Reptile & Amphibian Forums

South Texas Report 4/23/04 – 4/25/04

4/23/04
My good friend Rob Klockman and I just returned home from a quick trip down south. We left Houston around 10:30 and made our way down to Hebbronville.

2 adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Jim Wells Co.
1 sub-adult Elaphe g. meahllmorum (DOR), Jim Wells Co.
1 adult Masticophis f. testaceus (DOR), Duval Co.
1 sub-adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Duval Co.

Heading south from Hebbronville we made our way to Agua Nueva Hunting Camp-Bird Preserve, a 13,000-acre ranch a friend so generously allowed us to stay on.

1 adult Masticophis s. schotti (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Masticophis f. testaceus (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.

We settled into the ranch, and then headed out for an evening of collecting around 7:00. Our main goal for the night was to find some warmer weather, trying to avoid the constant rain and nasty storms that were moving in from the west. We drove several hours through Zapata, Starr, and Jim Hogg counties before retiring around 2:00 a.m.

1 sub-adult Pituophis c. sayi (DOR), Zapata Co.
1 adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Zapata Co.
2 juvenile Crotalus atrox (DOR), Starr Co.
2 sub-adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Starr Co.
1 sub-adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Starr Co.
2 adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Starr Co.
1 adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Starr Co.
1 yearling Thamnophis m. marcianus (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Thamnophis m. marcianus (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Thamnophis p. diabolicus (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Rhinocheilus l. tessellatus (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 sub-adult Arizona e. arenicola (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Arizona e. arenicola (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
2 juvenile Elaphe g. meahllmorum (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 sub-adult Elaphe g. meahllmorum (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Elaphe g. meahllmorum (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Pituophis c. sayi (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 yearling Crotalus atrox (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 juvenile Crotalus atrox (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
4 sub-adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
2 adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.

4/23/04
Early the next morning, we hunted a promising trash dump on the ranch property.

1 adult Elaphe g. meahllmorum (collected underneath a pile of large yard timbers)
1 adult Masticophis t. testaceus (was found inside of old rolled up carpet)

In the afternoon, we drove up to Bruni, Texas and searched through various trash dumps around town.

1 adult Leptotyphlops d. dulcis (collected from underneath rotting plywood), Webb Co.

Once evening came around, we headed out again south of Hebbronville. The temperatures dropped quickly as the rains followed us around for most of the night. We hunted until 1:00 a.m., heading back to the ranch shortly thereafter.

1 adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Starr Co.
1 adult Elaphe g. meahllmorum (AOR), Starr Co.
1 adult Masticophis f. testaceus (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 sub-adult Arizona e. arenicola (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
2 sub-adult Arizona e. arenicola (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 juvenile Elaphe g. meahllmorum (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 sub-adult Elaphe g. meahllmorum (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 juvenile Crotalus atrox (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.
2 sub-adult Crotalus atrox (DOR), Jim Hogg Co.
2 sub-adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.
1 adult Crotalus atrox (AOR), Jim Hogg Co.

4/25/04
The next morning, we packed, said goodbye to the rancher and made our way to the front of the ranch property. It wasn’t but a few seconds after I had gotten back into the jeep from locking the front gate that Rob spotted the final snake of our trip. Lying on the shoulder was a beautiful, freshly hit, young Lampropeltis t. annulata. Although it was a disappointing find, the chance to come across this beauty is one of many reasons that keep us coming back to enjoy South Texas year after year.