Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, so I'm watching Jeff Corwin He was dropped to an unknown state in the US and he has to figure out where he is by the animals he finds.

So he's searching around and finds a snake. He says something like "At first I thought it was a rattler..."
...well I looked over at the TV and immediately said "Oh, Western hognose!"

Then later he finds another snake....I immediately yell "Bullsnake!"
and Jeff says "Its either a pine snake, a gopher snake or a bull snake....blah blah blah...so that leaves us with one choice...bullsnake".

THEN he finds a rattler. I immediately say "western diamondback".

My fiancee is just shaking her head....

Chuckle...I've lost all hope I think.

The funniest part was when he walked out into the scrub and said 'I could be in Vermont!' I think he was playing a little dumb for the lay-viewers.
The second funniest part was when they replayed the bullsnake striking at him. Oh no! It almost got me! Let's see that again!

But...
Didn't it seem a BIT suspcious the way that the hognose didn't show ANY threat displayed when handled? And the way that most of the rattlesnakes barely rattled? ESPECIALLY the atrox?
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Yeah, I thought it seemed a bit strange. I even noticed part of a chain link fence in one shot they took of him. This was right before he found the WDB. Made me think of the way they place the animals for the contestants to find on his "King Of The Jungle".
Cricket

P.S. Wassup with Peter & Brian?

It's a Family Guy quote. It's also a very subtle way of making fun of a certain type of thread that seems to pop up pretty often on Kingsnake.*
That tick on the pit wasn't engorged, it had just latched onto the snake. Hrm...
The atrox had grown up in the wild, I think, though. It had that sunfaded look that I don't really see in CB snakes.
Oh yeah, and if I can find 4 species of rattlers plus a nice number of other snakes within 2 days, I'm taking my next vacation in West Texas! (not saying it's impossible, i'm not a field herper. but geez!)

*P.S.- example:
n00bposter: sandboas definately eat butterflies. I read it in a book.
me, if I weren't a nice person: are you sure it was a book? are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Actually 4 species of Rattlesnakes in 2 days isn't that big an accomplishment in the right areas of West Texas. You could find 5 within 3-4 miles in certain parts of W TX without too much trouble at the right time of year (atrox, lepidus, viridis, molossus, scutulatus). If you were really lucky, you could find the 6th as well (Sistrurus catenatus).

I watched that show as well as figured it out by the third snake. Of course, I'm sure Señor Corwin did too (if it was in anyway legit), but it wouldn't make for very good TV if he had found the pictigaster first, would it? Then, not noticing that the hog was a kennerlyi, the pit was a Sonoran Gopher, the blacktail and lepidus were obviously W TX specimens, etc. was awfully convenient.

I also wonder if he filled out the appropriate paperwork for walking across that river and filming that pictigaster since that river is, in fact, an international border?
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Chris Harrison

...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham

Wow, I AM going to have to go to Texas for my vacation!
He said that the sonoran gopher was a bullsnake, that's pretty wierd. I thought I was right that it was a gopher. Hey, I should have my own show!
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

I will give him something though, since sonorans and bulls do look very similar and intergrade in the wild. But still, he should have known what he had all the same. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

Ok apparently I'm nearly as geeky as I thought...you guys definitely know more

Just kidding, just kidding

Anyway, I'm sure it was semi-contrived. My guess is some of the snakes were "extras" behind the scenes in case Jeff didn't find anything, while others were in fact wild. I also thought the newly attached tick was kinda wierd.

What I thought was kind of amusing was I identified the general area by the types of rock formations.
...I majored in geology in college.

That's exactly what I thought when I watched that. Although I did feel stupid when the snake that I thought was a gopher was caled a bull. But then it seems like others agree with me.
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Martin Whalin

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld
My Email

Actually...it adds up to the old...Common vs Latin name bit. Bull (central USA), Pine (eastern) and gopher (western) are just regional discriptions from the old days of herpetology-not real identification. It can be confusing. Especially when you throw the Baja "Bulls" into the mix. being western; they should be Gophers) Kind of the same thing as Red rat vs Cornsnake. While some names are of historical usage, many common names are created just for ease in commercial use. Then there are those like "swamp wamper" or "thunder snake" (eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis g. getula) that really make you wonder what they were drinking when that name came up...Maybe that's why I rented a movie.......
Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."