Field Herp Forum

sonora

Thanks! I'll check that out.

sonora

Hello,

I have a 2019 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X. I would really like to add some decent road-cruising lighting to it. Nothing super expensive or complex, but effective. Anyone have any sugesstions?

Thanks in advance!
Steve

sonora

Hi Hans, Costa Rica is a fantastic place. I've herped there twice (15 days in June 2011 and 12 days in June 2017) and did extremely well both times (snake, frog, lizard, and bird-wise). I spent most of the time in the northwestern part of the country but also explored Monteverde Cloud Forest, Tapant...

sonora

Is the H.E.R.P. website under maintenance? I get an http 500 internal service error since Monday.

Steve Z

sonora

Misenus, your "ringnecks" appear to be Storeria - which would explain the live birth.
Steve

sonora

Does anyone have experience with obtaining permits to enter the range? Is there a way to get a permit immediately, or is it only done via mail? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Steve Z

sonora

Hans,
This book is pretty good, but limited in scope:
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Snakes-Pap ... 9980916966

Steve

sonora

I greatly appreciate all the replies. Thanks!
Steve Z

sonora

Hello, Does anyone hear know if P. blainvillii occurs in the Desert Tortoise Natural Area? I have seen many P. platyrhinos there, but this past Saturday, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a horned lizard that appeared too large for platyrhinos, so I was curious to know if both species occur there. Steve

sonora

Hi Ian,
Sounds like a fun trip. Your "pygmy" salamander is actually a dwarf salamander (Eurycea quadridigitata).

Steve

sonora

Hi Lou, That is T. ordinoides.

sonora

Hi John, You should have little problem finding ordinoides and sirtalis in most natural areas surrounding the Portland area, as long as the weather doesn't burn you (which is a VERY real possibility anytime in OR and WA). It is not uncommon to experience 55 degree overcast/rain any time in July and ...

sonora

Aneides does not occur in WA.
Steve

sonora

Thanks for the note, Paul. T. stejnegeri and Protobothrops are highest on my wish list and are fairly common, from what I understand. I also plan on spending some time around Taroka and Shei-Pa NPs looking for salamanders.
Steve

sonora

Hi Justin, You should have very little problem finding Rhyacotriton and Dicamptodon in any of the older growth forest streams/creeks/seeps. Ascaphus and Plethodon vehiculum should be fairly easy as well. Plethodon vandykei can be found year round as well, but are a little more difficult to "stu...

sonora

Jerry,
Thanks for the reply. I'm planning a trip to Taiwan in 2017. Do you have suggestions as to the best time of year for snakes? I am also very interested in searching for the various Hynobius salamanders. Do you ever come across these in your searches?
Steve

sonora

Thanks for the replies, guys.
Matt, I appreciate the input. I will look a little further into this option.
Steve

sonora

Hi Jerry,
Nice finds. The network of roads in northern Taiwan (around Baling, etc) look like a nightmare for road-cruising due to the narrow pavement, concrete ditches, and steep drop-offs. Is this true, or are there places to pull over and photograph when a snake is found?
Steve

sonora

Hi all,
Is any one here aware of any jungle/eco lodges in Amazonian Ecuador or Peru that allow for solo exploration of the surrounding forests, meaning without guides or tours?
Steve

sonora

Nick, Your photography is exquisite and I am seriously jealous of your eastern diamondbacks. It took me 48 days over a period of almost five years (not to mention thousands of travel dollars) to find my first, and only, live adamanteus. Just out of curiosity, did you personally find all of these on ...

sonora

Short answer - no. Long answer - no, they do not :) There aren't even dubious site records for WA, as far as I'm aware. There are two old records for Wasco and Umatilla Cos in northern OR, but old, isolated records well removed from the currently accepted range are suspect, at best. As for the tri-c...

sonora

Although Taricha can be found almost anywhere, the most reliable place I have found is McLane Creek Nature trail near Olympia. Not necessarily close to Seattle, but if you want to see them in numbers with some regularity, this is the place. Just walk the trails/boardwalks and look in the water. They...

sonora

Thanks guys. I'm assuming I'll be able to buy a one year non-resident license, then buy a resident license next year.
Steve

sonora

I am moving to southern California next week but will have a temporary address until late April. My driver's license, etc will have my old address until I can update it. Does anyone know how/if I can obtain a resident fishing license in that time, or will I have to buy multiple 10-day licenses until...

