Brothers born miles apart or...

We recently acquired these two Prairie Rattlesnakes, from areas that were 50 miles apart,  So what should we think?  Are they the same animal genetically?  Are they two different species or subspecies?  Are they sexually dimorphic?  (We haven't probed them yet to determine sex.)  Maybe they're intergrades?  But with what?  You can almost take yourself back to Darwin's' time and wonder how he might have classified these two, given the circumstances. 

We're not color-driven herpers (thinking  $$$) looking for the next unusual morph.  We just like what we see, but in this case we're not sure what we're seeing.

These pictures were taken about 10 minutes apart, same enclosure, same exposure to light, and flash, and editing.  So, what do we have here???
 

What's in YOUR back yard???

We are blessed to live in the country, in a relatively unspoiled area (not many homes, lots of open spaces, woods, pasture, etc, etc.)  And we keep finding herps in our yard, that we did NOT release, and that really should not even be there.  When I say they shouldn't be there, I mean because they're a mile or more from their "preferred habitat!"  So here's our latest "find" in the back yard, literally, the BACK yard!

Shouldn't everyone have one?

Not the biggest snapping turtle we've ever encountered in the "wild" but definitely the stinkiest!  I tried to show his/her musk glands which are located behind the front legs, on the side.  These shots were taken a day later, but the day of the "capture" this turtle was just oozing musk.  OMG, such a stinky animal! Great defense!

In a previous post I mentioned we found a very large slider in our front yard.  And in that post I also mentioned that we are at least a mile from the river.  We do have some "drainage" behind the house, but it drains towards, the river and most of the time is dry and overgrown with grass.  Obviously these animals can travel quite a ways, under less than optimal conditions, for whatever reasons we can only surmise. 

Hey, what's in that hay???

As you can see from the picture, we got a bit of snow this LAST DAY of December!   You can also see we have horses, and of course we were getting low on hay, so we had to go to the local feed store and buy some.  We hooked up the jeep and headed on out to pick up a few bales to last us though to the weekend

The hay is kept in an outside shed at the feed store.  We pulled through the shed and waited for one of the guys to help load it.  He jumped up on the stack, and jumped back as he said "Would you look at that!  A snake!"  I said "Let me see" and pronounced it as a Prairie Kingsnake, and that I was going to take it home.  Needless to say it was very, very cold, but still able to move a bit.   Glad we were there to find it, as if it were any one else, they probably would have killed it thinking it was a copperhead, as every "brown" snake around here must be a copperhead!  It's a bit warmer now, at home, and we'll be letting it go when the warm weather comes back.  We may rehibernate it in the meantime.  We have enough mouths to feed over the winter now!  But this is still one lucky kingsnake!

 

He ddn't get to vote, but he doesn't care...

I (Maryann) worked a polling station this past Tuesday (presidential election 2012), and had an hour for lunch.  Since I only live about 6 miles from the polling station (and in the country that's about a 10 minute drive) I decided to come home.  Found this guy stretched out on the pavement, near the creek, apparently getting some warmth.  Some guys stopped to ask me if it was a cottonmouth.  I replied that I certainly would not be holding it as I was, if it were venomous.  The snake complied by holding his mouth open, as pissed watersnakes will do, and showed them his mouth was indeed not white.  Mind you, this is November 6th, and the temperature in my car said 55 degrees. 

We're holding him until Friday, when the temps are supposed to be in the 70s, and then let him go.   It's always interesting to see herps out so "late" as, in times past, we've had snow at this time of the year.  

I also volunteer ar the local "Nature Center" and last weekend we had reports of a snake (the description fit that of a juvenile Black Ratsnake), box turtles, and water turtles out and about.

Can you say "global warming?"

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UPDATE:  We are keeping him over the winter probably.  After we cleaned him up, we noticed he had a gaping wound down his tail.  He has movement, but it looks very bad.  Therefore, we thought he'd be better off being rehabbed here rather than thrown out to fend for himself. 

Do a good deed!

It's been a while since we've gone to a reptile show that had "hots."  We couldn't go to Hamburg this fall due to a catastrophic illness, but all is well now.  Since we still needed "to get out of town" for some R&R, we went to the Repticon show in Dallas.  But this is not about the show.

We did find one table devoted to stopping rattlesnake roundups!   I was glad to see these folks taking initiative as we can't be vocal enough in telling everyone who will listen, that round-ups are an abomination. They had literature, a person giving regular presentations on the problems and horrors involved in these round-ups, and...a way to make money to support their cause...t-shirts!

 

Not that I don't already have enough herp-related t-shirts, but this is different!   These shirts make a definite statement and need to be seen! And not just by fellow herpers.

 

The shirt says "Education, not eradication."  The way it's folded, that's not so obvious.  Lotsa colors, lotsa sizes, lotsa reasons to own this shirt!  I'm embarassed that I don't remember the names of the gentlemen involved in this endeavor.    But at least someone is involved, in a more-than-casual way!

 

PETA isn't doing anything; HSUS wants money before they tackle ANY animal abuse, etc, etc., and even then it goes mostly for administration, and little towards actual animal rescue. 

 

 Here's one way you can get a shirt, in case you don't find these guys at one of your shows.  The web site is: WWW.Newtstees.com 

 

 

 

Special delivery!

You may know (should know) by now that we are crocodilian happy!  We love 'em!  So when our Morelet's passed away earlier this year, we were devastated.  At the time we knew them to be unavailable to the average collector.  Recently they were taken off Appendix 1, and our friend, Bob Clark, imported a group that were "farm-raised."  Of course we were on the phone ASAP and ordered one (or 2 or 3...)

 

They came on a Saturday (God love you Fed Ex!)  We told the driver what they were but he didn't stick around to see for himself.  Probably on a tight schedule, but it does give him something to tell his friends and co-workers about!  Then we slowly opened the package...

 

Well packed, in a bag of shredded newspaper, inside the styrofoam box, inside the Fed Ex box.  The way we should all send out animals!  Safe, sound and protected.  And voila...

 

 

Cute?  We think so.  They were a bit shy at first, when we tried to feed them, but they are now quite voracious.  We have them all in separate tubs, eating newborn pinkies.  They are growing and thriving.  Why three?  Well, we wanted to guard against any unforeseen mortality!  It should take them a while to get to the size where we have to build those rediculous large enclosures, but we're happy to wait!

 

 

 

 

"Come on in," I said!

"Don't mind if I do,"  said the copperhead at my doorstep!

NO, this is not how the scenario went, but it could have.  I came home from work, walked in to the house to unwind, get something to drink, perhaps a small snack, and then go back out to the shop to take care of the animals (herps.) 

I opened the door, and the dog went out first.  For some reason I looked down, and there was a copperhead.  Not just in my way, but at the very edge of the doorstep.  Now was it there when I went into the house?  Did it crawl over in the short time I was in the house (less than 10 minutes?)   I debated on what to do, decided to go out the other (front) door, got my camera which was in the car, went back around to the door I saw it at, and took this pic.  It had not moved.  I then got a hook, and moved it out of the way, towards a small garden patch next to the house.

In hindsight, I should have moved it a bit further from the house as now I'm constantly looking for it to reappear.  I know I also had a large speckled kingsnake living near that garden patch, so who knows, their paths may cross.  I hope not, for the copperhead's sake, but that is what nature is all about.

As for the "why" this animal appeared where it did, I can only assume it's because we have a drain near there for the air conditioner.  We have seen lizards attempting to drink out of this small run-off.  In this intense drought, any water is better than no water.