Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've spent alot of time this past month out in the deserts and mountains of NM. Here's some of the flora, fauna, and vista's I'd like to share with you all.

First are a few Collard greens LOL

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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

Next are some vista's. There are quite a number of old mines in this area of south central NM.

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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

A few snakes.

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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

A snake in a hole.

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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

Chris:

Nice pics. I'll try to post some stuff from this spring later today. Meanwhile, your snake is of course a Desert Striped Whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus). Here's one we observed in Nevada in April at its overwintering site.

Cheers,

Bob

I was thinking it was a juvie coachwhip. He backed into the hole so I never did get a good look at him. Thanks for the ID Bob.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

funny I was thinking coachwhip also. Either way they are both equally fast
Russ

Russ & Chris:

You guys might be right. Both M. flagellum and taeniatus are widespread in southern New Mexico. Elsewhere, coachwhips tend to be more confined to desert settings, giving way to striped whipsnakes at slightly higher elevations with Great Basin vegetation (e.g., sagebrush). But in New Mex., this distinction seems less obvious, so I will withdraw my "certain" ID!!

Cheers,

Bob

to come out of your holes... LOL. I should'nt say anything though I've been in a hole of my own too. I do have quite a good number of thayeri that have hatched out in the past few day. Group pics to follow after they shed.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

I've been swamped with work, family, and future job assignment selection. I believe the end is near for my snake collection. After growing and developing it for more than 12 years I think I'm finally going to have to part ways with it due to my next job. The fun thing about that is when I can come back to it you guys will have refined thayeri to a whole new level and I'll have a great variety to choose from.

I've got a clutch of thayeri coming out of the egg right now and there are some screamers in the group. I'll post pics as sson as they are all out and again after they shed. So far it has been a really good snake breeding year. God must have known I had time in my schedule this summer If you remember I was moving last year from Florida to Virginia on this exact day. Moving a couple of clutches of eggs over 690 miles without issue....been there done that and got the t-shirt

Russ

Some more fauna.

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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

These pictures are all gorgeous. You're making me jealous. I don't get to see many mountains in Louisiana.

Thanks for sharing!

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

Chris:

Here are a few from spring trip to Nevada:

cheers,

bob

I love those scenery pics with the subject in the foreground. I had the chance to do some of that but just forgot. What part of Nevada were you in?
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

Chris:

Thanks. Those scenery shots are fun to do, but a challenge to get them right, and I'm still learning. As for Nevada, we are out in the middle of nowhere, searching for Great Basin Rattlesnake den sites (we have found several so far). In general, we are east and south of Tonopah in some incredibly remote areas——maybe the least inhabited part of N America (if you don't count the aliens--we're not too far from Area 51!).

Cheers,

Bob

Most of my pics are from an area on the northern border of White Sand missle range. Area 51 and White Sands Missle Range have something in common. Both are both pretty remote areas. They both make for some good field trips.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

Way cool pictures Chris! The photo quality is excellent and your subjects are beautiful. I like the cactus with the purple flowers, and the landscape with the rain clouds in the distance. The lizards and snakes were neat too. What kind of birds were those in the tree? (The black ones with the big beaks) And that caterpillar is neat, is it a type of Fritillary?

Awesome... thanks for posting those!
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Aubrey Ross

©
www.SlipstreamSerpents.com

I had alot of fun out there. I was actually hunting for Oryx (Gemsbok) just north of the White Sands missle range. The mountain range you see in alot of those pics are the Oscuro mountains. Several of the pics you see are of the northern boundry of the Stallion missle range. The Stallion range is where they exploded the first Atomic bomb @ Trinity site.

The birds with the big beaks are baby raven's. It's the first time I've seen a Ravens nest with young ones in the nest. I have no idea what kind of caterpillar that is. Maybe someone else can ID it for us.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

Chris,
You have been busy, great pic's thanks for sharing them all.
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Michelle
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.