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!

Year of the Snake - No. 29 -38 - Rough Green, Queen & Watersnakes

Opheodrys aestivus

Regina septemvittata

We took a trip to visit our grandparents in Mississippi and our cousins in Tennessee. We found quite a bit.

No. 29 - Rough Green Snake
We found this snake after a very interesting hike at Noxubee Refuge. We had already seen an alligator, anole lizard, 20 toads, a mud turtle, a fence lizard and an unidentified skink.

Robert spotted this snake at eye-level in a bush after we walked past it. It looked completely like a vine. We picked him up and he didn't bite at all.

No. 30 - 33 - Queen Snake
We found several of these in a creek by our cousin's neighborhood in Nashville. On the first day I went out, I turned over a large flat rock and underneath was the Queen Snake and Northern Watersnake. I took them back to the house for photos and released them a few minutes later. When I went to release them, I also saw a big snapping turtle.

Nerodia sipedon will bite and hang on.

No. 34 - 38 - Northern Watersnakes

Unidentified salamander:
Let me know if you know which species this is. 

We found three of these at the same creek in Nashville. A couple were found under the same rocks as Queen Snakes. These are very agressive. When I picked one up, it latched onto my hand and held on. But they are probably some of my favorite snakes. I like their colors and habitat. And they bite, which makes them more exciting to catch.

We also saw several of these at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary outside Nashville.

Other Reptiles:
These photos are from the Nashville Zoo and Mississippi Museam of Natural Science in Jackson.

Collared lizard at Nashville Zoo.
I like the blur of the lizard's movement.

Mexican tiger rat snake at the Nashville Zoo.

Eyelash viper at Nashville Zoo.

Crotalus atrox at Misssissippi Museum of Natural Science.

Honorable mention: Groundsnake

This Sonora semiannulata was the biggest groundsnake I had ever seen.

My aunt Julie caught this 10-inch groundsnake in her backyard in Phoenix. Besides being beautiful, she was pregnant. Her body appeared very swollen toward the tail. After we had her for a few days, she laid four eggs. We have had them for a while, and unfortunately they have not hatched.

Earlier this year, our cousins also found a very pretty kingsnake in their yard, which they shared with us.

Although they live in the city, they have great luck finding snakes!

Year of the Snake - No. 27 & 28 Black-necked garter snakes

In early August, we found this juvenile garter snake in the wash on the way back from the creek. My dad also caught an adult on the road one morning.

Thamnophis cyrtopsis

Year of the Snake - No. 21-26 Terrestrial Garters

Aunt Chellie took this photo of Thamnophis elegans.

On a hike at Pumphouse Wash near Flagstaff at the end of June,we found five Wandering Garters (a subspecies of the Terrestrial Garter) in a couple of standing ponds. All were juveniles except for one.

During this hike, we also saw salamander larvae, the salamander's version of a tadpole.                                                                                      

Reptile Camp

At the beginning of June, I went to camp at the Phoenix Herpetelogical Camp. The camp had a little too much classroom work for my liking, but it was a great place to try out my new Nikon D3100.

Common boa

Crotalus horridus (or timber rattlesnake) is from the east coast and contrary to its Latin name it is not horrible. This snake was the first rattlesnake found by the early European settlers in North America, so it got a bad reputation.

Crotalus mitchellii (or speckled rattlesnake) like this are found in Arizona.

American alligator, juvenile.

A rescued Caymen Island Iguana named Tippi. She is missing her front right leg.  (Thank you, Sam, for the info!)