Just realized that another "anniversary" happenned earlier this week. On May 16th 1984 I was fortunate to find a small male medium phase blairs morph on Pandale dirt road. 3.2 miles north of the rr tracks. He was 14 - 15 inches long at the time. We just passed 28 years together. He is now a dark phase with a lot of black speckling in his blotches. Still a very aggresive feeder but has developed an internal lump about 4 inches above the vent. I feed him smaller mice now so he can pass them easier after digestion. Don't know how much longer he'll be around but never dreamed I would of had him this long. Based on his size at time of capture I feel he is probably a 1982 hatchling. Don't know if this is a record but its got to be in the top 5. I also have 2 captive borns from 88 and 89 respectively. Just thought some guys might be interested. Good luck to everyone who puts their time in this summer in good ole west texas. I miss it dearly. Brad Anderson
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longevity
Replies (4)
That is neat. My oldest would be a female 277 Blair's found as a sub-adult in 1998.
What kind of substrate have you kept yours on primarily? What has been it's primary food item?
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www.hcu-tx.org/
Hi Aaron, Pretty ordinary substrate: newspapers and a hidebox. He's always ate domestic mice. Never even offered him a lizard. Still think that might be needed every now and then for females though. Good luck at Sanderson next month Aaron.
Almost certainly a longevity record, as least in terms of what's been formally documented. Salmon et al. (1997, link to paper here: http://www.sierraherps.com/bibliography) report several snakes that are around 20 yrs of age. Your animal at minimum is 29 yrs (28 in captivity 1 yr in wild), but likely 30 yrs old. PM sent.
Cheers,
You may want to check out G. Merker’s link below and ask more about that animal, in case you haven’t already (though it appears yours is older.)
Also, I think the Herpetocultural Notes section of Herp. Review takes longevity records, right Bob?
Merker’s longevity note for alterna
