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KINGSNAKES. If so let me know and I will post an update. Its been interesting so far, if only to show how blind I am. hahahahahahahahaha FR

thanks
daveb

>>KINGSNAKES. If so let me know and I will post an update. Its been interesting so far, if only to show how blind I am. hahahahahahahahaha FR

np

Since snakes everywhere do the same things snakes in the Arizona desert do, I think it's important that you update those of us who are elsewhere. I mean, how will we ever learn to draw the same conclusions that you draw if you won't tell us what they are? hahahahahhaahahhaahahhahahaahhahhhahahahhhhaahahahahahahahahaha!

I am glad for you, good luck, FR

Well its been about a month and the original gopher is still in the exact same spot. But, as it turns out, theres a second gophersnake there too. The second one is slighly smaller and darker. Heres a pic of the second one feeding. We already know its winter, but are they suppose to feed while opaque too.

During the time from when this first started we have had a wide range of temps, from mid twenties for lows, with highs in the low fifties. To just above freezing for lows, to almost eighty for highs. No rain what so ever, and dry as a bone.

They do not seem to care about the temps. They have come up about once every five days(that I have seen them) and have both fed several times. They have come up on the cold days, and avoid being out in the open on the warm days. Coming out in the mourning and late afternoons.

Now for the problems, They are so darn hard to see, even when they are out "right in front of you". I have lots of questions about wild snake behavior and often wonder about how I can manipulate natural envoirnments. I think two major conditions control snake behavior, first is hydration, second is energy(calories), temperature permiting. That is, if they cannot maintain moisture levels, they do not expose themselves to drying conditions. Sooooooooooooooo, I started to wet down the area they are living in, and I gave them a water bowl, hahahahahahahahaha.

Now for the funny part, I was getting ready to wet the area down and checked it to make sure no snakes were up. I started to hose it down and out from RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, shoots out the smaller timid individual. I looked right were it was and did not see it. I then went in to get the camera and was back in seconds, it was already gone.

For the last five days, I did not see them and I have been placing mice around. But none were missing. Later yesterday afternoon, I did see the original gophersnake basking in a place it had used several times. Guess what, It had a food bolus already, as in, it found its own prey.

Whats interesting to me has nothing to do with winter or summer or north or south. Its interesting to see them doing what they do. In the summer we could never see this its too hot. Kinda like you northerners not seeying this in the winter because of cold. So now I am lucky that the heat has not driven them down.

Of note, they feed regularly, about every five days. They are two of them. I do not know what sexes but if they stick around I will try to find out(take closeups of their bums) They are hard to see when coiled up, as they intertwine with the substrate and blend in well. They are easy to see when moving from one place to another. They appear to live in holes about three feet apart. The original one is bold and not to bothered by me. The second one, the one in opaque is very very shy and darts in holes at the first sight of me. They live 10 feet from my reptile rooms front door and right next to a dirt driveway, and next to my cement mixer/dirt sifter. None of that seems to bother them.

Of interest is, I have no idea if this is where they live, or I accidently found one moving and it stayed there. Or a pair lives there. I have seen these snake and fed them many times thru out the years, but in the summer they never return. I will not see them again for a year or two.

Heres two of my Thayeri/cal king crosses.

I hope you enjoy, FR

Thanks for the update, Frank!been waiting to see if that snake would become a regular and if you would get a Jetzen photo! Found one dor juvenile splendida on Dec. 31, missed it by less than an hour. Temps in the mid 80's, as usual for south Texas for this time of year. I knew it would be there, as I see the juvies every year at this time. The oilfield trucks just never stop rolling, and that makes 5 splendies from that exact locale this year, 4 neonates and 1 yearling. Glad to hear from you and what your up to. Keep up the interesting posts.
Todd Hughes

Two nights ago, I washed(because of HKM whining) and adjusted my headlites on the old truck. I then went out after total dark to see how they worked. The lites worked fine as I found a juvi gopher crossing the my road at 9:00 at night. I called HKM and he checked the temps at his house, a few miles away, and it was 68F.

Last thurs, HKM and I went to our study site. We for some reasons did it backwards, it was hot out and we hit the hot areas first(?????) we only found one rock rattler and we checked the temps at one foot down. It was 20-22F at a foot down. Temps at the surface were very hot. As soon as it gets dark, the temps drop very quickly. Cheers FR

Whine whine whine...... I wonder how many others you would have seen if you had cleaned the lights and windshield sooner?

