Into the Wilder

2010-05-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time but I hope to get a few more things going for this year, one of which was this week. I had the chance to head out on tuesday to neveda to do some surveying on the kingsnake population in the Great Basin. I didn't find any kingsnakes but I did find a snake that I have always hoped to find but never been able to, the story does not end well though so don't get your hopes up.

Here was my first find of the trip. It was a nice size Great Basin Gopher Snake that was pushing 4'. The 1st pic is as found,

This 2nd was to show a little of the size.

These next couple of pics still frustrate me!!! I have always been interested in Ringneck snakes. I was able to find a few on my mission in Miami but have never seen one in Utah. I hear they are out there I just never seem to find them. Just a little background on them, they are very secretive snakes that spend much of their time underground of under ground cover so you have to really look hard or get really lucky to find them. they are a small snake that ranges from 12"-30" but they pack a powerful punch. They are a rear-fanged snake and are known to have some sort of vemon that helps them take down their prey. They are confirmed snake eaters and have been witnessed swalloing snakes that are nearly their own size.

This one I found pulling into a sub-developement so I wasn't really looking for anything just driving. I saw a snake on the road just before I got to it, I tried to swerve but with no luck. It was about the same lenghth and diameter as a pencil.

The Regal Ringneck Snake

I just hope I get another chance to find one of these guys, alive that is.

-Tommy

Long Absence, and a Nice Find!

2009-06-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

This first post of mine in a couple of months is of a few of the finds from Florida. Vincent asked if I would do a post about a "Glass Snake" which isn't really a snake at all, but a lizard with no legs. I found this guy while we were on our way to the Everglades. It is an Ophisaurus ventralis (Eastern Glass Lizard). I knew it was not a snake the second I saw it on the road. These guys have a tail about twice as long as their body and when held feel nothing like a snake. They are stiff and scaly (much like lizards with legs), not soft and lucid like snakes.

Legless lizards are found along the East coast down through the south east, as well as along the west coast. They spend a lot of time in sandy soil and look very uncordinated trying to move through anything else.

This last pic is of a young Corn Snake found under a board across from where we found the lizard. It was a fun trip and we had lots of fun especially getting to see things I did not see the first time I was in Florida.

Florida Blue Striped Garter

2009-03-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

In honor of our trip to Florida this week I would like to show the Florida Blue Striped Garter, Thamnophis sirtalis similis. These guys are found in a very specific area of Florida along the Gulf Coast. They vary in blueness and are quite fiesty as a picture below will demonstrate. They will eat a variety of items, I feed mine pinkies (baby mice), worms, and fish. Males are much smaller than Females averaging 16-24 inches, while the Females average lengths of 30-36 inches. There have been some specimens that grow over 40 inches.

These guys along with all Garters are great pets. They are active in the day and love to explore everything they can which seperates them from a lot of Colubrids and Boids that tend to hide most of the time. They start out flighty and emit a stinky musk when first handled but over time they calm down and some will even come out to meet you as you walk into the room.

This is my Female, she is a lot brighter blue than my male below.
This is a pic of how mean my male can be at times.

"Striped Keelback"

2009-03-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Xenochrophis vittatus- Striped Keelback- Indonesian Garter

This is the Scientific name along with the common name of this species, Ironically they are neither a true Garter or a true Keelback, they are kind of in a limbo state of ID right now. They are found in South East Asia and are usually found under ground litter. They eat small invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and anything else they can fit in their mouth. The ones found in the pet trade are usually wild caught individuals and many are loaded with parasites and in poor health. So far I have been lucky with mine and have not had any problems. He is quickly becoming one of my favorites in my collection.

Unfortunately these guys are often sold in chain stores (Petco) as "Canadian Garters" or under some other false name. This is a rear fanged species (as are all North American Garters) meaning they do have a mild venom, like that of a bee or common house spider. They are harmless to humans but there is the slight possibility of an allergic reaction. Mine has never shown any signs of aggression, which is a lot more than can be said about my real Garter snakes. If you see these guys in the stores under a different name just realize what they really are and enjoy them as such, also make sure you do your research on them because the pet store won't be able to give you any useful information.

