One week old and this chondro is glowing in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user KE! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Trans-Pecos rat snakes were the species most commonly seen.
With several mobile homes (cabins) scattered over the hilly terrain, and having a herp-friendly owner, Wild Horse Station is a magnet for herpers and birders. Although Jake and I had failed to make reservations earlier, we had lucked out. Mrs. Hammer (owner) still had one unrented cabin. We rented it and decided on an afternoon nap to prepare us for a night of herping.
Although it had poured here the night before we arrived, the low pressure system had then been replaced by a high that was to persist for the 5 days we were in the Study Butte-Terlingua region. Weatherwise, things did not look overwhelmingly in our favor for snake movement. But after having driven 1500 miles with high hopes firmly entrenched, adversity is difficult if not impossible to accept.
So anyway, here we were, still with high hopes, at Wild Horse Station for 5 days. Luckily, our friends from last year, Charles and Wendy Triche, were in the next cabin so we could visit and commiserate.
The nights cooled quickly allowing the few snakes that were out and about to move shortly after nightfall. But let me tell you how bad conditions (I really don’t think it was our searching techniques!) were; on a 30-mile stretch of road where we usually see a dozen or more rattlesnakes of 4 taxa, in 5 nights we saw ZERO, and on that whole trip we saw only a half dozen Trans-Pecos rat snakes! Even the prey items, the pocket mice, kangaroo rats, and other desert rodents, were at an all time low.
The half dozen Trans-Pecos rat snakes, Bogertophis subocularis, we found were all normals (no blondes, but Bob Hansen’ s group found a blonde the night after we moved northward—congratulations Bob and gang). The few variable ground snakes, Sonora semiannulata, found were pretty but none were of the more colorful banded phases. And after dozens of runs and rock checks through prime habitat, finding our principal target taxon, a Chihuahuan lyre snake, Trimorphodon vilkinsonii, remained only a dream.
Will there be a trip next year? Only time will tell. If so will it show better results. Only Mother Nature and Jupiter (the God of weather) can say.
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Although a cool morning, eastern collared lizards were up and active.
On our second night in Comstock we were treated to more rains and the only significant find was a DOR Baird’s rat snake. It was time to head west again. Radar showed clearing weather and the forecast in the Davis Mountains was for several days of hot, clear, high-pressure, weather. From one extreme to the other with neither evening downpours nor stationary high pressure systems being exactly conducive to herp activity.
The stop at Davis Mountains State Park was actually a birding stop with elf owls and Montezuma quail being the target species. But with that having been said, neither Jake nor I are exactly adverse to happening across herps of any species.
While searching out the owl, a pair of Texas whiptails, Aspidoscelis gularis, busily searched out insects. During the longer search for the quail we happened across both a foraging eastern collared lizard. Crotaphytus collaris, and startled an almost fully grown Great Plains skink, Plestiodon obsoletus. This was a lifer for Jake who spent a half an hour following the skink, camera in hand. Again, time for a nap in preparation for a night of road-cruising.
Continue reading ” West of Comstock” …read more
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This juvenile alligator in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mbwright82 brings us warm summer memories! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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These 3 Trans-Pecos copperheads were found on this trip.
Our plans again changed, but only by a few minutes. The hour was late and we had decided to call it a night. Then, well on our way to the road exit, I decided “aww heck. Just one more pass and then we’d leave. I reversed direction again and had hardly gotten up to cruising speed when “SNAKE.” I slammed the brakes on and Jake was out of his door before the car fully stopped. Another “WAHOOOOO,” then “Copperhead.”
This, the Trans-Pecos copperhead, Agkistrodon piscivorous pictigaster (and yes, I’m aware of the nomenclatural changes but I happen to believe in the subspecies concept!) was another lifer for Jake.
This, the southwesternmost of the 5 subspecies of copperhead, is also the most strikingly colored. The dark bands are wide, shade to a narrow rich mahogany edging fore and aft, and contain a central light patch as they near the dark belly. Pretty? You have to see and adult example (juveniles are paler overall) of this pit viper to fully appreciate its beauty.
And we were able to appreciate it 3 times, for besides Jake’s lifer, we found 2 additional copperheads. Things were looking up. Now on to Study Butte.
