lands.

Also, that is one freaky frog you found the Jason :shock: !
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

These have all been great.

Arkansas has a different look to nature!

If I was hiking and found that pumpkin on the stump, I'd smile the rest of the day.

The dog/otter standoff is one in a life time.

A WWII bomb, even a practice bomb, is definitely not something you see every day.

Closing public land because dumbass politicians on both sides of the aisle can't act like adults and come to agreement seems to be the wave of the future.

Final comment:
JB. That frog is really interesting. It seems well healed and holding weight (eating). Do you have an opinion as to whether it's congenital, or a trauma, like a snapper incising off its nose when it was younger?



JB's car made me think of weird tin while herping:


Some tired trees


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Tin that has been here a while.


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This tin is really hard to flip!


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mtratcliffe
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by mtratcliffe »

simus343 wrote:
mtratcliffe wrote:Interesting find with the practice bomb - was that at an old bomb range?
The land use to be part of Eglin before it was sold to the state for civilian use and park lands.

Also, that is one freaky frog you found the Jason :shock: !
Ah yes, they still have a bomb range at Eglin, I believe. There's one in Avon Park, closer to where I am.

As for the frog, is that a Spadefoot? Must have been birthed in a radioactive pool!
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Jason B
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Jason B »

I assumed the bullfrog's incomplete maxillary deformity was congenital, but it could have been caused through trauma. Perhaps through a trematode or a fungus when the frog was but a wee pollywog? When I first noticed the frog hopping across the trail I thought it was a spadefoot.

Here's a couple more:


Standing knee-deep in this stream and looking up at that 8cu foot deep freeze gave me new respect for what heavy rains can do in Appalachia:
Image


Amidst a Hyla carcophony resonating from the River Styx I noticed one brave Green treefrog singing his heart out from a less-than-suitable breeding spot:
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The previous picture could have fit a couple other themes too!

-Jb
Tamara D. McConnell
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

(Ray, Tamara, James,
One of you showed a really creepy place in LA a couple years ago. That would be great here!)
Yeah, that was my post about the creepy place. But I cannot find the pictures.
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

TM
Yeah, that was my post about the creepy place. But I cannot find the pictures
Very strange, I couldn't even find the post on a FORUM search.




"LaBrea" Road - This garter was a DOR and yellowjackets came to feed; then, another car, then more death.


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A herping surprise - Africanized Honey Bees – rock cut, south TX:
Walking a Texas cut at night, I had to keep telling myself that these Africanized Honey Bees don’t fly at night. A visit on the next day, inside the safety of a car, they were not so friendly.


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Plain ol' Swarming Honey Bees – North Florida Farm
Nice to know they're calmer without a home to defend!
Many pieces of good tin, but no herps!


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JakeScott
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by JakeScott »

A couple unusual sculptures made out of motorcycle parts...and probably whatever else. This was in Terlingua, Texas.

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This might be a big problem in Iquitos, Peru, but I assure you, I was just randomly standing there.

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A rock zoo in Northeast Alabama.

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-Jake
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umop apisdn
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by umop apisdn »

Found this under a rock in the Florida Keys 10 years ago. Took me around 8 years to figure out what it was.

Image

Any guesses?
simus343
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by simus343 »

umop apisdn wrote: Any guesses?
It would help if I had a little more depth perception to the photo. I have seen some marine flat-worms that look a lot like that from a Birds-eye-View. Still, looks a little too tall to by a flat-worm, or is that just an optical illusion making it look tall (for depth)?

Still really learning towards invertebrate. There is a type of shell, I use to find them all the time when I was in Okinawa. When the snail feels secure though, the snail's body covers the outside of the shell as well with little tiny tentacles coming off all over the shell, giving it a fuzzy appearance. The type of snail looks like shell-pasta in shape. Snails with such shell type also live in S Fla, could it be one of those? Again, a marine organism.

So...was this critter under an upland rock, tidepool rock, swamp rock? Might help my guesses some :P .
Lloyd Heilbrunn
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Lloyd Heilbrunn »

umop apisdn wrote:Found this under a rock in the Florida Keys 10 years ago. Took me around 8 years to figure out what it was.

Image

Any guesses?

Echinoderm skeleton of some type?
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

Wow, Mike, good one.
That's strange. What is it?
Reminded me of when an anemone pulls its tentacles into the stem for protection.


Jake, despite denials, it's my understanding that Peruvian police are watching for you! :lol: ;)


Motorcycle sculpture did remind me of stumbling on to "Car Henge" in Nebraska. First time I found it while herping, I had no idea it existed; 2nd time was on purpose.

The real Stone Henge (circa 1982):

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Car Henge

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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

Maybe I just look for weird when I'm out, but here are a few more before we change to "Camouflage" this evening:


This mailbox in NC is just "over mountain" from us.


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Low Country, SC


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And one last metal sculpture in N GA.
(Berkely, we saw this on our way out from having lunch with you a few years ago.)


