Hello,

I was just remembering a very pleasant find. I can't believe it was so long ago! About 4 summers ago, I was at a small local pond, and when I say small, I MEAN small! This pond must have been only about 16 feet across. It was very shallow, and swimming with tadpoles and baby turtles, although it was almost dried up. It was odd, because it seemed like a very unsuitable habitat, and yet efts, tadpoles, baby snappers and painteds were swimming in this "puddle" in the middle of nowhere.
The area around it was only gravel, and tons of people were there. Lots of people had come to walk their big dogs around the gravel off of leashes. I didn't like the looks of the place.
I returned a second time a few weeks later with some friends, to find dug up turtle nests, smashed eggs everywhere, no amphibians, and an almost completely dried up puddle. The area was still full of people with their dogs. I was waiding in the water, when I heard one of the people I was with yell "snake!" Instantly, I rushed at the small slender snake gliding in some remaining water, and grabbed it.
It was a baby Norhern water snake. I have caught many adults of this species, but this baby was one of the friendliest snakes I have ever held. It never once bit, and was corn snake tame. The snake instantly took guppies. It was named Dan, after the person who yelled when they noticed it. Dan graduated from guppies to rosies in a short time, and shared his habitat with numerous DeKay's and Garters at my house for 2 years. I kept him a long time.
One day, I lifted Dan out of the tank to show to some children, and he bit me. I knew that he was growing up. That summer, with the permission of a local nature preserve, I released Dan where he belonged at the preserve.
I was just wondering if he is still swimming proudly out there.
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DAVE

All specimens marked with an asterisk indicate a species being bred. Single specimens are rare species that are kept for behavioral and natural history studies.

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs *
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads *
1.0 American bullfrog
0.1 Spanish ribbed newt
0.0.1 Eastern ribbon snake
1.1 red-cheeked mud turtles *
0.1 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes *
1.1 giant African black millipedes *
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
0.1 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
0.0.1 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
0.0.1 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.1 Western hognose snakes *
1.2 fire salamanders*
1.1 scarlet kingsnakes*
0.0.1 scarlet snake
0.0.1 Argentine horned frog
1.1 Southern ringneck snakes *
0.0.1 night snake
0.0.1 Florida brown snake
0.1 Pine woods snake
1.0 rough earth snake
2 (all of them are female!) Brahminy blind snakes *
0.1 Northern brown snake (GRAVID!)