No offense, using the peer reviewed deal, is a cop out. While there is tons of wonderful accurate information, There is also very weak information, pretty much like what makes Mexican and western hogs a different species. Not totally wrong, just really weak.



Also peer reviewed is not all enclusive, which means it only contains, what it contains, no more. There is room for more and more information and there WILL be. As of this time, its particularly weak in the area of behavior. In fact, herp science is now in a time of change. Such things as Mtdna and time lapse cameras are changing the landscape of study. Time lapse cameras are revealing a whole world of information that's taken without interference.

One talk I attended was on wintering fox snakes in the basement of this old house. Those snakes wintered in the basement for years and years, then the house was going to be sold and torn down. They allowed some study before the house was destroyed. They pit tagged the animals, and a surprise to them, during the winter they were able to id animals behind the foundation walls. ALso a surprise was the animals moved all around behind the walls, A unique situation that allowed animals to be tracked without interference during behavior.

Also with my own work, I have located wintering sites that allow viewing of the animals, all winter. of several species. And all move around without problem, using infrared temps guns with laser sites, I can take temps of the animals. Which varies from just above freezing, to the mid forties, OF MOVING ANIMALS. ALso on our C.lepidus C.willardi study, we commonly found individuals out and moving with body temps in the forties, All winter, these were quick read mercury thermometers taken both cloacally and orally(yuk) And no, not with hogs, as the type of habitat is not handy naturally, while I have seen them out in all winter months, its rare in winter. part 1

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