Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Some individuals that lack the insight to effectively manage nongame wildlife say the road should be considered a wildlife sanctuary. Others say that notion is ridiculous; it is a place of death. I say this adult milksnake would have been much better off in captivity living the life of Riley. LOL.

Robert

Nice snake.We should start shipping them to fish and wildlife. No ice of course.
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Steve W.

Regarding captivity; I believe this snake was a Zapatista, for his last words were: "It is better to die on the crawl than to live in your breeding rack!"

Nice snake.We should start shipping them to fish and wildlife. No ice of course.

Report all DORs via "Operation Game Thief;" as not only are these perpetrators violating the sacred wildlife sanctuary, they probably don't even buy hunting licenses!
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

was any action taken against that citizen in hondo for killing the indigo....i've emailed the reporter at the hondo herald...but no answer.....his name is evan....for youse guys in the neighborhood...

Only ONE other vehicle (not interested in observing wildlife, rocks or collecting insects) was on a 12 mile stretch of road that evening. How's that for the quality of the sanctuary. lol.

Robert

I still say to start sending them the dor's. LOL
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Steve W.

I love that idea!!!!!

After running into you in alterna land I have decided I no longer talk to people who stand on the side of the road and are critical of other people's methods....lol

When did you become such an elitist? It would have been nice to say hello, especially since it has been a while. Then again, maybe you don't need any friends?

That was you???? It was too dark for me to see. LOL, dude I was just kidding when I said, "I don't talk to spotlighters", but I really did have to drain some body water - that's why I got up on the wall. That's funny. You were gone after I turned around, so I figured we'd meet again that evening, though I didn't stick around too long because of my friggin allergies. Where did you go?

Robert

We got skunked that night except for the big blacktail you saw me get off the road at dusk. He was about to become road pizza in the "sanctuary." We hunted the lower areas early and came back up to the higher elevations after 11:00 pm. We ended up seeing 10 snakes in 6 nights total, not great movement considering the conditions, which seemed perfect!

Except for two consecutive nights when there may have been high pressure (the 4th and 5th) movement was good. However, something got to me up at the Observatory when I was walking in the tall grass. I got up there late one day in the am, then at dusk when we met, then at dusk on my last day after the Observatory got a good bit of rain. I thought the pollen might be suppressed, but noooooooooo, each time was deadly for me, and that's the first time anything in Texas has played havoc with my allergies. Consequently, I wasn't able to collect any of the local scelopendra, because I didn't even bother with Limpia due to traffic concerns. I came back with tons of vinnies and quite a few Jewel beetles (Chrysina Woodi), plus walking sticks and carnivorous katydids (Neobarrettia spinosa). The bugs were definitely out this year with all the rainfall. Dude, Fort Davis rocked. Especially, the barbeque beef brisket plate at the Chuck Wagon...lol.

Robert
Greater Arid-land Katydid

ahhhh....arthropods!!!!!!

The one time I visited the Observatory early in the morning and walked the cuts I did see a HUGE tantilla. Black head and chocolate body. I had a large AZ ringneck (regalis) over 20" once that ate peach or runt fuzzies, which I subsequently donated to my local herp club, and this tantilla was every bit as big (or bigger) than that ringneck. Quite impressive.

Robert

>>Except for two consecutive nights when there may have been high pressure (the 4th and 5th) movement was good. However, something got to me up at the Observatory when I was walking in the tall grass. I got up there late one day in the am, then at dusk when we met, then at dusk on my last day after the Observatory got a good bit of rain. I thought the pollen might be suppressed, but noooooooooo, each time was deadly for me, and that's the first time anything in Texas has played havoc with my allergies. Consequently, I wasn't able to collect any of the local scelopendra, because I didn't even bother with Limpia due to traffic concerns. I came back with tons of vinnies and quite a few Jewel beetles (Chrysina Woodi), plus walking sticks and carnivorous katydids (Neobarrettia spinosa). The bugs were definitely out this year with all the rainfall. Dude, Fort Davis rocked. Especially, the barbeque beef brisket plate at the Chuck Wagon...lol.
>>
>>Robert
>>Greater Arid-land Katydid

Robert, I just ran into a guy the other day from AZ collecting Katydids in Uvalde from AZ. He had been out to west TX collecting various Katydids so I pointed him to a local "Katydid hotspot" I didn't know there were so many katydid folks around.
Jason
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

Well, I don't know about the other guy, but my Katydid interest really began in 2007. LOL. Back in the day, I can remember collecting a few wicked looking katydids for G. Merker while on 277, but they weren't N. spinosa. Spinosa is impressive. It is big and colorful, and a mean sob.

