i was wondering if anyone could recommend any particular species to keep my eyes open for. im going with a group of about 8 or 9 other fellow students in the herpetology club here at nc state, and most of them are snake enthusiasts, but i consider myself the gecko guy of the group. any particular exotics or natives i should watch out for? any particularly rare species? i just really cant wait, this is gonna be my first real big herping trip ever. are there any florida herp books i should keep my eye open for for use as a field guide? i've got the audobon field guides and such, but they're north american species, nothing specifically geared towards florida herps. any advice is greatly appreciated! also mention particular herping spots if anyone knows of any gold mines!
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going herping in the FL keys in a week...
Replies (4)
There are field guides for Florida. Just because I'm into small snakes, I'd say you should look out for Key Ringneck Snakes(Diadophis punctatus acricus) and Pine Woods Snakes(Rhadinaea flavilata). Both of which I am looking to obtain for captive studies, so if you come across any, drop me an email. Look out for scarlet kingsnakes as well, those are quite awesome. 
Michael
Michael's Place
Have fun and enjoy all the native and exotic herps, but please don't collect a threatened species. The lower keys has a few threatened populations, including corn snakes, FL brown snake, and the FL keys mole skink.
Of course, we await all your pics!
As Michael said there are field guides and such, and a book I can recommend is the Bartlett's Florida's Snakes. I think you can find it easily at a Barnes and Noble or other big book store.
:Mark
dont worry, i've been sure to go over a list of all threatened and endangered species in florida. in case we happen to run into anything like that, we'll probably make a report of it if needed and snap some pictures without disturbing them. this will be my first time in the keys so im really looking forward to it.
Since you're more of a Gecko guy, you should check out "Reptiles and Amphibians of Florida," by R.D. and Patricia Bartlett. It does not include the snakes (crimsonking gave the snake guide). Both guides give information about exotic species. If you do find an exotic that isn't known from that area, keep it and get it to a museum or university collection. As I understand, the exotic species aren't very well accounted for in FL. Any new locale should be documented. Have fun. Shane
