These are some of the Graybands and other snakes I have caught over the last 10 years in Texas. If you don't know already there is a new law being proposed that would make collecting ALL reptiles and amphibians from ALL roads and road shoulders illegal in Texas. Since Texas has virtually no public lands on which you can collect, this will end virtually all collecting in Texas and severly hamper even just observing herps. For the same reason collecting from the road/shoulder, at least in west TX where I am familiar with it, poses absolutly no threat to reptile and amphibian populations since you simply cannot access 99% of their habitat. This law is way too broad and needs badly to be struck down or modified before it comes to a vote. Please go over to the Gray-Banded Kingsnake Forum and do all you can to help.
This is a Blair's taken in 1996 from Langtry.
A nice light Blair's phase taken in 1998 from Hwy. 277.
A fabulous speckled alterna taken in the Davis Mountains off Hwy. 118.
Gorgeous milksnake found during a break in an intense lightning storm just laying in the middle of the road. Davis Mtns. Hwy 118.
Trans-Pecos Ratsnake. These things are dirt common in the right areas, finding five or six per night is common. This one is unusual in having a light silver-gray coloration, possibly anerythristic. I took this snake off Black Gap road in 2002 and in 2003 I took two males to breed to her. In 2004 I produced 7 normally colored tan babies and will breed back two holdback males to her this year to see if this coloration is inheritable.
Please remember for every mile of 200 foot wide strip of road in west Texas you can collect from there are hundreds of square miles of privately held ranchlands you can't collect from.
