Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Brazos Island photo-tour.

1) On Brazos Island, looking south, surf is at left.. typical of sheltered trough behind first dune-line.
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2) .. same orientation. pictured is more dense vegetation in the mid-dune area.
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3) Holbrookia propinqua p., common except in the tidal zone.
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4) Behind the dunes, facing south Bay and the playa that isolates Brazos island.. many bird nests seasonally.
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5) Masticophis exposed on the playa during a drought, playing possum. There is no fresh water on Brazos Island, seasonally there may be brackish-almost fresh water in shallow pools, because of the relative density of salt-water in tends to be heavier and a thin layer of fresh water (a lens) may form on the top of calm pools.
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6) View of the terminus of the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande) from 1000', Mexico is at left, Brazos Island at right.
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7) Looking north on Brazos Island, the solid line just visible above the water is the South Jetty of the Brazos Santiago pass, or ship-channel.. less than 300 yards past that, across the water, is South Padre island, Texas.. sea oats in the foreground.
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Be aware that most all the Brazos island area off the tidal zone is now a Federally protected wildlife preserve or state management area and is offlimits to vehicle and foot-traffic.
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Quality is not an accident. Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

Gus, thanks for the great post on the habitat on Brazos Island. I hope the island itself is not off-limits. Those pics really help me visualize the habitat there and how difficult it must be to find any herps, especially in hot weather. The natural history of this ratsnake must be really interesting, as it's hard to understand how they survive w/o fresh water and their usual prey. Will you be visiting Brazos Island this year?

Terry