And yes, we did go backwards, but we're old and allowed to make mistakes... speaking of which: that subsurface temp was 22 C not 22 F.

Later Frank!!! off to work for me. H

22F or about 70F, or about warm e-dang enough, hahahahahahahahaha Cheers FR

thayeri-X-cals, i'd like to see the F2's if you produce any. thanks for sharing

Your pretense is that you are tryiny to share cool observations with fellow herpers but I think you're just trying to make me jealous that you live in such a cool place LOL.

I appreciate your sharing this. It's just cold and bleak mostly here in N.J. Dark when you get up and Dark when you go home from work. It's nice to see somone having fun. Good luck.

That dark to dark thing is horrible. That is horrible for folks like us that have more then just families to come home too. So I took matters into my own hands and started my own company. hahahahahahaha, then I was gone far longer, days and weeks at a time. So again I took matters into my own hands and quit that stuff and bought land and make a living(sort of) from here.

Even when I am stuck here(mice and reptiles) I can still see lizards and snakes and birds(lots of birds) and animals(wild ones)

In the last five years, I have raised up to maturity and followed a wild lizard(Magisters scaly). I have documented it on our monitor site. I have seen her grow up, breed, nest, multiclutch, run up and sit on my lap. follow me all over the place and all such things, and have pics of it all. Whats funny is, while many think she is tame. She is not, yes she has no fear of me. But does not like other people. What is odd is, she only "likes me" when she "needs" me. That is, after she becomes gravid, then likes the heck out of me, after she lays her first clutch. Last year, her fifth, she was almost killed by something. It took her tail off and a big chunck out of her head, and tooth marks all over her body. I found her near death. I offerred her a few crickets and she slowly regained her health.

I have also done this with a female roadrunner and documented that on our site. She is the same. Only likes me when in great need. But when she is in need, what a pest. She will follow me everywhere, and call me all day long. Little begger. She also almost died this year. But she came to me and I fed her back to health. Somehow her feet became tied up with nylon rope. It took several months for her to remove it little by little, but with my feeding her, she survived.

I have followed her to her nest, and fed her babies. She has brought them around, but none have stayed for more then a couple months. Thanks FR

The red headed thing is when she is gravid. As soon as she lays, it goes back to normal.

Man I envy you.....Thanks again. I really appreciate your sharing this stuff.

Regarding gloomy winter weather, and different conditions farther south:

I've done many hikes in December. When temps were over 60 degrees, I saw many small lizards, usually Side-blotched or Sagebrsh. Nothing larger than that. Near Lake Mead, I found 2 burrows of endangered Desert Tortoises.

Christmas Day was around 60 degrees and sunny at times. I saw a Roadrunner, and later saw an "introduced" (let go) Red-eared Slider turtle along a creek.

Just relocated from the Portland, OR area, I really enjoy the sunnier & warmer climate. Can hardly wait for spring!

Wow Frank, why don't you post some pics of you clubbing baby seals....then EVERYONE can hate you LOL Nice hybrids. Interesting stuff w/ the gophers.

Horridus

Thanks for the post Frank. That is the type of post that I really like on here. I was wondering what the latest was with your gopher snake visiter. I would say that with you around with the mouse hand outs it is doing pretty good. Even told a friend lol! We have had a couple of warm spells here recently, even had temps up in the 70's on Monday. We made lots of nice finds but they all lacked scales and had gills at one time haha! By the time we were able to get out it was raining like a big dog and even had tornado's here and there. It was good seeing the amphibs though. Its like a yearly ritual every year at this time.

We were able to get together with some pals last week though and load up on some AC. Here's a pic hotshot took of us dismantling a large roadside sign that has fell down. I'm the guy in the red jacket and black cap and my field partner Will is the happy looking fella with the bibs. Happy herping, and keep the pics and observations coming! Phil

YOU LIVE far away from the "Get it done Yesterday" Crowd and now live in a place where people hold doors open for each other and say "Thankyou" and such drivel....

YOU LIVE in a reptile paradise where Gopher snakes,small lizards etc. come looking for you....

YOU LIVE in a warm climate with herps all over,You make a living DOING what others wish they could do and have a handful of good longterm friends that also share your herp interests.

You live in a place where you have a quad and get to observe Gilas for years.....

MAN are you Blessed. Where do I send the Sympathy card? LOL

I hope you realize your living the DREAM!