2. Corn Snake

2009-01-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

My second choice is the Corn Snake. This is a very popular snake in the pet trade due to its low price, amazing colors, and its exceptional demeanor. They make very good pets and the snake I recommend as the very best beginner snake.

In the wild the corn snake has a large range spanning much of the southern U.S. It is found in many different ecosystems which adds to its adaptability and hardiness as a captive. They spend time in the tree tops as well as in the water, but they spend most of their time on the ground under leaf litter or in logs. They are usually not stingy eaters in the wild eating rodents, amphibians, lizards, and even birds. In captivity they do best with a diet of rodents. As babies you should provide a calcium supplement to help them get the proper growth they will need to be healthy adults.

There are hundreds of color morphs that have been discovered in this species with more being discovered each year. Because of their popularity in the trade there are many established captive breeders eliminating the need of wild collecting of the species. These guys are a very rewarding pet, one that will continue to grow in popularity with reptile and non-reptile enthusiasts everywhere.

1. The American Bullfrog

2009-01-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

I chose to do the Bullfrog first for a few reasons: 1. It is very recognizable and common, 2. It is native to the United States, and 3. It is highly invasive and illegal to have in the state of Utah. Some say that if you see one in the wild you should kill it, I personally prefer to use the tadpoles as snake food but that is just me.

This species has a wide range that goes from the east coast to just east of the Rockies. It has been introduced to many parts of the West and is causing great damage to the native species, imparticular the highly endangered Columbia Spotted Frog. I talked to a DWR representative last year that told me they found a Bullfrog that had just eaten two of the Spotted Frogs.

They have been imported in small numbers by Pet enthusiasts but the main cause of introduction is through bait shops. They will sell the Tadpoles of these guys by the hundreds. People will use them for bait and loose some or just to put in their outdoor pond.

Please help spread the word on this invasive species and let people know there are much better things to have as pets.

Winter Blues!

2009-01-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

I can't stand the winter! I do not like the cold, I do not like the snow, I do not like that it gets dark at 5:00 p.m., and worst of all there are no Herps to be found.

I struggle through the winter months and I am sure it is the same for all of you, so to help us all out I will be posting a feature pet of the week. It will include the bio of my pet as well as some natural history and captive care info.

I will do one a week for the next few weeks and if anyone has a request of something they want me to post about please let me know.

I wish everyone good luck getting through the winter blues and remember to get back if you need a little boost.

Cold Stuff!

2008-11-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

These are some shots of a Wandering Garter snake that Jake caught at his house. It was found on the 29 of October sometime in the afternoon. It was warm for the time of year and perfect Garter (the snake not the clothing) weather.

As I was telling Ash the other day, Garters are my favorite kind of snakes. They are very active and unlike any other species in their behavior. I currently have 3 Garters in my collection and hope to increase that number (don't worry Ash not too soon). They are active in suprisingly cold weather being found as far north as Canada and into Alaska. I hope to continue to get some good shots of these amazing creatures.

This last one has the temp temp reading along with the snake just to give you an idea of what the weather was like when I took the shots.

Thanks for looking Y'all!

Summer Fun....Ok and some Fall too!

2008-11-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

I realize it has been a very very long time since I have added to this thing and since I know so many of you depend on this blog to get through your day I will make up for it by making this an extra long one.

These first ones are from Lake Powell (which was back in June). It was the first time I had been there, well out on the water anyway. We had a great time and saw a lot of cool stuff.

These first two are just some scenery shots of where we were at. It was a nice little place with a lot of cool places to explore.

This one is of me pregnant with our second child as well as a Dessert Spiny Lizard. These guys had some excellent colors and fiesty attidudes.

This was a nice adult Horned lizard that we found on the way back from a hike. This second one is a better shot of the same one.

As we were getting this guy from under the bush we herd Steve and everyone up ahead yelling "SNAKE!" We caught up to them and they told us they herd a rattle and saw the snake slither off to the side of them. I took a few steps and herd this guy.

From my research I think this is a Midget Faded Rattlesnake. They get about 2-3' long as adults and as you see they blend in very well with their surroundings.

The next day Matt and I went out and we saw these guys.

This is another Horned Lizard we found. luckily this time we found it while it was light out and I was able to get some good shots.

We also found this little guy. He was no bigger than my palm and I nearly stepped on him. Its colors were very bright and I love the color of the eyes.

Well that was some of the fun we had at Lake Powell. I hope you enjoyed the pics and I will try to do better to keep this thing updated.

Thanks Y'all!

Recent Fun!

2008-06-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from some of my recent travels. Most of them were taken somewhere up Provo Canyon and a few were from a few other places that I will fill you in on. It has been a pretty good spring so far, I just hope it keeps up. These first few pics were of Wandering Garters I found here locally.

These were all found near an old house foundation here in the valley. As you will notice the Garters from the valley exibit more striping than those found farther up the Canyon.

This guy was found while road cruising somewhere near Little Sahara Sand Dunes. I found a total of 18 Great Basin Gopher Snakes that night, this was the only one that was alive. The others were all DORs (Dead On Road). This was a juvenile probably about 2 maybe 3 years old. As I posted earlier Gopher Snakes have the potential to be the longest snakes in Utah, they can grow upwards of 6'.

This was a beautiful Wandering Garter that was found near Heber. Its striping was almost non existent and it had more orange around the throat and jaw than normal. It was a good size making me guess that it was a female but that is only a guess.

These next few aren't Herps but I like taking pictures of almost anything so this is what you get.

This is a caterpillar found up Provo Canyon on a slow day. I have no idea what kind it was but the blues and oranges were very bright.

This Flower was near the caterpillar. It really was a slow herp day!

This Spider was found on a trip that Ash and I went on to Corn Creek. We took her little brother Matt who had a good time and was the first to see this guy under a board I flipped. It was a Huge Spider! You can see the .22 shell for size reference, but I would say it was at least 2 1/2" long.

This was a big Sphinx Moth that thought my sweat would be good to drink up.

This is one of many sage brush lizards we saw that day. It is breeding season and we saw a lot of anxious males and even a few gravid females. We also found one female Side Blotched Lizard but didn't get any good pics of her.

This is a Mormon Yellow Bellied Racer. It is found throughout much of the western U.S. It can attain lengths of 4' and as you can see by the picture it is a very good climber. These are the fastest and meanest snakes I have ever seen.

Matt saw this Great Basin Rattlesnake sneak under a rock we were walking by. These are beautiful animals but extreme care should be taken if one is encountered. If left alone they would much rather sneak away than stay and fight. If you ever find one just keep your distance and let it be!

These next set of pictures were taken at a place we like to call "Ashleytopia". I love going here and always find a lot of good stuff. I have only been there twice this year so far and have found some good Garters. I usually find quite a few Boreal Chorus Frogs as well as Tiger Salamanders by this time but so far I have been skunked by the adults and have only seen a handful of tadpoles.

Here is a habitat shot of the area.

I found this very large Female Wandering Garter basking near a log. It is the largest wild Female I have ever seen measuring over 30". She was a beauty and had a very good temperment. She didn't even musk me.

This was a posed pic on the log I found her on. I don't know if she is Gravid yet or not but it will be soon enough if she isn't already.

Spring 2008

2008-05-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been a while since the last time I have posted anything so I will try to make up for it with some good pics that I got.

I will start out with a trip Ash and I took for Spring Break down to St. George at the end of April. On the way down we stopped at Corn Creek to see if we good find anything. It was still pretty early in the year but it was good weather and I was hoping for a miracle........ Unfortunatley I only saw this lone lizard.

I am not completely sure on the species of this lizard but I believe it is either a Sagebrush or a Fence Lizard. Feel free to chime in if you know what it is.

After a dissipointing time at Corn Creek We headed to St. George where we found these little guys.

These sorpions seemed to be under almost every rock we flipped. This next one will show you how small they were.

These were the biggest ones I found and they could both still fit onto that quarter together. This next one shows what happens to a scorpion when put under a Black Light.