sonora

Outstanding Nick. In my opinion, the ULTIMATE snake encounter worldwide. I was in South Africa this past November/December but was strongly urged to stay away from KwaZulu-Natal due to tourist safety concerns. I have since come to realize that admonition was substantially overblown and I regret not ...

sonora

Hi John,
See PM.
Steve

sonora

Like the salamander pictured in the caudata.org forum, this is Plethodon dunni.
Steve

sonora

The Amphibians and Reptiles of Greece by ED Valakos, P Pafilis, Sotiropoulos, P Lymberakis and P Maragou.
This is an EXCELLENT book.
Steve

sonora

Thanks for the input guys. I wasn't aware of the Frogs of Borneo guide.
Steve

sonora

chrish - yes, I have searched/seen many of Hans's excellent posts, but they unfortunately don't answer my question regarding herping without guides, etc. numpty - I'm looking for areas I can herp without a guide, tour, etc. As with all my travels, I would rather fail miserably on my own than see eve...

sonora

Hello all, I'm contemplating a trip to Borneo or Sumatra and was hoping someone here had some insight into the area. Based on my rather limited research online, it seems that throughout most of southeast Asia there are not many (any?) places in which one can herp solo (i.e. without guides, tours, lo...

sonora

Thank you very much chrish.

sonora

Where does one purchase a vest with 144 sq inches of reflective tape? I can find hundreds of vests for sale but none specify how much tape is present (nor would I expect them to, as the amount of tape only seems to be important if one is looking for snakes in Texas). And if the tape is the only cruc...

sonora

The database no longer lets me enter a record without GPS coordinates. This is a problem for two reasons: 1) for older records that may need entering or editing, I have no idea what the coordinates are (and incorrect coordinates are worse than no coordinates); 2) I do not wish to enter coordinates f...

sonora

Thanks Jimi. Yes, that is, or was (or could have been) a great site. I've had that site book marked for several years, hoping for an update. Unfortunately, it never really got past the specimen/habitat photo stage. This is also a good site: http://www.uta.edu/biology/mexicoherps/index.htm But again,...

sonora

Does anyone here have any experience (or know anyone who does) herping the states of Oaxaca and/or Puebla?
Steve

sonora

Thanks for the clarification Chris. I'm also very curious about the after-dark road-cruising laws. It's been over a decade since I have herped in TX. Am I being naïve in thinking I can "get away" with road-cruising? Certainly, countless well-intentioned, otherwise-law-abiding people still ...

sonora

Am I understanding the TX Parks and Wildlife website correctly? Is it really $325 for a non-resident hunting license and reptile stamp regardless of number of days used? Or is the non-resident 5-day "special" hunting license with stamp for $58 adequate?
Steve

sonora

Am I understanding the TX Parks and Wildlife website correctly? Is it really $325 for a non-resident hunting license and reptile stamp? Or is the non-resident 5-day "special" hunting license with stamp for $58 adequate?
Steve

sonora

I continue to be amazed at how ignorant and apathetic the worldwide general public is when it comes to natural history. 999,999 people out of a million who see this or any other movie/TV show would have no clue (nor would they care) that rattlesnakes don't occur anywhere outside of North and South A...

sonora

Excellent post. Curious as to the lack of snakes. Wrong time of year or just difficult to find in that area?
Steve

sonora

Interesting theory about the cheatgrass. The one place in Washington where whipsnakes are common certainly has its fair share of the stuff.
Steve

sonora

The only definitive diagnostic between the two species is larselli's pink belly (which isn't visible in your photo) but, to be perfectly honest, the two species are very dissimilar, especially when viewed side by side. Habitat preference is also quite different - larselli is primarily restricted to ...

sonora

Nice post. Your "larselli" is actually P. dunni.

Steve

sonora

Some of the best photography I have seen on this forum. Your Moloch shot is nothing short of perfection.

Steve

sonora

The "Aneides" pictured on the caudata forum link looks like P. dunni.

sonora

Thanks for the response Mulebrother.

sonora

I was wondering if anyone here could give me some idea of what herping trans-Pecos Texas (Brewster, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Terrell, Val Verde counties) is like these days. It's been over 12 years since I've spent more than just a couple of days in the area, so I'm assuming it's quite different now. W...

sonora

Yes. I spent five days in and around La Paz, BCS. It was outstanding. I found 22 species, including all three rattlesnakes in the area.

Steve

sonora

Thanks Don!

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