|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 6, 2017 14:19:07 GMT -5
So just what are y'all catching those precious lizards to feed? Sorry for the delay getting back to you on that, Mel, life got in the way!
Was catching lizards to feed to this - a leopard lizard. Lizards is what they eat.
Like I said, we did not catch lizards from my yard. These were from the edge of the parking lot at work, at least ten years ago. They were total strangers, not old friends, lol.
All of God's creatures have to eat. Caught lizards are cheaper than feeder lizards bought at pet shops! We didn't do that for long, it was a PIA. Got rid of the leopard lizard before too long.
Jean
|
|
|
Post by melhill1659 on Apr 6, 2017 17:51:55 GMT -5
So just what are y'all catching those precious lizards to feed? Sorry for the delay getting back to you on that, Mel, life got in the way!
Was catching lizards to feed to this - a leopard lizard. Lizards is what they eat.
Like I said, we did not catch lizards from my yard. These were from the edge of the parking lot at work, at least ten years ago. They were total strangers, not old friends, lol.
All of God's creatures have to eat. Caught lizards are cheaper than feeder lizards bought at pet shops! We didn't do that for long, it was a PIA. Got rid of the leopard lizard before too long.
Jean
Yeah I know... everything's gotta eat 😂
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
|
Post by Sabre52 on Apr 7, 2017 8:36:41 GMT -5
Guess this belongs here. I'll try to add my other ranch snake photos too. One of our three commonest snakes, the Texas Rat Snake. This is the orange color phase. Doesn't show too well but the light areas are tinged with orange....Mel
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2017 10:04:48 GMT -5
Mel, I'm surprised it's not trying to kill you! Sabre52
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
|
Post by Sabre52 on Apr 7, 2017 10:56:21 GMT -5
Scott, Oddly, many of our snakes here seem unusually placid. Rat snakes, coachwhips and water snakes everywhere else I've encountered them are friggin mean and real heavy biters. Maybe it's the water or something *L*. I've only encountered one really nasty Texas Rat Snake and that's about it....Mel
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
|
Post by Sabre52 on Apr 7, 2017 11:03:06 GMT -5
Common snakes from White Oak Creek below the house. The water snakes had to be washed off before pics were taken because of all the algae covering them and obscuring the patterns. Diamondback Water Snake. These are big honking snakes! Blotched Water Snake. Folks often kill these thinking they are cottomouths. Black Necked Garter Snake. These are really pretty snakes up close.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2017 17:12:11 GMT -5
Scott, Oddly, many of our snakes here seem unusually placid. Rat snakes, coachwhips and water snakes everywhere else I've encountered them are friggin mean and real heavy biters. Maybe it's the water or something *L*. I've only encountered one really nasty Texas Rat Snake and that's about it....Mel I'll bet a large part is your calm demeanour while handling them. You aren't roughly handling and sending like a predator to them.
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Apr 8, 2017 11:00:24 GMT -5
Found a western rattlesnake in the garage this morning (8 April - cool 43 degrees). It must have been hungry because he was positioned next to a large meal. But he is going back to the field where he should be happier.
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
|
Post by Sabre52 on Apr 8, 2017 18:25:04 GMT -5
I know rattlers are dangerous but they are very pretty snakes too. I never kill them either. That youngster has really nice markings....Mel
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Apr 8, 2017 20:22:56 GMT -5
As I recall rattlesnakes carry embryos all winter so they can give birth to active young in the spring. Nature's headstart program. The spade foot toads are calling from the irrigation ditches behind the house so spring is officially in the air.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 14:06:43 GMT -5
As I recall rattlesnakes carry embryos all winter so they can give birth to active young in the spring. Nature's headstart program. The spade foot toads are calling from the irrigation ditches behind the house so spring is officially in the air. Most rattlesnakes give live birth late summer. Those in cooler more montain habitats mate in spring and have a 12-13 month gestation. Having the young in spring. This allows them a full growing season to grow before the first winter. But your Great Plains will have fall babies, almost certainly. Nice looking specimen!!