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Barry R
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Barry R »

Code: Select all

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Image105_4503 by Paleosuchus, on Flickr
DOR otter

Code: Select all

[img][/img]
Image105_3914 by Paleosuchus, on Flickr
herping Dixie

Code: Select all

[img][/img]
Image105_3347 by Paleosuchus, on Flickr
snow worm
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umop apisdn
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by umop apisdn »

Sorry, I got a bit busy and didn't have the time to follow up.

You're correct that it is an invertebrate. As far as I can tell, it was alive.

It was found under a chunk of limestone rock outside of any tidal influence, though there was a small amount of fresh water pooled up nearby (for the savvy ones, this can even clue you in to which Florida Key it was found). Until it was identified (still, only to genus), I had mistakenly assumed it was some sort of shell-less mollusk.

It's difficult to get much perspective on the organism, so I'll describe it. It was roughly the size of a raspberry. As a whole, it was fairly rigid. on the underside (not pictured), it was flat, pink-ish, and translucent. Overall, it looked like a weird berry cut in half. The underside was slightly moist, which seemed to help it adhere to the rock. Through the translucent underside, I could make out what I thought looked like a gut tube. The periphery of where the dome met the underside had a rough texture, almost like a bunch of short bristles or spines (no joints and didn't seem to move). If you look at the right side of the organism, there is what I thought to be some sort of mouth/short proboscis/nub.

I'll continue to let people guess, but since I believe it's a fairly obscure thing, I'll link to the image on my Flickr account so people can see what it is.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikedmartin/7968559856
simus343
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by simus343 »

I gave up and went for the flickr, Mike, haha...and wow...did not see that coming!

Also here is something from last week at work. Only the second I've seen, and the first I've been able to photograph and/or seen in a tortoise burrow. So, a rare or unusual find for myself at least.
Not the best picture, was night time and I was in a rush as temps started to drop below my comfort zone. A little mouse of some type. Don't know my rodents very well.
Image
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Berkeley Boone »

There are some good ones on here! Nice job yall!
BillMcGighan wrote:And one last metal sculpture in N GA.
(Berkely, we saw this on our way out from having lunch with you a few years ago.)
Rodolfo's Place! I recognized it right when I saw it, Bill! On the right side of 441 as you are heading out of town, right? Ha ha, that is great.

Mike, never would have guessed what you had there. I was thinking it was a type of chiton or something. Wowza!
--Berkeley
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Noah M
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Noah M »

I know there has been debate on how 'strange' this is, but it seemed strange to me.

The mysterious black gopher tortoise

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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Coluber Constrictor »

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Noah M
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Noah M »

Lost (sometimes abandoned?) hunting dogs are sadly not a very strange sight in the eastern panhandle
I've sadly seen them around in peninsular Florida too. Most of the ones I've seen, like the one pictured, look pretty healthy so I assume they're picked up or cared for by locals.
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by JAMAUGHN »

*Oops, sorry. Just realized this is a Southeast chapter thread.*
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

Don't hesitate to ever contribute, Jim.
We have folks from all over.
Shoot.. It's winter....anything herp is good! :)
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Noah M
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by Noah M »

JAMAUGHN wrote:*Oops, sorry. Just realized this is a Southeast chapter thread.*
Yeah, I'm curious to know what you have to share :?:
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by JAMAUGHN »

Okay, then. Just something I saw in my recent trip to Thailand:

ImageKhao Yai National Park by J. Maughn, on Flickr

Park authorities couldn't have been too worried, considering the condition of the sign. Sadly, the crocodile never materialized, despite having been spotted earlier that day. A few minutes down the trail, however, this appeared on the other side of the river:

ImageAsian Elephant, Elephas maximus by J. Maughn, on Flickr

...which pretty well made up for the lack of a crocodile.

JimM
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by BillMcGighan »

Asian Elephant - Wow.
...which pretty well made up for the lack of a crocodile
I'll say.
That's neat.

The best I ever did up NW of Kanchanaburi was a Blood Python.
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JakeScott
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by JakeScott »

An unexploded ordinance. This was on Egland AFB and we actually flagged it and called the Jackson Guard.

ImageProjectile by Jake M. Scott, on Flickr

-Jake
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umop apisdn
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Re: Theme 5 - Strange things seen while herping

Post by umop apisdn »

Jake, that appears to actually be a flare often used by military in night training exercises. I found more than I could count in my field work, and most often without the parachute attached.

For the life of me, I cannot find an image of one, only a diagram.

Image

That just reminded me of the time that I actually came across a large explosive, with other improvised explosives scattered nearby. Scared the crap out of me. Turns out, I was walking an area for training on spotting those things. Still left me very uneasy, and yes...I went ahead and reported it.

I actually found a few UXOs in the long term, too, fortunately so old and weathered I could consider myself safe when I found them. What wasn't so comfortable is when I noticed EOD crews digging up UXOs that I had been walking over for years. :?
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