Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just got back from our 2 week trip to the Trans-Pecos. Mostly hunted the Alpine and Ft. Davis areas - shot over 500 photos, still to be edited (almost all of herps). Quickly pulled up this one and adjusted (auto-levels, shadows).

20" male L. alterna found on cut S of Alpine (between picnic areas) at 12:26 a.m. on 7/26. Snake is very thin. Pairs up female caught .2 mi away by my cousin several years ago.

While he may not be the absolute prettiest alterna I've found to date, he certainly has the most interesting pattern. Definitely in my personal top 5 alterna captures.

I also have shots of a couple of other snakes captured by others this past month. Will get them posted later.

Troy

I don't like driving down to those cuts, but they seem to produce some real nice animals. How'd Tim do?

as far as I know, the only place he scored was in Nuevo Laredo LOL

He was in the car with us when I spotted the kingsnake (it was his first night back). When I left, he was hunting the River.

I like hunting the area between the picnic tables better than west of Alpine, but that's only because I don't like the traffic on 90 . . . the cuts on 90 are lots better and there are more of them.

Email me (a l t e r n a 2 6 2 7 AT s w t e x a s DOT n e t) if you want to work out a loaner (or trade?) on a 6 mi S male. I've got several.

Troy

Again Congrats!

Steven

30 live, 11 dead atrox
10 live, 4 dead blacktails
4 live, 5 dead gophers
2 live, 1 dead copperhead
2 live, 2 dead emoryi
12 live, 1 dead lepidus
8 live, 2 dead hypsiglena
2 live, 1 dead mt patchnose
5 live, 6 dead mojaves
1 dead blackneck garter
1 live, 2 dead bairds rats
2 dead hooknoses
3 live, 7 dead coachwhips
2 live checkered garters
1 live blackhood snake
1 live mexican hognose
2 live, 1 dead longnose
1 live alterna
1 dead ground snake
3 live, 1 dead suboc

90 live snakes, 48 dead snakes

also found:
crevice spinys
red spotted toads
texas spotted whiptails
couch's spadefoots
new mexico spadefoots
1 collared lizard
1 green toad
bull frogs
texas toads
texas banded geckos
1 dead desert spiny
canyon lizards
1 desert box turtle

33 total species of herps

Troy

Hogs, Lepidus, Alterna ... LUCKY!

Steven

Except for your cousin's, Troy, have you seen any in the Davis MTNs with so much red/orange?
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Regards, Bill McGighan

the ones from the picnic tables area south of Alpine are about 50/50 blairs/alterna. I've seen several with more orange than these.

Alpine is really the Del Norte Mts and is separated (a bit anyway) from the Davis Mts proper. I've never seen a Jeff Davis Co snake (save one DOR near Kent from Limestone) that you could call a blairs, unless you really stretched. I've seen a couple of blairs from Paisano Gap west of Alpine, several (like 1 in 10) from the big hill 6 mi S of Alpine, and (like I said) about half of the ones from 20 mi S are blairs.

Troy

Thanks
I never realized that that area is considered the Del Norte Mts and not Davis.
That's really very interesting, since geology is so important out there ......
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Regards, Bill McGighan

It is all part of the Davis Highlands . . . and is connected to to the Davis via Cathedral Peak (area) and Musquiz canyon . . . however, the connection is over a great distance. Also, it is connected to the Xmas/BG via the Santiago ridge and Elephant Mt.

Another interesting thing to note: even though all the rocks along the roadway (save a few very short limestong cuts near the southernmost picnic area) are igneous, there are some limestone mountains in the eastern part of the Del Nortes (like parts of Mt. Ord).

Troy

That is a really neat alterna. I think it's worthy of alterna of the month.