Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It was a great week in the Phoenix area (HOT...but very dry unlike our terribly humid Midwest climate) as I attended and spoke at the IHS (Eastern Indigos and Sedge Vipers). Although the other speakers were fantastic and I enjoyed all of them, I enjoyed my nightly forays in the Tucson area the most looking for rattlesnakes and other herps. I caught my first Tiger (tigris) and saw several other species; a lyre snake was especially attractive. My family and I got to enjoy these outings together which made it even more special. The weirdest thing we saw was a short stretch of road in which 100's of tarantulas were crawling across the street....I laid down in the middle and let them all just walk right over me much to my daughters' horror; it was quite a strange experience (and a strange thing to do...but I am sure a few of you would have done the same!).

I was pleasantly surprised by how many folks were interested in my eastern indigo talk. For those of you who couldn't make it, it was another fabulous event and I would encourage everyone to try to make next year's (I believe its in San Antonio...and I hear that there's a populatio of HUGE atrox just south of there). I learned quite a bit and took back a lot of info that will help us improve our husbandry program. A big thanks goes out to Dean, Doug and Dirk Stevenson for the great info that they have provided to me over the years. Dirk also provided some incredible field shots that everyone loved. I spoke to a number of curators at zoos and found it surprising as to how few zoos in the couperi's natural range keep this species. We (now speaking as a private hobbyist working with couperi) need to go the extra step in inviting museums, nature centers and zoos to take donations of offspring from the private sector. I realize that some folks need to make a living but even donating one or two from a clutch will help our conservation education efforts. I know of at least 4-5 zoos actively seeking animals and I am going to be sending a few out next week.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Rob,

Wish I could have been there too hear it. Tucson truly is a *magical place*, especially around the "monsoon season." I know what you mean about the hordes of tarantulas, I myself have seen literally hundreds of WHIP SCORPIONS running across and down the road in Borrego Desert out here in Calif. BUT..unlike you, I was not brave enough to lay down and let them run all over me. Not me..no way!!!

You ever see the FACE on those things? No way Id let them run all over me..uh-huh..no way...

Kudos to you for disseminating so much good info on Drymarchon, and you are right, donating Couperi to HONEST and forward thinking institutions who would actively promote the increasded protection of both this snake and its habitat is an excellent thing.

thanks for your hard work,

Appreciatively,

Fredrick Albury

Wish you could have been there Fred....someday we'll hook up. I never realized just how powerful monsoons can be until I nearly got my conversion van stuck in a supposedly "dry wash"...yeah right, it was dry on the way up the mountain and on the way back out, a nice terrential river! Thankfully, I navigated my van around and found a dirt road that wasn't too flooded to get out; what an adventure! On that same outing, with my wife and kids in the van, we nearly drove off a 2000 foot ledge when I tried to swerve out of the way of a tiger rattlesnake only to nearly drive off the steepest ledge on the mountain; all for the sake of saving rattlesnakes! I got some nice pics of the snake before I safely returned it to the other side of the ledge. At that point, my wife and daughters pretty much had enough excitement for one day. The things we do

>>Rob,
>>
>>Wish I could have been there too hear it. Tucson truly is a *magical place*, especially around the "monsoon season." I know what you mean about the hordes of tarantulas, I myself have seen literally hundreds of WHIP SCORPIONS running across and down the road in Borrego Desert out here in Calif. BUT..unlike you, I was not brave enough to lay down and let them run all over me. Not me..no way!!!
>>
>>You ever see the FACE on those things? No way Id let them run all over me..uh-huh..no way...
>>
>>Kudos to you for disseminating so much good info on Drymarchon, and you are right, donating Couperi to HONEST and forward thinking institutions who would actively promote the increasded protection of both this snake and its habitat is an excellent thing.
>>
>>thanks for your hard work,
>>
>>Appreciatively,
>>
>>Fredrick Albury
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Sounds like a great time...sorry I missed it Rob. I may try to make it next year. My brother lives in San Antonio and he has a guest house (so I may be able to put up a few of you guys).

Did you get a chance to check out the Sonoran Desert Museum while you were in Tucson?

Congrats on the tigris!
Chris

Yes, I did see the museum (and the great work they are doing with Horned Lizards) in addition to some of the other destinations. Going to the American Int'l Rattlesnake Museum was another highlight and gave me many great ideas on my own rattlesnake exhibit. Maybe we'll hook up in TX next year. Rob

>>Sounds like a great time...sorry I missed it Rob. I may try to make it next year. My brother lives in San Antonio and he has a guest house (so I may be able to put up a few of you guys).
>>
>>Did you get a chance to check out the Sonoran Desert Museum while you were in Tucson?
>>
>>Congrats on the tigris!
>> Chris
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Only NAKED!!! LOL
Sounds like you had a great time.
See you tomorrow.
Mike

Rob,

A number of years back I had the pleasure of going to Tucson with a good friend and fellow herper,Travis.We would stay at a friend of his dads, a retired bio professor,who lives in TUCSON.

On the way into Tucson, we found some mountain, I beleived it was called Devils peak. It was mid-dasy by then, about 100 degrees out so we hiked to the top of the mountain. I felt good.
Invigorated. Young. *LOL*

I wore no hat(We dont need no stinking hats) and no sun screen.

Afterwards we went to the Arizona Desert Museum. Awesome place. Liked it alot except for the Mountain Lion(I dont condone keeping of big cats in captivity..sorry guys)IMO....
We got there and I noticed that I was a little....err....light headed...and a little...err.....weak...and alittle ...err...dizzy. I beleive that I suffered a temporary black out due to sunstroke. I had to sit down on the walking path to regain my composure. Nice eh?

Then, later that early evening it rained. It poured! So hard as to make road hunting impossible. So we didnt.

WE saw a few Snakes that trip, a rattler I believe, and a patchnosed snake, if my memory serves me right.

Wonderfull place Tucson.

Magical..truly..IMO

But bring a hat...

I personally own a SOMBRERO. A big one. and SPF 100

No more human heat receptor head for me...uh-uh :0)

Cheers

Fred Albury

Sounds like you had an awesome time in Tuscon Rob, fantastic

That must've just been amazing seeing all those tarantulas; you must've felt like a kid laying down on the road like that!

Is San Antonia in Texas? I'll be traveling down there next summer some time, perhaps I could time it for the symposium! I'm jittering up with excitement just thinking about it

YUP, it's in the great state (or is it a country...it sure seemed like it took forever to drive through it. If you make it out let me know; I've already got some places picked out to check out (which include supposedly monster sized Crotalus atrox).

>>Sounds like you had an awesome time in Tuscon Rob, fantastic
>>
>>That must've just been amazing seeing all those tarantulas; you must've felt like a kid laying down on the road like that!
>>
>>Is San Antonia in Texas? I'll be traveling down there next summer some time, perhaps I could time it for the symposium! I'm jittering up with excitement just thinking about it
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL