Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Overland Park Kansas right after a major snow storm and temps in the upper 30ties. In Dec. at the holidays vacation between Dec. and Jan. they were doing some back hoeing at the Shawnee Mission South High School outdoor natural area and uncovered a black rat. Snow on the ground and this snake was very semi-active and very able to move around according to the crew.. Since I had given presentations here and had 2 children attending the school, I'm glad they called me. I arrived about a half hour after and while the crew did not harm the snake they did not detain it. It was getting dark because of the season and the hopes of finding the wandered off snake was slim. We gave up hope and the crew packed up. I pulled out of the general parking area and started to leave keeping in mind that I only lived a block and a half away. Probably less than several hundred yards away there was the snake on the road. No harm at all on the snake. I took it in and kept it till April and released it.

Chambo

I found in Cottonwood Az. while I was working. It was crossing the road in broad daylight at 0930 hrs on Jan. 17th, temp 52F. Not really adverse conditions but very unusual for the species.

Thatcher, Arizona...The biggest WDB I've ever seen crossing a residential road towards the old folk's homes. The temperature was in the low 40's.

Field notes. Me and a friend went out today and saw an active black racer and a glass lizard, also found a ground skink and an anole, which my buddy took home for one of his picky scarlet kings. I guess the coolist thing, in my opinion, was finding the most reddly colored Southern toad I've ever seen, and like most people I've seen a bunch. Nothing too special, but satisfying none the less. All this was found around mid-day, and was some beutifull weather here on the FL panhandle. Just thought I'd share. Hope all is well with everyone. Didnt find this today, but just wanted to post a pic, hope its not a repeat.-Brett

I'll go take some new ones to make it up to you guys. If any one has a request, let me know. I'm in that picture taking mood. Wild caught-corns, red milk, scarlet kings, prairie kings. Then I've got some CB yellow rats, yellow x everglades, yellow x black. Just kind of board, so if any one is interested......Thanks.-Brett

Sorry, it's not actually in the field, but was wild caught in a lot about to have some of those big dumb monkeys take over. Sorry about all the unused space.-Brett

I guess the coldest temp snake that a friend and I found was the one at the link. The text in the last paragraph explains the conditions.
Gopher Snake Found in Dec.

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Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

Shawnee Mission? Is that off Metcalf? Everything else in OP seems to be...

Several years ago the harshest month of the year in northern Michigan was interrupted by a warm front. The temps shot up to 55*F, one day in mid-Jan. and started to melt the snow and ice. Water filled the holes and burrows and promptly froze again over night. The next day thawing resumed and water came up out of holes in the ground flushing out several live Eastern garter snakes, and many dead ones. The live snakes were crawling over snow banks looking for a safe place to hide. One that I followed eventually found a hole in the ground and disappeared.

Chris and I found 9 species of snakes (although they were under cover) and a total of about 15-20 snakes. They included:

plains blind snake
checkered garter snake
Texas patchnose snake
red-striped ribbon snake
rough earth snake
flathead snake
western diamondback rattlesnake
prairie kingsnake
western coachwhip

And these were all found within a couple hours of each other in less than 1sq mile.
My Online Snake Lifelist (photos, trips, etc)

I was birding in the TX Panhandle near Amarillo a few years back when a major ice/snow storm hit. On new years morning we were birding along a quiet country road that was covered in snow and ice. It was actually snowing at the time and my car thermometer read 22 degrees F and a light snow was falling. The wind was blowing pretty good as well. We stopped to ID a dark morph Red-tailed Hawk on the power line right next to the road and while we were watching it, it flew down and came up with an live adult Western Coachwhip. The snake must have been out to have been spotted by the hawk! It only put up a weak struggle and the hawk flew off to a distant fencepost with his meal. We were stunned.
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Chris Harrison

A friend of mine saw a large blacktail (C. molossus) crossing the road in SE AZ last Nov or Dec. It was about 50F and the snake was understandably moving quite slowly!

on Dec. 1, 2002. I was blacklighting for rain beetles (Pleocoma puncticolis) in the vicinity of Ramona, San Diego County, CA, when the snake crawled out of a small hole. It had rained recently and was in the low 50s to high 40s. Another interesting note about this observation is that the snake had recently eaten as evidenced by a large lump.

29 degrees..December No Cal. Sharptail snake under board.......
low 30's (night time low's in low 20's) rubber boa with snow on board...
low 40's Rubber boa out crawling found at 0200 hrs....
Glossy snake 50ish in 30 mph wind with a strong wet mist..

Z sunning itself in the 40's...........(found by friend)

Many snakes out crawling in the 50's-Rubber Boas, Helleri, rosies, gopher snakes, long nose snakes,

I also have had a lot of success under boards and rocks in the mornings with the morning temps in the 40's..
Fundad

A nightsnake on the road at 2230 hrs going up Camelback Mt in Phx. It was late Dec, temps were in the very low 50's.
I'd seen two objects on the rd just minutes before that looked like snakes, but I thought "no way!" I finally had to stop and look at the third.
Cheers, Bill

1986. The day before xmas. Temp upper 40's. Found 4' pink canebreak in the middle of road near Bell Fla. Was in excellent condition so he went home with me.
Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

While stalking some deer I looked on the ground on the path and there was a baby milk(8-10"laying there in front of me. I picked it up and put it in my pocket(no top)as that was the only thing I could think of to do with it.....FORGOT about it til I put my hand in my pocket at home at the end of the day...he was still there! Moving kinda slow...lol,Jeff

The eve of Christmas eve a friend and I found a freshly killed adult racer on the road here in Johnson county Kansas. Also found a sub adult coachwhip a few years ago under a sandstone slab in a quarry north of Perry, Oklahoma in early March. CW

Mid February03 below the dam fishing thirty feet from generation I watched a water snake come from the depth of hard water flow with a threadfin shad up to my feet to feast.I'm standing on a rock with mud boots,two pair of sock,two pants,three layered shirts with jacket,man it was ass cold.He was working the head around and my hands were past numb so I let my rod tip drop and he took off without his catch.The threadfin survived.