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Apr 10, 2017 6:24:28 GMT -5
Its really complex with a widespread species like the western buzzer. Late summer spermatogenesis points to females carrying sperm or suspended development embryos all winter, lack of denning in certain situations with females more prone to basking during winter months at mouth of burrow, etc. etc. We just don't know it all about this live bearing continuum.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 12:56:47 GMT -5
Its really complex with a widespread species like the western buzzer. Late summer spermatogenesis points to females carrying sperm or suspended development embryos all winter, lack of denning in certain situations with females more prone to basking during winter months at mouth of burrow, etc. etc. We just don't know it all about this live bearing continuum. Have you see late season mating with your rattlers? Even Montane species such as Lepidus, willardi and pricei mate in spring with babies born the next spring.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 14, 2017 17:59:40 GMT -5
Did a little prospecting up at our friend's place in Ramona, actually three days over two weekends. At the end of February, they had had six inches of rain in about four hours. It was truly a gully washer, and made some of the normally dry washes into deep ravines!
On their property is a concrete basin, used by the kids for skateboarding purposes (not recently). We figure that all the sand and gravel that filled the bowl has to have gold in it, and that it would be sitting on the bottom. Gold is heavy, but it doesn't go through concrete.
This is how far we got as of last Sunday:
Size perspective, a large dog sized-hole, lol.
Okay, so much for the lead up. The hole became an effective pit trap, and this guy fell into it. California black-headed snake, Tantilla planiceps.
Hard to tell by the photo, but this guy (gal?) is about 16 inches long, and 1/4" wide (same as ring)
Took a few photos of it, and sent it on its way!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2017 19:06:48 GMT -5
I love tantilla!
Any beast that eats centipedes is my hero!!
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
|
Post by Sabre52 on Apr 14, 2017 20:35:43 GMT -5
Your black headed snakes are much more dramatically marked than ours. You have to look real close to tell the black headed from the flat headed here because the head is not that black in contrast. Only real way to tell is the back of the dark section is convex on one and concave on the other and most ours are tinie tiny snakes.
|
|
|
Post by melhill1659 on Apr 15, 2017 23:08:25 GMT -5
Your black headed snakes are much more dramatically marked than ours. You have to look real close to tell the black headed from the flat headed here because the head is not that black in contrast. Only real way to tell is the back of the dark section is convex on one and concave on the other and most ours are tinie tiny snakes. That's the cutest thing ever!!
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on May 22, 2017 16:35:33 GMT -5
Two lizards from this weekend, prospecting north of Joshua Tree. Did not see any snakes.
Big, healthy Chuckwalla. Not so smart though, walked right up to him and caught him by hand! (Distracted him with my ball cap, grabbed with the other hand.)
Big whiptail
|
|
|
Post by Pat on May 22, 2017 17:45:22 GMT -5
We have plenty of lizards in our yard. Our cat has noticed them as well, so now there are not so many.
Our little 5.5 lb cat doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. She has caught birds, lizards, mice, a rat, a squirrel....
We temporarily have stacks of boxed rocks by the house at the moment. Stack is about four feet high by 18' long, and 4' wide. Cat had to walk by the rocks to get to the garden. I swear she was tiptoeing, and didn't take her eyes off the rocks. We wonder what was in there that made her so cautious. She was like that for several days, and we haven't seen anything scary.
I'm thinking --- snake. I don't know a non-venomous snake from a venomous snake.
And my question is -------------- under the circumstances, what should I do when confronted with a snake hiding in a pile of rocks? My first reaction is to slowly back away.
Is there quick way to determine if the snake is venomous from a distance of a few feet? It would be great if all the pink snakes were poisonous, and no others --- or some such quick way.
Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by aDave on May 22, 2017 19:49:02 GMT -5
OK, my turn. Our tortoise checking out some Lavic material. Homesick? Dave
|
|