Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In my last couple trips to Panama we spent a lot of time searching for L.t.micropholis. We didn't find any alive but we did locate a few preserved ones and their habitat.

Here is a photo of a photo of a DOR specimen that a friend found a few years back.

And here is the same specimen out of the freezer for a size reference

And a couple more young ones that I found in Jars at a park office.

Of the 3 dead that I examined, the the RBR counts were 10,12 and 13. Elevations were in the neighbourhood of 600m.

Here is some potential food we found not far from one of the specimens:

And some habitat photos:

Rainy season:

Dry season:

While searching some promising habitat with my friend Steve, we did find this look a like... He yelled "Snake!" .. and I yelled back "What does it look like?" He replied, "Like one of your milksnakes!" My heart just about exploded!

Lastly a photo of some gaigeae habitat. We could barely find a herp here let alone a milksnake!

Wish myself and forum member Peyton better luck on our upcoming trip!

Also, thanks Scott for sharing your knowledge of Central American milks!

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Jon Wedow
Sharp Dressed Snakes

I figured the last post was depressing in a way so on a lighter note, here's some live snakes we turned up in '08.

I guess it isn't such a light hearted post after all ... but what is roadcruising without the DORs? This coral snake was still twitching when we found it. It had the same effect on my heart as the first false alarm! It was from a known micropholis locality as well!

And a couple non-snake highlights from my second trip:

Thanks for looking.

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Jon Wedow
Sharp Dressed Snakes

Coral snake photos always get my heart pumping - I was so excited after the first post that I forgot to mention how stunning that Micrurus was! What species is that? M. lemniscatus? The Atelopus are glorious.

-Cole

One of 9 species that can be found in Panama. This is generally a South American species and as far as I know this is the westernmost record.

Thanks for the comments.
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Jon Wedow
Sharp Dressed Snakes

Great posts! It must have been cool to find & photograph the BCI! Killer frog pics too

Dan Eby

Very enjoyable post Jon. I bet that Red-tail was a fun find. Can you tell me the name of the red snake w/ the black head, looks kind of like a tantilla. Other wise I'll be busting out my field guides.

-Dell

A very cool species and quite common in central Panama. They have a white belly and strange red eyes. They have voracious appetites and I think they would make good captives. Similar in size to a milksnake.

A closeup of the same snake from my previous post:

A captive specimen:

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Jon Wedow
Sharp Dressed Snakes

Very cool Jon, thanks.
I hadn't noticed the red eye. And they are a lot bigger then I thought they would be.
Very interesting post, thanks again.

-Dell

Sweet post, Jon! The habitat shots alone were fantastic to see, but add in the dead and preserverd micropholis and you've got a top-notch post. Thanks for sharing and be sure to keep us posted on the results of your next trip. I'll be eagerly awaiting your report on FHF...

Scott's a wealth of knowledge, isn't he?! It's good to have him on the team.

-Cole

I just spent my entire lunch discussing this trip with some buddies of mine who have been to S. America recently. I cannot wait...I'm taking around 20 gigs of camera memory to docuement all the good stuff

Can't wait to share the experience with all of you boys!
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Peyton Hale

Nice to see some field work pics here.
Love those coral snakes.Keep up the good work
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"Wake me when its April"

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Doug L

I know I've said it before Jon but that is one cool coral snake. I've never seen one in the wild and that one is so unusual.
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Randy Whittington

Hi Jon,

It looks like that was a quite a trip.Thanks for the pics and good luck with your 2009 production.
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Thanks!

Joe Exposito
Thoroughbred Exotics, LLC
www.thoroughbredexotics.com

Is that Porthidium l.lansbergi?

I really don't know how their localities split up, but that's my guess.
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give up television - 100% cold turkey. Leave what isn't real and go to what is real.
Spend time with nature, see the ground and the sky, feel your place on this earth,
see the trees, the plants, birds, animals, feel their life. And feel your own life.
Dr. William Pierce (paraphrased)

I beleive so, I originally thought P. nasutum but these were all found in dry forest not rainforest.

Where is the snake in your photo from?
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Jon Wedow
Sharp Dressed Snakes