Robert

Did you guys know that those katydids are predacious??? They eat other critters. My first encounter was back in 1984 while stationed at Ft Sam Houston. I ran an entomology lab at the
Academy of Health Sciences. I found a monster that was at leat 4 inches long counting the ovipositer. I kept it in a 3 gallon bell jar which she preferred hanging upside down on the lid. I tried all sorts of plants as food which she ignored. One day I placed a couple of large American cockroaches into the container thinking they would show how diverse orthopods can be. I was quite surprised when the katydid jumped down to the bottom of the jar, wrapped up the cockroach, chomped onto it with its mouth, then made its way back up to the top of the jar to hang upside down by its hind legs while it devoured the cockroach. Since then I have kept several of them and have fed them many different critters including large fuzzy mice.

Sad thing about them is that they only survive one season. Once breeding and egg laying is over, they die. Most people do not see them until they are adult. If you do keep them, keep them separate from each other. If you get a sub adult remember to provide enough humidity for them to molt properly. If not, they will get stuck in the old mold and will become deformed when their new exoskeleton dries.

If you are condering buying or collecting one to keep alive, remember that if they have wings, they are adult and will only live a short time.

Really neat critter.

ECTimaeus

That’s their most endearing quality: predation on other living things-lol. It’s a shame they’re so short-lived. There is another predacious katydid that is quite common in the Fort Davis area, but it’s smaller and less colorful (almost bland). N. spinosa is the bomb, and you are right, I have only seen adults (mostly female) wander out on the road. I would love to find younger specimens, but then I might get tagged for trespassing.

Robert

They are not ground dwellers. They live in the bushes and move across country when breeding or needing a better bush. I have found them along the Wild Rose Pass north of Ft Davis while spotting the bushes. They also have a pretty distinctive call when the males mature.

By the way, as bad as they are, they are no match for a 6 inch scolopendra or adult female tarantula. Usually the katydid is the food item when they meet. Top of the line arthropod predator has got to be the scolopendra (IMHO).

ECTimaeus

I could tolerate anyone of those bugs I collected getting out in my vehicle (vinny, walking stick, scarab beetle, spinosa, or even a scorpion). To a tarantula, I would say “hey, let’s party”, but if a large scolependra ever escaped from it’s container, I’d have to stop the vehicle get out and walk. Then, the next day I’d have to order a shark suit with extra fine mesh...lol.

Robert

>>Did you guys know that those katydids are predacious??? They eat other critters. My first encounter was back in 1984 while stationed at Ft Sam Houston. I ran an entomology lab at the
>>Academy of Health Sciences. I found a monster that was at leat 4 inches long counting the ovipositer. I kept it in a 3 gallon bell jar which she preferred hanging upside down on the lid. I tried all sorts of plants as food which she ignored. One day I placed a couple of large American cockroaches into the container thinking they would show how diverse orthopods can be. I was quite surprised when the katydid jumped down to the bottom of the jar, wrapped up the cockroach, chomped onto it with its mouth, then made its way back up to the top of the jar to hang upside down by its hind legs while it devoured the cockroach. Since then I have kept several of them and have fed them many different critters including large fuzzy mice.
>>
>>Sad thing about them is that they only survive one season. Once breeding and egg laying is over, they die. Most people do not see them until they are adult. If you do keep them, keep them separate from each other. If you get a sub adult remember to provide enough humidity for them to molt properly. If not, they will get stuck in the old mold and will become deformed when their new exoskeleton dries.
>>
>>If you are condering buying or collecting one to keep alive, remember that if they have wings, they are adult and will only live a short time.
>>
>>Really neat critter.
>>
>>ECTimaeus
I never knew they were predacious but I knew they would feed on carrion. Interesting stuff. I'd like to get a photo of this in action to add to my other insect predators:



They really do make interesting photo subjects...wait, is this the alterna forum?
JP
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

this reflective of our wide and diverse interest in the wildlife of west texas......

You are right this is not stuff about alternas but, then again it is. How can anyone who spends any time out there in nature not take in the whole picture, or as least as much as possible. I defy anyone who searches for alterna to say that is all they are interested in while out there. It may not be the arthropods but I bet it is plants, scenery, history, people, something!!!!!! If it were ONLY about alterna, I submit it would get pretty boring out there.

I think it is important that the political leaders also see that there is alot more to our hobby than just catching snakes. This is a whole way of life for some people. They also need to know that there are educational benifits and maybe even life altering decisions to be made for our children and anyone else that may visit this site.

I am a good example. My dad took me outdoors hunting, fishing, camping, and totally supported my Herp and Ento hobby. That support helped me through school and fostered a want to carry that knowledge through my search for a career. I went into the military, trained in Preventive Medicine and spent 20 years teaching soldiers and their families about medically important arthropods and animals. Even though my dad passed away in 1994, I still thank him today for all he did for me. I can only hope that I have had an impact on those I have taught and been in contact with over the years.

So yes, this is the alterna forum.... Carry on!!!

ECTimaeus

Ain't no LOL to it bud. That is a sad fact. This craziness will be taken care of sooner than later.