Continue reading ” One more for Jeff Davis County!” …read more
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This little yellow mud turtle chose to be active during the deluge.
We awakened to a persistent and thickening cloud cover rent in all directions by bolts of cloud to ground lightning. Thunderstorms surrounded us. Hmmmm. What now? We hadn’t driven all night only to be thwarted by storms. But as it turned out, thwarted we were. To the west was a solid wall of rain. Eastward seemed a bit brighter in a dark sort of way, so we headed east to 277, a fabled gray-banded kingsnake road, only to be met by still intensifying thunderstorms.
Within minutes it was raining so hard that the wipers were ineffectual. Lightning, in all of its many incarnations, was incessant. Jake and I knew that our first night in West Texas was destined to be a bust; if any herps at all were active it would be the amphibians, and so it was–almost. Of the many possibilities that night we were to see only Couch’s spadefoots, Scaphiopus couchii, Rio Grande leopard frogs, Rana berlandieri, and a single yellow mud turtle, Kinosternon flavescens, that scuttled quickly from the pavement. The storm of that evening was epic with rainfall exceeding 5 inches. Motel time!
Continue reading ” A Very Rainy Comstock” …read more
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This western diamondback was seen several times in one night.
At dusk—a clear, warm, dusk– we found a vinegaroon! On a trip that had been plagued with evening downpours, that was a definite step in the right direction. Vinegaroons (aka whip scorpions or uropygids) are always a welcome find. Detaining it for photos induced the release of the protective acetic acid concoction from which this arachnid takes its name, but within a minute or two the little beast was continuing its trek across the pavement.
Although we were the first ones on the road, three other cars of herpers soon joined the hunt. But despite the competition we did reasonably well. The first find was a 2-foot long black-tailed rattlesnake, Crotalus m. molossus. Jake spied its nose, barely out of the roadside grasses, soon after darkness had fallen. Second up for the evening was a 2-foot long western diamondback, Crotalus atrox, the first of this normally abundant species we had seen on the trip. A trusting snake, we saw this young rattler on several other of the evening’s passes. The third snake of the evening brought an explosive “YESSSSSS” followed by a victory dance from Jake. It, a western hook-nosed snake, Gyalopion canum, was a taxon that had evaded us for the previous 2 years. And as it turned out, it was the only example of this little arachnid and insect eater that we found on this trip! Lady luck was smiling occasionally.
Continue reading “Jeff Davis County” …read more
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By Herp News
The illegal reptile trade, including venomous snakes, could put wildlife, the environment and human lives at risk, a new study has found.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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These two boas are chilling in a fresh tub of water in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BNixon ! I bet there were babies being made at some point here. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Although often called incorrectly a rubber eel, this Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish is all amphibian! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This adorbs Chuchwalla looks like he is tired of all the drama we humans have in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dvl and add to your colubrid craziness! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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So many colubrids, so little time! Check out this African Herald snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MVH4 and add to your colubrid craziness! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! The icionic Eastern Diamondback just chilling in the sand for our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user evil-elvis ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.
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There is always something special with dart frogs like this one in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user FrogUs ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Stalking his next snack, this Croc Monitor is cool customer here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user volleyballjoe ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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By Herp News
A research team has used a new image processing tool to confirm that human visual system has evolved specifically to detect snakes.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Today’s turtles don’t have teeth; they cut off their food using hard ridges on their jaws. But their ancestors were not so dentally challenged. A team of international researchers has now discovered that turtles with remnants of teeth survived 30 million years later than previously thought. The researchers found evidence of this at a major excavation site in China’s western Autonomous Region of Xinjiang.
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One normal, one leucy. A lovely shot of two leopard frog tadpoles in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user retnaburner ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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By Herp News
Kaikaifilu is a new species of giant sea lizard (mosasaur) discovered in 66-million-year-old rocks of Antarctica. At about 10 meters long, it is the largest known top marine predator from this continent. It lived near the end of the dinosaur age, when Antarctica was a much warmer ecosystem, and fed on filter-feeding marine reptiles.
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This vibrant Cape Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer vertebralis) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pitparade will brighten your Monday for sure! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! It may not be a rattlesnake, hot patootie it’s a beauty!! This wild shot of a Death Adder from the Great Sandy Desert, uploaded by kingsnake.com user geoffcunningham assumes the traditional cobra pose for this photo! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.
