Getting tired of KS herps yet??? DUW!

KUJordan

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
344
So I went to a spot this afternoon and spent about an hour rummaging around a bit. It turned out to be a very colorful trip with a lot of diversity in herps, but the fact that I had found so many copperheads the last month or so really bummed me out when I was copper-skunked this trip.

Here's the first snake of the trip- the largest Carphophis vermis, western wormy squirmy snake, I've ever seen!:



Next came this skinny but very green Coluber constrictor, racer under a rock (in situ):



I left it be and the next find was this pretty little G. Plains narrowmouth toad, which are always nice to see:



After the toad came this very pretty and cool (literally it was in the shade and very cold) baby C. constrictor:

In situ:






Next come the milks. I found two of them today and they were both monsters!

Here's the first, possibly the most unattractive L. t. syspila I've ever seen as it was hard into opaqueness:

in situ:




Here's the second milk, which was even bigger than the first. But unlike the first one it was a beauty.

in situ:




anyway, it was a short yet very fun outing. oh,......................................................................................................................................................................
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about that copperhead- I lied. I found a gorgeous little bugger:

just after me flipping him:


after playing with him for a little while:




 

buthus

Arachnoprince
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Jun 8, 2006
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Wow! I love that first snake ...Carphophis vermis! I've heard the term "worm snakes" , but I dont think I've paid any attention.
Have you tried keeping any? Big time burrowers I suppose.
 

ShadowBlade

Planeswalker
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Apr 1, 2006
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Oooh, thats a beautiful copperhead! That's awesome looking.
I can find babies any day of the week up here in West Virginia. But adults like that are a rare beauty!

-Sean
 

KUJordan

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Nov 22, 2005
Messages
344
Oooh, thats a beautiful copperhead! That's awesome looking.
I can find babies any day of the week up here in West Virginia. But adults like that are a rare beauty!

-Sean

believe it or not, that snake was only about 15" long! it was still very young, probably only a year or two- nowhere near adulthood yet. i agree though that is a looker. it was actually smaller than the rest of the copperheads i've posted in the last two weeks on here.

do you have A. contortrix mokasen in WVA? or A. contortrix contortrix?
 

ShadowBlade

Planeswalker
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Apr 1, 2006
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believe it or not, that snake was only about 15" long! it was still very young, probably only a year or two- nowhere near adulthood yet. i agree though that is a looker. it was actually smaller than the rest of the copperheads i've posted in the last two weeks on here.

do you have A. contortrix mokasen in WVA? or A. contortrix contortrix?
You're right. It is smaller then I thought, didn't look very close. Still gorgeous.

I've only seen A.c. mokasen here. I don't think A.c. contortix makes it this far up.

-Sean
 

P. Novak

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Sep 12, 2005
Messages
6,218
All of those snakes are gorgeous. I need to go out herping one of these days and see what I find. I still can't get over at how beautiful those coppers are, how many have you already seen this year?
 

KUJordan

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
344
Novak-

I've seen 9 copperheads already this year, which is WAY above my average! I've only been out herping 5 times this year where I actually found snakes. Amazingly copperheads have been the most abundant snake for me so far this year...well, second behind ringnecks which I don't even photograph because I find thousands every day.

Even though they are all the same subspecies, osages, I still love seeing the variation in their colors, shades, and banding patterns. Also, their temperments are vastly different from snake to snake- some are happy as a clam to be moved and photographed while others don't like the idea of even being noticed and they'll flatten out, strike and flap around like mad!
 

gunslinger

Arachnobaron
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Dec 6, 2006
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Got any reliable sites on Nerodia sipedon or Storeria dekayi out your way Jordan?
 

KUJordan

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Nov 22, 2005
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344
Got any reliable sites on Nerodia sipedon or Storeria dekayi out your way Jordan?
I have a spot where you can see 30-40 N. sipedon in one place and they are there day in and day out. They are always fun to go hang out with and watch them all. They are not very shy at this place either, so you get a lot of man-snake interaction...
 

gunslinger

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Dec 6, 2006
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Awesome, we are always looking for more good sites on Nerodia sipedon. I'll have to check and see how much data we have from your area.
 
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