Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I will be in Statesboro Ga. for a few weeks. What is the best way to locate and observe the local snakes and lizards? Do you road hunt, turn logs, or flip rocks. When is the best time of day to see herps? Where is close place to see the most stuff? I thank you for your time and iformation in advance...

it's always a bonus to know of "hot spots" in advance before out of town excursions, but i never get discouraged if i don't know of any. just get out there and look around. check side roads, desolate roads, ect and start flipping trash, tin, or whatever. morning, evening and night are best times to cruise roads.
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2 tham radix
1 Chicago Tham s. semifasciatus
2 elaphe vulpina
1 gray tiger salamander
4 Aphonopelma hentzi
1 G rosea
1 Haplo minax
1 Brachy angustum
1 Brachy sabulosum
1 Brachy vagans
1 Cent. hentzi scorp

It is a little late in the year for flipping to be good, but roadhunting at night or in the morning hours can be productive at this time of year. Depending on the habitat you hunt you could find...

Night cruising -
Canebrakes
Copperheads
Cottonmouths
Cornsnakes
Ratsnakes
Scarletsnakes
Earthsnakes
several species of Watersnake

Day Cruising -
Kingsnakes
Southern and Eastern Hogs
Eastern Diamondback
Pinesnakes
etc.

In that area, I always liked the lowland swampy areas along the Savannah River (SC state line). If you want to see corns and pines, you are better off in upland sandy areas (pinewoods). For the other species, the river bottomlands are better.

Also, don't overlook the amazing frog diversity there. If you learn to ID frog calls, it isn't hard to hear 10 species calling at one time. Very cool.

It is a great herping area. With all the rain that the SE has received, it should be pretty productive.

Chris
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas