Posted by:
ratsnakehaven
at Wed Aug 31 18:39:49 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by ratsnakehaven ]
I've been going to Arizona for about ten yrs., every summer, for vacation and a little herping, AZ style. As some of you know I've been blanked on the Western green rat, Senticolis triaspis intermedia, every year in the Santa Ritas, and I've taken a certain amount of good natured ribbing because of it. Well, now I can say that I've found a green rat there, and I can get on with herping for other species too..LOL.
We arrived on a late July day and it was very hot and dry. AZ had been suffering from a hotter than normal heat wave that was keeping everything underground according to my sources. It had been 114*F. the day before. But that was to be the last hot and dry day for the whole trip for me. It never got out of the 90's the rest of the trip and rained almost every day. But one day was enough to find this beautiful, 2 yr. old, female, stretched out on a dirt road after dark...
Since I was alone at the time and I wanted to record this event with multiple pictures, I decided to keep her until daylight. So the next day I took some photos in a plastic container, which don't do her much justice, btw. She had beautiful, light green colors...
Senticolis triaspis is a beautiful species. I also think it is very interesting taxonomically, evolutionarily, and natural history-wise. But I don't think it makes a very good pet.
Anyway, it is a snake everyone seems to want to see. So, I decided to keep it a couple days until a herping buddy arrived. I showed it to him and we took some more pics...
The next day we took her with us back to the same spot and at the exact same time of capture we let her go. Next time I'll try to get some more natural shots, if there is a next time  Until then I'll have to be happy with the in-hand shots, and the on-the-road shots after dark...
I hope she goes on to live a really long life and makes lots of babies, so I can keep on finding green rats in the years to come. 'Til the next time..hahaha...
TC
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 Green Rat in se. AZ this summer... - ratsnakehaven, Wed Aug 31 18:39:49 2005
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