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By Herp News
Climate change is currently one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, and one of the groups of animals most affected by the increase in temperature is amphibians. A team of scientists studied how heat waves affect the dietary choices of three species of amphibian found on the Iberian Peninsula: the European tree frog, the Mediterranean tree frog and the Iberian painted frog.
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IF you have never experienced a group of Vietnamese Leaf Turtles at feeding time you are missing out! Much like this little one in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cod6545 , these guys are full of personality and awesomeness! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What a beauitiful noodle! Loving this hatching Cribo in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user alanB ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This little frillie in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mizzy wants you to know he is the biggest baddest frillie in town and you can’t teach that! They are so cute as babies when they try to be tough! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Photo: Tom Charlton
The unique venom that the Blue Coral Snake is one of a kind, offering a new understanding of ways to relieve pain. It is also one of the most deadly snakes because of it with the ability to kill a human in 5 minutes.
The venom has been of particular interest to scientists, not just because of the snake’s uniquely long glands, but because it causes its victims to spasm – a trait that no other snake venom possesses.
“On the scale of weird, this one goes to 11,” Queensland University venomologist Bryan Fry said. “It’s a freaky snake.”
Along with a team of international researchers, Dr Fry has been the first to identify six unique peptides that allow the snake to switch on all of its prey’s nerves at once.
Read the full study at Techly. …read more
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Happy Halloween from all of us at kingsnake.com, especially Count Chuckula the Chuckwalla in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosebuds ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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By Herp News
Noise pollution, according to a new study, has been linked to lower survival and reproduction because it masks environmental cues and makes it hard for animals to hear moving prey or approaching predators.
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By Herp News
Noise pollution, according to a new study, has been linked to lower survival and reproduction because it masks environmental cues and makes it hard for animals to hear moving prey or approaching predators.
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! It may not be a rattlesnake, but it is a venomous snake that needs a little extra love! This beautiful Egyption Cobra, uploaded by kingsnake.com user PHNajakassumes the traditional cobra pose for this photo! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.
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This gorgeous Hognose takes center stage in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SandBoaMorphs ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This Helmeted Iguana or Hernandez’s helmeted basilisk (Corytophanes hernandezi) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish is quite the break from our usual. What a regal and stunning animal! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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By Herp News
Intensive farming, sprawling towns, a dense road network — the modern world leaves less and less space for animals and plants. They are forced back into shrinking refuges, which are ever further apart. But not all react equally sensitively. That is even true for members of the same species, as demonstrated by a new study that suggests that animals living on the edge of their range suffer more from the fragmentation of their habitat than their fellows in the center.
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By Herp News
Snakes lost their limbs over 100 million years ago, but scientists have struggled to identify the genetic changes involved. A new paper sheds some light on the process, describing a stretch of DNA involved in limb formation that is mutated in snakes. When researchers inserted the snake DNA into mice, the animals developed truncated limbs, suggesting that a critical stretch of DNA lost its ability to support limb growth during snake evolution.
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By Herp News
The effect of global warming on fungal disease in frogs and toads has been quantified by researchers for the first time, a new report outlines.
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By Herp News
Special chemicals covering the skin of a tiny yellow-striped Amazonian frog provide a protective shield that wards off leaf-cutting ants allowing it to live comfortably among them. The ants do not bite this frog at all, but will quite aggressively attack all other types of frogs or other animals that cross their path.
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By Herp News
Millions of years ago, one species of frog diverged into two species. Millions of years later, the two frogs became one again, but with a few extra chromosomes due to whole genome duplication. Such is the curious case of the African clawed frog, a frog whose genome contains nearly double the number of chromosomes as the related Western clawed frog.
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By Herp News
Colonial plunder, crime, tribal factions, sectarianism, drug running, piracy, animal poaching, illegal logging and destructive mining practices — all of which add up to wholesale environmental exploitation. The island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines has seen it all and more.
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By Herp News
A biologist has uncovered the molecular mechanism that regulates an animal’s ability to sense the rate of temperature change.
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What an adorable Abronia baby in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user uggleedog . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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