Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Not to make Keith mad or anything, the poor fella feels the need to have kingsnakes be the king(I guess). I actually could not believe that thread below. Dang, ringnecks do in fact, consume lots of snakes and kingsnakes are amoung them.

Heres a pic of a longnose, that ate a coachwhip, that has a glossy inside of it(taken out later). The longnose is Dor, thanks to our local Border Patrol.

Also a few years back, Doug Price was over and we were out snake hunting and found a DOR river toad, that had a 2 food kingsnake inside it(L.g.splendida). The Toad wasn't even full grown. On the same night, we witnessed a mohave rattlesnake eating a river toad, it swallowed it and crawled away. We kept waiting for it to go into convulsions and die, It didn't it just crawled away.

All I can say is, its a dang good thing River Toads do not get three or four feet, or there would be nothing left.

I think you fellas need to get over the ringneck eating a pyro thing. It happens, heck, I know a place where ringnecks are commonly over three feet, up to 44". In fact, we found four over 38" in one pass. There's no kingsnakes(splendida) in that area, hahahahahaha, they are on both sides of it thought, hahahahahahaha. Theres also greenrat snakes there and pyros, hmmmmmmm poor things will all endup ringneck food. You do understand, ringnecks are amazing snakes, specially when they get over 40 inches. FR

>heck, I know a place where ringnecks are commonly over three feet, up to 44". In fact, we found four over 38" in one pass. There's no kingsnakes(splendida) in that area, hahahahahaha, they are on both sides of it thought, hahahahahahaha. Theres also greenrat snakes there and pyros

I agree with you about the "my snake's bigger (or better) than your snake" posts, FR (got a name?). Silly stuff. But then, i saw monty python's Spamalot last time i was in NYC, so i can hardly complain about silly.

Just curious about your ringneck location--pyros, green rats, sounds like maybe extreme southeast AZ? I've looked there a few times for pyros and we DID find a green rat, haven't run across any ringnecks. The pic posted in the thread you refer to shows them to be pretty beautiful animals, I'd like to run across one. Were you talking about the Chiricahuas by any chance?

peace
terry

>>
>>I agree with you about the "my snake's bigger (or better) than your snake" posts, FR (got a name?).

FR = Frank Retes monitor keeper / breeder (extraordinare ??)

I have been breeding kingsnakes since 1964, isn't that right preacherPat? or was it 66?

I did not learn specific to monitors, I just applied normal reptile husbandry to varanids and set them on their ears(or hindend)

It seems monitor folks are a bit backwards. I mean really, monitors are kinda reptilian rats. They are so generalized. FR

I have property in Portal, but no, its not there. Do you know that greenrats, pyros and ringnecks occur together in many many ranges in southern Az. From the Quinlins to the N.M. border. FR

>>I have property in Portal, but no, its not there. Do you know that greenrats, pyros and ringnecks occur together in many many ranges in southern Az. From the Quinlins to the N.M. border. FR

Thanks Frank, didn't know the initial post was yours. Dunno if you recall, but we were part of a larger dinner party at a restaurant on the intercoastal at the daytona beach show a couple years ago. A good time. Portal's one of my favorite places to visit, even with unsuccessful pyro hunts! Sitting on the motel's deck watching the hummingbirds, reading a book, mountains looming behind me...ahhhh! Last time we even turned one of the parking-stop RR ties in front of the general store and found a baby rattler. Magic place.
peace
terry

44" ringnecks?

As far as I knew, the top 3 longest ringnecks, were regals that were 38", 36" and 34". Has anyone kept any of the larger ones to document a new record?

I know that regals over 30" are common in AZ, probably because nobody collects them. I assume that area is in AZ?

Mike
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place has updated, better caresheets
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Actually I care little for records, particularly when your talking about a few inches.

But, one witness is a academic herper and he has taken an interest in this ringnecks from this area. So maybe in the future we will post something more on this. Another academic herper, a PHD of all things did keep one of the 38 inchers, I do not know what he did with it.

It very true, that 3 foot ringnecks are indeed rare. I have not seen individuals over 30-33 inches in any other area, and I have seen them in dozens of ranges from western? az to west texas to central mex. Just this one area. Is the Quinlands western? Its west of tucson.

Also, if we publish something like this, all it does is increase collecting pressure. And surely that is not needed. FR

There are probably less then 200 preserved regals, the records come of them. There are in excess of several million ringnecks. How would 200 reflect several million? It would reflect enough to predict a trend. You know about the size one would expect to see.

The problem is, it does not reflect the possibilities or extremes. So a few inches is not much. If you go by published records, you are missing lots. I have seen lots and lots of record sized individuals of many species.

What I find funny is, I or no one I know, have seen the giants in common species, you know, like an 8 foot fla king, or a 9 foot bullsnake, or 8 foot eastern or western diamondback.

I have heard of a 37 inch Az coralsnake. I have found many individuals between 23 to 28 inches. So I am sure a 37 incher could occur. Again, its only inches.

Lastly, I will not kill or remove a snake from nature, just to recieve a record lenght. I see no value in that. FR

There is a picture of a 10ft 4 inch eastern diamondback in a little baitshop on racetrack rd in Fort Walton beach FL. Amazing. The photo is black and with and must be from the early 1900's.
Jason

It was often debated how it was faked. As there is still no EDB 8 foot or over. I believe that snake was suppose to be 11 feet or thereabouts.

I was a youngen and only saw a nice pic. I did not care if it was faked or not. I would call it real if I saw the snake, alive or preserved. Unfortunately, there is no snake.

At the time, 1970 or so, I worked at Ross Allens. Got to see lots of EDB's.

If you want to talk about weird reptile keeping, talk about Ross Allens. Cheers FR

When my buddy Ray Singleton wasn't looking (Ray and Ross weren't best friends)or wouldn't give me more than a buck a foot, I'd bring 'em to Ross. Both had a standing offer of $1000. for an edb over 7'. Neither ever had to pay up.
I quickly got out of that game thank goodness.
:Mark

Frank I dont know if you are socially retarded or just not very observant. I simply didnt care for how Mike likes to post images of Ringnecks consuming Kings to stir the pot. Present it in an informative way and Im cool with that and in fact the last way he posted these pics he did so. The problem is the time before he posted pics of this nature he never revealed the details until prodded like the Cal King was already dead and being eaten by a Ringneck etc.... I dont have the need for Kings to be top of the heap I dont make a habit of visiting all the forums to talk about how Kings can eat your snakes. Maybe if I as a Monitor making head bobs and slappin my tail against a rock you would better understand what I was trying to say or argue against. Sorry you made it personal Retes and you felt the need to single me out hopefully you can get past your own ego and just post your info sans attacks.

Keith
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Keith,

I understand you, and a few others have gotten upset by the pictures. But keep in mind, I did warn everybody ahead of time, and if you were going to be offended, you should not have looked.

Also, people keep assuming I posted the pictures to "stir the pot". I posted the pictures to show that in the wild, ringneck snakes will prey on kingsnakes, and not just the other way around like everybody assumes. I presented all of the info about the ringneck snake vs. kingsnake that I knew, and all of the info, and pictures came from a respected person, who has no such reason to lie.

I was simply educating...

Mike
Michael's Place

-----
Michael's Place has updated, better caresheets
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Wasnt offended by the pics at all. I thought they were cool actually its the spirit of the post I have a problem with. Trust me it takes a herculean efforts to offend me, now to get me worked up into a frenzy thats another story lol.

Keith
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I am so sorry, no I am not. Let me ask, what the heck has that person have to do with the ringneck eating a pyro, nothing, he did not even take the picture.

The actual post was great, wait, that is the pictures were great. And they are very much of interest on a kingsnake forum.

You do understand, kingsnakes eat other snakes and are also comsumed by other snakes and toads. That is the information of that post. I know I did not care for the interpitation of the pictures, but I thank him for posting them, so I could see for myself.

Why I used you is simply, all I saw after the pics was a bunch of, but kingsnakes and ringnecks and if this and if that, and you and I and the other. Common dude, enjoy the pics, and learn for them. Who cares what the people say. I know I don't take what you say as important. Nor do I take what I say as important either. But I do take that series of pics as important. Hows that dude?

And yes, I am socially retarded, I am a reptile guy, we all are socially retarded or you would not be here, you would be at the bar like all socially acceptable people are. FR

.

>> And yes, I am socially retarded, I am a reptile guy, we all are socially retarded or you would not be here, you would be at the bar like all socially acceptable people are. FR

one of the better lines lately on the forum.
td

I had hoped for more laughts. But one is enough.

I do know(not even think) that people get far to serious. Specially with eachother. Its about snakes for dang sake.

At least on this forum, the people do amazing work with their snakes. On the monitor forum they do all this same human stuff and can barely keep a monitor alive.

So all I can say is, keep up the good work. Thanks FR

Check out the book on "Snakes in Louisiana". Can't remember who wrote it, (it's an old book wrote in the sixties) but I'll look in to it. There was a herpetologist that found a DOR cottonmouth in LA. that had a three foot speckled king in its' stomach.

Zee

Back before I carried a camera everywhere I stumbled upon what I thought must be a 5' cottonmouth. It turned out after a closer look that I was actually watching a 3' cottonmouth eat a smaller brown water snake. If he fully intended to prey on the snake I do not know. Maybe the brown was eating a fish or something when the cotton came along and smelled it. They both will eat dead fish and frogs etc. so who knows?
Still it was a cool find.
:Mark

Cottonmouths are well known ophiophagids. I have seen them in the road eating previous dors and thus becoming dors themselves. They actually seem to prefer snakes to other prey in some S. LA areas that I have hunted in. I'm sure those big Easterns could do a number on a medium to small kingsnake.
Jim McLean