Tenessee

Last moth was our first trip to Nashville in nearly three years. The primary purpose was to visit our cousins, but I also planned on getting some herping in.

Eastern Newt Notophthalmus Viridescens

Unfortunately, I was not able to upload most of the photos from the trip. I took them in raw format and did not realize that my photo editor could not process them.

So to the trip. My herping this trip was restricted to the creek that runs through our cousins neighbor hood. It's a very pretty little creek that winds through the houses. It also has a surprising amount of wildlife. In the past I have found Snapping Turtles, Mallard Ducks, Water Snakes and wide variety of salamanders.

This time I was not so lucky. It was cold and windy, the snakes were probably underground. I got ou all walked down to the creek. We turned over a few rocks and found a couple of salamanders, but nothing more exciting. Over the next couple of days, I went to the creek every morning but found nothing new. 

On the second to last day, I walked further up stream them I had before. I was getting a bit discouraged and my shoes were starting to feel very wet and I was thinking about heading back when I turned over a rock and there was a Queen Snake. It was so cold that it did not even move when I lifted the rock. It writhed a little when I moved it out of the way so that I could replace the rock and take it's picture. Then it slithered back under the rock.

On this trip we also got to visit the Nashville zoo which has a great herp collection. Here are some of the photos from the zoo.

Bushmaster at Nashville zoo

Kangaroos at the Nashville zoo

Red-Panda at the Nashville zoo

That is about it as far as herps on this trip. Thanks for reading.

 

Hi everyone.
Sorry about the long delay ( Yeah, two years is kind of long). I became distracted with other interests and school. But the great thing about reptiles is that you can always come back to them.
I am going to start with a our latest trip to tenessee.

Year of the Snake - No. 43 The Last One

Pituophis catenifer

We found this gopher snake in the basement of our house on the day after Christmas. We were using our new rollerblades down there, when my brother, Sean, spotted this guy slithering on the stone wall. He grabbed it. An excellent catch, especially since Sean was wearing rollerblades at the time.

It was a juvenile, about 12 inches long. We kept him for a couple weeks. Then released him back in the basement to hopefully feast on mice.

This has been a great year for finding snakes. But I will have to think of a new name for future posts since it just turned into "Year of the Horse."

Gopher snake posed on pillow case/snake bag.

Year of the Snake - No.42 Mojave Rattlesnake

Crotalus scutulatus

Mojave rattlesnake (or mohave) in lizard trap of death

When I go hiking in the desert near our house, one of my favorite spots to check for reptiles is the "Lizard Trap of Death," a pipe that comes out of the ground with a metal lid on it.  They go under the lid to get away from the sun, fall into the pipe and can't escape. So I usually check the pipe so I can rescue any lizards trapped there.

Recently, my dad, my friend Jack and I went out to check it. When my friend moved the lid, we heard a buzzing from inside the pipe.

We looked in and there was my first Mojave rattlesnake.

These are my favorite snakes in the world. They are very pretty and some scientists consider them to be the most dangerous snakes in North America. They have a very interesting venom that changes depending on their range. In some places it is neurotoxic (nerve-affecting) venom. In others, it's hemotoxic (blood and tissue-affecting) venom. And in some places, it is a combination of both in the same snake!

This was a pretty young snake. It was old enough to rattle but not very long. He seemed very angry when we first lifted up the lid. But he calmed down later. He was rescued with a snake hook, photographed, and left to be.

Year of the Snake - No. 41 Juvenile Western Diamondback

Crotalus atrox

On September 19, I went out to do my usual rock-flipping patrol -- we have a lot of rocks around the house and I go out to turn them regularly. I hadn't found any snakes under those rocks but I usually find a scorpion or two.

I turned over a rock and saw a tarantula in a cocoon. I knelt down to pick it up. I looked to my left and saw--just 5 inches from knee--this pretty, little diamondback. It was an example that snakes aren't all out to get you, because I was within easy striking range.

We kept checking on him all day. Later, we decided to capture him to show to our homeschool co-op. We kept him for a few days then released him further from the house.

I hope that showing him to the group helped lessen their fears about snakes.

The snake was about 12 inches long. He was a neonate, and could not even rattle yet.

Year of the Snake - No. 40 Juvenile Coachwhip

Masticophis flagellum is a diurnal (day) snake so it has excellent vision, as you can see from its large eyes. It is one of the few snakes you can find out during the day in the middle of the summer.

This is the fourth coachwhip I have seen this year. My sister Clara turned over a rock next to our house and found this one coiled underneath. When we tried to catch him, he reared up and struck many times. Eventually, we caught him and put him in a terrarium.  He is a very young snake, only about 12 inches long. We kept him for a week, then released him. 

I've also seen two adult coachwhips this year, but have not been able to get close enough to catch them. One I saw at a friend's birthday party -- a red streak disappearing into a bush. The other one I spotted from 20 feet away, too far to catch.

If you are interested in handling cobras or mambas, coachwhips are good practice. They are large, fast, and try to bite every time you pick them up.

Year of the Snake - No. 39 Sonoran Coralsnake

Micruroides euryxanthus

My dad and I were out on the back porch one evening about 7 p.m. I was trying to take a picture of lightening since it was the monsoon season. I was concentrating on the horizon when my dad said, "Hey, there's a snake!"

When I looked at it I was shocked to see a Coralsnake. I yelled, "It's a Coral!" I dropped my lens cap and ran inside to grab my small hook. We chased him around for a few minutes before scooping him up into a small plastic container.

This is the first one I have ever seen. I was surprised to see it because I wasn't sure their range came this far north. They are very pretty snakes, and are members of the elapid family (related to cobras, mambas and kraits).

This one was full-grown at about 15 inches. They are long and thin snakes with a very small head. Their venom is supposed to be 10 times as toxic as a king cobra's. But they are very shy, non-aggressive and you are lucky if you ever see one.

We kept him in a terrarium for a few days and showed him to our homeschool co-op. Then released him.

This coralsnake helped me win a dollar from a friend's dad who doubted it was a true coral snake. He has lived in the area for 38 years and this was only the 3rd coralsnake he has seen.

Some mimics of his pattern include Arizona Mountain Kingsnake and Shovel-nosed Snakes.

The Sonoran Shovel-nosed is probably the hardest to tell from it because the popular rhyme ("Red touch black, venom lack) doesn't apply. The Coralsnake has a black snout though. And the Sonoran Shovel-nosed has a very limited range.

Probably, the coolest find of the year. This one is worth 10!