Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Female VA. Beach from Phil Patton that deserves her own post.




She has but one broken band.

This VA beach is nice! Why do you call them Wompers?
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

"This VA beach is nice! Why do you call them Wompers?"

My guess is because they put a "WOMPIN'" on anything that moves!..LOL!

BTW,.....those are outstanding Joe!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thanks Doug. Yeah, they put the "wompin" on everything for sure. I believe the "swamp Whompers" is where is comes from. I just liked the sound of it when I first heard. Fits em well.

>>This VA beach is nice! Why do you call them Wompers?
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>>King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
>> J Sierra

Thanks for asking so I didn't have to I was sure everyone else knew and I was the idiot in the room.

Nice kings
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

Thanks. They are some of my favorites for sure.

The locals call eastern kings "Swamp Whompers". I've also heard "Thunder Snake", which is my favorite nickname for them. Still, it seems like most people know to call them "chain kings".

Yeah Nick,....I knew about them being called "thunder snakes", but the "swamp whompers" is a new one on me..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

In the book Handbook of Snakes, by Wright & Wright the authors included a section under each subspecies entitled "Other Common Names". In addition to "wamper", eastern kings were/are also known as Bastard horn snake, black king snake, black moccasin, common chain king snake, common king snake, cow sucker, eastern king snake, horse racer, master snake, North American king snake, oakleaf rattler, pine snake, racer, rattlesnake pilot, thunder-and-lightning snake, thunderbolt, thunder snake, & wampum snake.

My favorite is wamper (with an a), so that's what I also call them.

Paul B

Joe/Phil,

Gorgeous wamper! Nice find.

Thanks Paul. Looking forward to seeing you guys this year!!

I think it was his "The Keeper and the Kept", one of his collecting stories was about SWAMP WHAMPERS. For anyone not familiar with his books he is simply a MUST READ. Those of us up here in the north still reread those books every so often as it usually shortens the time til you can get out in the field and do your own flippin'. He wrote well, and described the outdoors as few have. As a kid he planted seeds that made me want to be a field biologist and travel to see the fantastic places he wrote about. Seriously, the books were written in the early 70's and they are as topical today as the day they were written. Too bad the habitats arent quite the same...

Very nice animal Joe! Not all eastern from VA Beach are as wide banded and clean but I high proportion of them are. There is an escarpment that runs from the Lynnhaven River down the Princess Ann area into NCt referred to as Pungo Ridge. In my experience the best looking easterns come from the sandy areas along this ridge.

Here is a pic of one of the original Pungo Ridge animals I collected in the late 80s.

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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

WWW.TDSNAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

WOW Tony. That animal is just sick!!!! If you have any more photos please post them. Man, just sick.

He and a few like him helped found the Pungo Ridge line. Wish I had better pics but do not.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

WWW.TDSNAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

Yeah Tony,......that's quite the killer Pungo!

As if you didn't know!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com