Crotalus horridus
Nov
21st
2011
Big Bend Patch-Nosed Snake
I was driving along on my way to Carlsbad New Mexico and saw this guy cruising through a field off the side of the road near Columbus. I was able to get out and in front of him and get a couple of photos. The first is when he first saw his path obstructed with a hairless ape laying in the grass like a moron.
Big Bend Patch-Nosed Snake
Big Bend Patch-Nosed Snake
Nov
18th
2011
Eastern Gartersnake Being Sneaky
… or not really. Here’s another little tiny baby gartersnake we found while walking around swampland looking for Massasaugas in Pennsylvania last Spring.
Nov
16th
2011
White Pine County, Nevada
On a recent trip to Idaho, I got to spend an afternoon in the Great Basin National Park area of Eastern Nevada. I struck out on my target snakes, but still really enjoyed myself in the remote upland areas of the wilderness there.
Nov
14th
2011
Desert Spiny Lizard
Awake before all the other lizards, North of Phoenix in July.
Desert Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus magister
desert spiny lizard
Nov
7th
2011
“Baby Rattlesnake”
Obviously it’s not, but these groundsnakes get into houses a lot, and “baby rattlesnake” is what the people who call my snake removal service often tell me it is. The baby they describe is actually full-sized at a little over a foot long, and can get anywhere scorpions can. This one wasn’t found in a kitchen, but crossing a road in a mountainous area North of Phoenix.
Sonoran Groundsnake, Sonora semiannulata
Groundsnake
Nov
2nd
2011
Pennsylvania! Timber Rattlesnakes all over the place.
In May I had a chance to go to Pennsylvania to visit some good friends and photograph dozens of wild Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). It was by far the furthest East I have ever been, and it was incredibly fun being in environments that were completely alien to me. Every plant, insect, and of course reptile were something I’d never seen before.
We ended up seeing a great variety of species; much more than I had planned on. The most impressive to me were the timbers, but I have to say I was most excited for the two Eastern massassaugas we got to photograph. The weather was cold and very wet most of the time (I learned ‘rain gear’ isn’t all created equal), and it was very strange to me to even be out looking in such conditions … May in Arizona is already too hot in the daytime to be looking beyond a few hours after sunup.
Within 2 hours of stepping off the plane in Buffalo, we’d seen 9 rattlesnakes. Incredible! What is great to mention as well, as that this was made possible because of this blog I’ve been keeping for awhile. The couple of guys that hosted me and showed me the amazing sights originally had contacted me a few years back about meeting up here in Arizona, and we’ve kept in contact since then and get out fo see some snakes once a year. This site has helped me meet not only many herpers all around the world, but the right kind of them; conservation minded, animals-first kind of people. This Springtime trip to PA symbolizes all that for me.
Anyway, just a bit of an explanation before I start posting all these East coast animals. I’ll still be posting lots of animals from Arizona and New Mexico, but I need to start getting these into the mix as well. To wrap it up: a few timbers.
Oct
31st
2011
Terrible Photo of a First-Time Lizard
Ya, I know … but it was the first of these guys I photographed, so it is what it is! I’ve seen a lot more since then, and apparently had seen a lot before too, after taking the time to learn the visual differences between this and other common lizards in the area. Striped Plateau Lizard, Scoloporus virgatus.
Striped Plateau Lizard
Oct
24th
2011
Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake, Lampropeltis pyromelena
L-pyromelena-1-070911
L-pyromelena-2-070911
Oct
21st
2011
Blacktailed Rattlesnake Getting Out of the Summer Sun
After a long day of searching without much to show for it, we found this guy sitting out the sunshine 30 steps from the car on the way out on a “let’s just check that shady spot really quick” time-waster. Glad we stopped!
Blacktailed Badass
Oct
17th
2011
Black-Necked Gartersnakes Tadpole Hunting
In the pools of water near one of my favorite black-tail spots, these baby gartersnakes are everywhere. They’re trying to eat tadpoles, and they’re absolutely awful at it. For as much time as I’ve spent there, I’ve never seen one actually succeed (though I have seen them try and miss a lot).
Black Necked Gartersnake
Thamnophis
