Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, every one. This pretty girl came from the Delta region of Mississippi. With some luck, she'll be meeting up with Matt Brock's Delta locale male this spring. She was a bit rough around the edges when I got her, but has cleaned up nicely. She only has one permanent scar. Other than that, she's a beauty!

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Will

Wow Will! She has cleaned up quite nicely! I can't wait to throw them together next Spring. They should produce some killer offspring.

Oh, BTW, the male did eat for me last week after he shed. I don't know why he has been fasting for a whole month.

He just ate two rat pups off tongs! Never done that before! YAY!

she looks great will!
best of luck with that pairing, guys,
keep yer boy in mind when it comes time to
pass out baby specks
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freeloaders:
1.0 Morelia spilota cheynei
1.1 M.s. cheynei x mcdowelli
0.0.1 Liasis mackloti
1.1 Pantherophis guttata
0.1 Lampropeltis pyromelanis knoblochi
1.0 Sternotherus carinatus
1.0 APBT
0.0.5 African/South American cichlids
?.? rats and mice

Great looking Speck Will....
Good luck getting babies from them next year Will and Matt.
Matt....Are the Holbrooki confined to the River Delta in Mississippi? How far east are Holbrooki actually found? It seems the River cuts them off from the East except these found near the River....Is this correct?
John Lassiter

John, holbrooki are found well eastward into north central MS and south and central AL. There are some wonderful examples that inhabit the Black Belt, or Blackland Prairie region in central AL. They exhibit very prominent crossbars and huge spots. The look very similar to this Delta form actually. They extend almost all the way to GA around the Auburn campus. As soon as you reach Birmingham they start to show much influence from nigra, and forms from their northward are considered such.

The MS Delta region we are referring to might be different than what you guys are thinking of as the Delta. The MS state Delta is NOT the area of drainage into the saltwater estuaries and marshes along the LA coast. The MS Delta we are talking about is the MS River floodplain in west and and central MS. This area is characterized by low areas that were once bottomland hardwood forest, but now 90% or more of that is gone and only cultivated fields remain. It is one of the greatest ecological disasters you could imagine. Although many changes to the environment have taken place, and the habitat has been altered drastically there are a few spcies that seem to thrive really well there. Holbrooki would be one of those species. If you've never been through the MS delta then I would suggest you do so before you die. It's a different world over there. Seriously.

Just don't visit there unarmed....without firepower...lol.

John, actually they stretch across almost all of MS with exception to the NE corner and into central western AL. For instance Matt and I live in Starkville, MS which is east central MS more or less. We've found many here.
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Will

Thanks for the info Matt and Will...sounds like they are farther East than I thought.
nice looking specimens too guys.
John Lassiter

I agree, if you have never been there, you should herp it. I also agree about being armed. Nice looking girl Will, she cleaned up real well.
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roomates:
anery corn "zepplin"
normal corn "little bub"
eastern garter "auspicious"
broad-banded watersnake "washington"
Australian Cattle Dog "Pounder"

Why should you be armed to go there?Is somebody gonna shoot at me for looking for snakes?How is the need for a gun worse than anywhere else you could go?I mean you could run into the wrong people just about anywhere these days.Fortunately I've never been in a situation where I would have needed to have a gun.I have a few guns but I usually don't carry them,mostly due to not having bothered to go get a permit for them.I'd get in alot more trouble for not having the permits than I'd be likely to get into while hunting snakes.

You never seen the Mississippi Delta people.....It is like a scene out of "Deliverance"....I can hear "Dueling Banjos" right now just thinking about it........LOL!!!!!
John Lassiter

Sounds about like most of the people I hang out with,I would probably get along good with them,I bet the majority of them are good people.I wouldn't be scared to go there,is there a high crime rate in the area or something?

The Delta has the highest infant mortality rate in the US. It has the worst healthcare in the US. It is the poorest region in the US. It is also the blackest region in the US. What I mean by all of this is that it is 90% full of poor, black, thugs that have no regard for you or your life. The crime rate in the MS Delta is the highest "per capita" of anywhere in the US.

Now I can also handle a bunch of redneck hill country white folks from north AL. I grew up with them...lol. The Delta is far different. It is full of drug activity and from what I have seen a lot of local law enforcement has turned a few places over to their filth and they dare not even mess with the real problem.

I am NOT racist, so no one get the wrong idea. I just hate to tip-toe around issues by being politically correct. I call it like I see it. The delta is no place for folks that are not aware of the area. Racism still runs strong in the area, and it's not always from the whites. The blacks hate you for driving through their side of the railroad tracks too. I could tell you countless experiences that we have encountered there, and stories of others. I have friends who live over there that have been shot, shot at, threatened to get shot, and all sorts of things.....all because they are white. So if you decide to herp there, just be aware that you are in an area of high hostility. Not everywhere, but in some areas.

Thanks again man for giving this beautiful Speck to me. I REALLY appreciate it to say the least, lol. By the way, your little Red Milk got another juvie five-lined down yesterday. My advice for you ... Stock up on skinks. They are VERY weary of rodents. Talk to ya soon.
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Will

Good deal. Hopefully I can get into the field this coming week. I have been seeing quite a few skinks around, so it shouldn't be too hard to get a stockpile. Thanks for looking out for her, I really appreciate it.
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roomates:
anery corn "zepplin"
normal corn "little bub"
eastern garter "auspicious"
broad-banded watersnake "washington"
Australian Cattle Dog "Pounder"

I agree dude, The delta is home to some of the craziest and most violent people I have ever seen.
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roomates:
anery corn "zepplin"
normal corn "little bub"
eastern garter "auspicious"
broad-banded watersnake "washington"
Australian Cattle Dog "Pounder"