Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know any decent spots to go Herping around Palm Bay/Melbourne? I've lived here all my life, and I'm starting to get back into native Herps. All the spots I found stuff when I was younger are close to being developed, have been developed, or have been disrupted in some way. I've been to alot of the obvious places, but have yet to come across anything. I'm also looking to collect a few Yellow Rats for a small breeding project, but again I have yet to find any. Any help out there?

Have you tried evening road cruising. Just check a map and try to find roads which run thru habitat, and which are not that well traveled. Not usually that hard to find here in Fla.
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Lloyd Heilbrunn

Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.

Try to find the more remote areas along the St. John's River. A friend of mine used to find a lot of Yellow Rats there. Don't forget to look in the trees.

I've been a Palm Bay resident for almost 4 years now, and I've only seen one yellow rat, and that guy was just a few houses down from mine. Red rats are quite common, however. This year was the year for coral snakes........eight in April and May. It's probably not a good idea to take the trash out to the curb at night while barefoot.....lol. One of my most interesting finds was a dor pine snake two blocks from where I work near the railroad tracks intersecting Palm Bay Road. I'm sure you are aware of the rapid development underway in Brevard county. Herps are losing habitat at a blistering pace. It's sad to see a five foot red rat splattered in a suburban neighborhood. Happy herping..............Steve G.

To be honest, I havn't really found much of anything in the past year. Mostly Black Racers, or the occasional Garter but most of them are DOR. The only significant animal I've found recently was a fresh DOR Cottonmouth at the end of Malabar Road. I was thinking about Yellow Rats because I did find one about 3 years ago about a mile from where I found the cottonmouth. It was very clean color and pattern wise, and that is something I like in Yellow Rats. I'd love to Herp in and around the St. Johns, but alas I don't have an Airboat, or any boat for that matter. Next year hopefully. I do every now and then go out to the Sarno Extension, but I find mostly Turtles crossing the road