Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I went hiking today in the south of Brownsville, it was a strange morning!
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Temperatures were in the mid 80s. There was a dense overcast and an intermittent, blustery east, southeast wind. Everything is very dry and there was just a hint of rain in the air. The gnats were swarming every part of exposed skin, eyes, ears.. what a torment!
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The areas with a sufficient topping of dust to record the passing of animals were crisscrossed with snake (and other) trails! Big stuff and tiny stuff and every size in between.. At every turn I was certain I'd encounter some thing.. I did, but not exactly as expected... while walking quickly and as silently as possible I came upon a Bobcat! also negotiating the narrow trail.. right in front of me! .. the wind was in my face and the cat did not suspect my presence. Fumbling for the camera I took my eyes from it for a second and it disappeared.
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I did not expect to see it again.. but I did! Here's the first photo..
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.. a second later I stopped and took aim and gave a small hissing sound.. hoping to have the cat turn for a portrait.. It worked!
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That was fun! ... next I surprised myself by successfully stalking a large race-runner lizard that was picking at a termite trail.. he was surprised too, look at his face!
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Here's more of him.. beautiful critters! If they were 28" long everybody would have one for a pet!
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.. this next is a Speckled Racer, Drymobius.. a small one, perhaps 17" in length.. I see these pretty snakes most anytime I put in the effort. Smaller ones, like this kid, are not frequently encountered.
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I kept walking and eventually did see more snakes out on the trails.. a ribbon, a ruthveni whip snake and an indigo.. they all burned me! But I am not complaining!
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Thanks for looking. Have a super weekend!
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

very nice pics! i think i know where i want to go for my next road trip. lol thanks for sharing....
jonathan

Back in 05' I was collecting fla kings in the cane fields on an elevated, overgrown 80 year old dirt path with a 20 foot wide canal on BOTH SIDES of the raised road, I was in the middle too so I'm traped because these canals are also 20 foot deep and alligator infested, ...So I'm walking looking at the ground and I look up and 200 ft away and walking right toward me with their heads down are, get this, a bobcat and a panther walking right next to each other, just like those two dogs in the cartoons, spike and fido, so I freeze and within seconds the bobcat sees me and stops, and then after a few more steps in my direction the panther stops and looks back at the bobcat and sees him looking at me, after about ten seconds of us just staring at eachother and just as I began to shake and sweat they both turn and hi-tailed it the other way, silly, imagine those to big predators afraid of me, and who ever would have thought that they would hand out together like that...

>>Back in 05'
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No photos of that, I'm guessin'?
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Have fun, be safe.

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

No camera, I used to bring a camera but after a few got wet and ruined I've decided to leave my camera at home... but I do wish Ihad a pic of those two cats hanging out together.

Although I've never seen a panther in the canefields south of Lake Okeechobee there are MORE Bobcats there than anywhere I've ever been. I think it's because of the massive numbers of rats and marsh rabbits. Two years ago Jeff Dreasel M.MD. and I went hunting Kings and only found about 6 Kings [we didn't take any] but saw over a dozen Bobcats in the daytime and tracks and scat EVERYWHERE. Additionally we were hunting one of those BIG rock piles and heard a mewing sound. Jeff climbed on top while I walked around the rocks to look for it. Suddenly my blood froze as an ominous loud growling sound erupted not 4' from me. It was a female Bobcat with 3-4 kittens and she let us know she was not leaving. We did NOT have a camera so we slowly retreated as I'm sure I was almost close enough she was going to attack me in defense of her young. I must add that these cats seem NOT to have a great fear of people as Bobcats in the ENP do. Maybe it's because field workers are always around them. Whatever it was turned into a great experience for me as that's the ONLY time I've ever seen wild Bobcat Kittens. I walked away a happy man for more than one reason that day....GREAT PICS GUS
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

I've seen cougar, black and grizzly bear, bighorn, dall sheep, mountain goats, and lots of other critters most people never do.
Haven't seen bobcat, jaguar or ocelot outside of a zoo though

Lucky
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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

Great Shots! Last summer, in that miserable heatwave in North Texas, I came upon a Bobcat & its cub. However, I did not bring a camera because herp life was nil in the heat & drought.
The only lizards I saw on my Southwest Texas trip were a New Mexican Whiptail, and a large something whiptail-like that did not cooperate for pics. Unbelieably, it was too darn cool this week down at Ft. Davis. Beautiful country though, & the stargazing was World Class!

Matthew

>>Great Shots! Last summer, in that miserable heatwave in North Texas, I came upon a Bobcat & its cub. However, I did not bring a camera because herp life was nil in the heat & drought.
>> The only lizards I saw on my Southwest Texas trip were a New Mexican Whiptail, and a large something whiptail-like that did not cooperate for pics. Unbelieably, it was too darn cool this week down at Ft. Davis. Beautiful country though, & the stargazing was World Class!
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>> Matthew

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Thanks!
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It doesn't surprise me that Ft. Davis or even most of Brewster county is still not happening.. 'back in the day' we would never go out there herping until July.
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

I think your right. Because at 1Am at the Prude Ranch I reconized the fact that Dallas approved dress was NOT apropo. Fortunately, I brought a jacket. Weather a mile high in the desert is still COLD. I could actually gotten hypothermia.
Did see those lizards, but I was so sleep deprived on my second day that was DUMB luck. Beautiful country though. When I go back, I may just go camping on my own, later in the summer.

Matthew

That speckled racer is nice!!! I bet they're hard to catch huh? Kevin

>>That speckled racer is nice!!! I bet they're hard to catch huh? Kevin

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Pretty much impossible to catch!
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Have fun, be safe!

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

Wow Gus! A bobcat! Thats awesome! I've never seen one it the wild, but can imagine its pretty amazing.

Dan

Wow Gus! I caught a Bobcat on camera this morning out biking & herping. My pics aren't great, the animal looks miles away despite the fact I was about 50ft from him. Was intently stalking a fox squirrel & paid no notice of me..
Maybe there is a Bobcat population explosion! LOL
Only saw a Rough Green & a Chicken turtle in a ditch. Also, a skink who I didn't get close to..

Matt