If you are going out to find these guys specificly a black light is all you need! I tried it a couple of weeks later at Little Sahara Sand Dunes and turned one up in less than five minutes.

In the Evening Ash and I went to Snow Canyon to do some site seeing and to see if we could find anything that would make a good pic. I flipped a couple of rocks and came up with this.

I only saw this part when I turned over the rock so I did a little litter removel and came up with this guy.

Nothing to exciting but it is always fun to get out and find Herps of any kind.

On the way home from St. George we again stopped at Corn Creek to check things out but once again we were skunked. I was a little perturbed and very desperate to find a snake or something I had never seen so I turned off on a little gravel road and drove until I found a shooting range with a lot of good AC. I had flipped everything in site and was headed to the car when I spotted a piece of cardboard. I flipped it and to my amazement found this little guy! It is a Great Basin Western Skink and on my life list. You can't tell by the pic but the tail was a deep blue color.

This was a great find and made the trip as far as herps go. Ash and I had a lot of fun and Briggs was hilarious as always. It is always good when you get out and do some herping but it is that much better when you get to do it with your family.

First Catch of the Year!

2008-03-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Its not much but it is a wonderful sign that Spring is here and herping is just around the corner! I was at work last week when I got a call from Debbie my Mother-in-law. She told me she was at her friends and there were 3 Wandering Garters in her yard. I ran over during my lunch break and grabbed all three. I was back to school with the little guys before the lunch bell rang. It was a little surprising to see that these guys were out so soon. We have had a heavy Winter so I was expecting a later than usual start on the herping but it just goes to show the hardiness of these animals that most people think are only found in warm weather.

I could only get pictures of one of them, but here are 3 different shots of this one.

This was a pic of Mt. Timp when I found the snakes. Its just to show you that it is still pretty cold here.

To add a little to the story in snowed a few inches yesterday to give us a nice blanket of snow on the lawns. Stay tuned for a pic of that.

Say Hello to My Little Friend!

2008-03-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

This is the new lizard I got last week. It is a Frilled Lizard, some people call it a Frilled Dragon. They are from Australia and New Guinea. The word on the street is that their bark is far worse than their bite but with the size of those teeth I wouldn't like to test out what they say on the street.

If you work with them they can become very tame and personable lizards much like the Bearded Dragons.

But you wouldn't know that by this picture. This guys previous owner did not really know how to take care of him so he is a little on the thin side as well as the feisty side, but with some extra feedings with vitamins and some handling he will be great!

Hard Work!

2008-03-11T11:29:00.001-07:00

Field herping is hard work! It is a lot of hours in the hot sun rummaging through prickly shrubs, walking long distances with sometimes little to no pay out. This next picture is one such example of that. It was early in the spring so I was taking a chance to begin with, but I was antsy to get out of my couped up house and find my first herps of the year. I started my trek early hoping to find some newly emerged Garters basking in the sun on the rocks, but to no avail. I had been out for hours and not even a sighting. My frustration was high and my patience was low when all of the sudden I came into a clearing and found this.....

These were the only two signs of life I saw that day, I am glad I found them together. Just a reminder that you don't always find what you are expecting to find. I believe Forrest Gump said it best when he said something like "........ happens!"

Corn Creek!!!

2008-02-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

By the pictures you will see why this is one of my favorite places in the world. It is in south-central Utah near a little town called Kanosh. I was first introduced to this area area by a scout leader of mine, within the first seven and a half minutes we had caught 2 racers and had seen dozens of lizards. This past year Ash and I went camping with her 2 younger brothers. She was 8 months pregnant and ready to burst, but she wanted to go and we had a great time.

This was the smallest lizard I have ever seen. Ash found this one as we were checking out the swimming hole this last Sept. This is the Greater Short Horned Lizard, it is one of two species of Horned Lizard in Utah.

Ash also found this one. This is a Western Yellow Bellied Racer, they are the meanest snakes I have ever been around. Usually you can work with a snake and get it to calm down a little, but not these guys they are fast and they are mean! This is a young adult, the average adult size is between 4-4.5 ft.

Here is a head shot of the same snake.

This is the coolest snake I found at Corn Creek. It is a Great Basin Gopher Snake, they are the second longest snake in the U.S. next only to the endangered Eastern Indigo Snake.

This guy was between 4.5-5 ft. Its color was amazing! It had very clean reddish-brown saddles with a very light yellow base.

Garter!!!

2008-02-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of just run of the mill Garter snakes I have run into the last couple of years, all of which are Wandering Garters found through western Utah. There are many species of garters throughout the country. They are very active snakes and can be found in many different habitats, from the deserts of Mexico up into the wilderness of Canada. They are a very hardy animal that will eat just about anything that they can get their mouths around.

In early Spring these guys are everywhere! They emerge pretty early and are commonly seen basking in the sun through out the day until late June, after that they tend to escape the hottest parts of the day by hiding under logs, rocks, leaves, or any other ground cover.
This last one is my favorite picture of all time. It was taken in early May just as the sun was peeking through the trees at the mouth of Provo Canyon.

Good Times!!!

2008-02-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

Memories of Miami
Ok, I wanted to share some of my pictures that I took in Miami. This is not why I went to Miami but I took advantage of my P-Days and caught up with the local wildlife. Miami has a very wide range of animals that I had the pleasure of seeing from time to time, from the chickens and little lizards of downtown to the endangered Manatee and Crocodiles that find refuge in the cooling canals of a Nuclear Power Plant. It is amazing to see how animals are sometimes able to adapt to the continual onslaught by us.

This is me right above one of the most endangered animals in the world, the American Crocodile! Because of their secretive nature and the inaccessible mangrove swamps in which they live there is little known as far as numbers of this species. The last report I saw estimated that there somewhere between 800 and 1500 left in the wild.

These on the other hand have made a remarkable comeback! The numbers of the American Alligator are booming throughout their home range. This was a picture I took in the ENP (Everglades National Park) during the dry season.

This is another American Alligator. This was a juvenile that let me get very close before diving into the water.

This is the close up of a Wolf Spider with her babies. This was found in the spring on the porch of a person we were visiting.

This is me and a Green Iguana I caught on Key Biscayne. Iguanas are not actually native to Florida but through escaped captives these have settled in and have flourished. This is a male about 3ft long. The biggest one I caught was a monster at about 6ft.

This is a picture of another animal that is not native to Florida and is now banned as a pet because to many people were letting them go after they realized they couldn't take care of them. It is a Red Eared Slider, it is a medium water turtle that can live more than 25 years in captivity.

This is a picture of a baby turtle that I caught in Florida. I don't know what kind it is but this one is a native species and therefore was released after he let me take this shot of him.

This is a Florida Water snake, this picture was taken right outside one of my apartments.

Welcome!!!

2008-02-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

I welcome everyone "Into the Wilder!"

My Pets
These are pics of my pets, mark this section because there will be future additions!

This is a picture of my Amelinistic Creamsicle Corn Snake. I have had her for 3 years and she is doing very well.

This is my Albino Striped California King Snake. She is about 4 years old and has the most wonderful temperment.

This is my male Black Mexican King Snake, he is just over 2 years old. I also have a 3 year old female. I do plan on starting a breeding project with them soon. I will cool them this coming fall in preparation for the following spring.

This is my female.

This is one of my Tiger Salamanders. The other two are Barred Tigers which means they have a black background with bright yellow bars across their backs. Tiger Salamander's patterns very greatly depending on where they are found. Even here in Utah there are a few different patterns depending on the locality, I will show some examples of that later.

These are the two Barred Tigers, they have a yellow on black contrast which makes the much more popular in the pet trade than my other one.

This is my lizard, it is a Longtailed Sand Lizard. This was my birthday present from Ash this past year.

This is one of my little Garters that is getting ready for its Spring shed.

This is a normal colored Corn that I "rescued," when I got it it was very emaciated and was having problems shedding.

This is my male Rubber Boa. I hope to get a female sometime this year. These guy are found at some of the highest altitudes of any snakes.