So I must be the second example.

I think you missed my point...

they seem to avoid the heavily treed areas in preference to very sparely treed to treeless.

Lets look at the potential for bias. If you're an arboreal snake who is looking to travel to the next refuge (read: tree/shrub), and you are in an area with sparse trees/shrubs, you have to travel considerably further...aka more time on the ground...aka higher probability of crossing a road through the marginal habitat..aka a higher probability of fooling Frank into thinking he's documenting Oxybelis utilizing agaves and rocks. Another idea: which snake with good eye sight is more likely to see an oncoming car and not move down to cross the road? One in a tree, or one whose vision is obscured by agaves and grass (despite the way they elevate their heads)?

I know, we know, most people know that they can be found in that habitat. The point is - if you take out the trees/shrubs...the Oxybelis will no longer occupy that habitat. Want proof? Keep driving down the mountain.

habitats have distint and consistant differences. As I mentioned, at times, going away from anything we knew of.

What? Grasslands? Known from the 80 in the middle of the SBV..why not comparable grassland with historically similar herpetofauna (like Sonoita).

we have repeatedly seen them, in this type of habitat, to a point, that they are far more commonly found in this habitat, then others. for us, here, at this time.

Potentially biased. See Above.

there is no helping you to understand this little tiny incident, if you put up barriers.

It's not about barriers, its about biased methods and sample size.

So to add to the billion and one possibilities, could this habitat be a nursery??? and the adults actually live miles away in the trees, of course it could, thats why a person would investigate.

Potentially, however I think it more likely that you're finding dispersing juveniles who do not have defined home ranges. To be honest, juvies are more fit for that habitat than the adults so it is quite possible that the percentage of time they spend on the ground is higher than it is for adults.

JJ

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