shreyes's Favorites

Not sure if I should be uploading a drawing on iNat, but I've seen other people do it. Pretty important find to me, so I wanted a voucher, but couldn't find the original pictures. My lifer, and to date only, mole king or any king for that matter. Crossing the trail at Mason Farm at about mid morning, right after two huge ratsnakes. It was also gigantic for a mole king, probably about 3 1/2 feet, and so large that it was completely patternless. The color faded into an almost bright olive yellow along the sides and belly, which I've never seen again in any pictures of this species to the extent this individual had it. Vibrated its tail and head, in classic king fashion. Year, month, and location are accurate; day is not, time is estimated.

Probably the best find of the trip! Only the seventh recorded on iNat in the state. Sitting in an overhanging plant over Kelley Branch. When I first found this place last December I thought that if there was somewhere I would find a queensnake in FL it would be here; glad I was right.

On the edge of Blue Hole, FL Caverns SP. Found this nerodia down in some cypress knees eating what I thought was a red salamander, pulled him up on the shore, and apparently he was in the process of killing a large adult waterdog, unfortunately. Would've been the best find of the trip; still super cool. Not sure of the taxonomy with waterdogs here.

Nicest I've seen, on the crawl hunting. Posed nicely on his own when I walked up to him. Apparently tho I sat down on a friggin yellow jacket nest when I was photographing, which went well. Last pic in situ.

My first from FL and my lifer 'Southern' copperhead. He came shooting across the trail in Torreya SP; I had to jump to avoid stepping on him lol. And he made it clear while I was photographing him that he would've lit me up. Last picture is before I disturbed him as he was getting off the trail.

Digital scan from my color slide. Ordway Preserve (= Ordway-Swisher Biological Station), near Smith Lake, Putnam Co., Florida. 9 Mar 1985.

Amelanistic specimen. Reported in: Stuart, J.N. and C.K. Dodd, Jr. 1985. Life History Notes: Cemophora coccinea copei. Coloration. Herpetological Review 16:78.

LIFER! literally no words, this has to be the rarest snake in the piedmont of North Carolina. Yep! This sighting was in the piedmont of NC! went herping with a buddy, hiked many long hours inside a huge marsh/swamp habitat, not a single snake. We reached the edge of an agricultural field with a nice slow water marsh, and we found this mudsnake at the surface of the water just chilling near the base of a half submerged fallen tree.

this is not what I expected to find at all, not only that but this snake was massive! 3+ feet. I would have never guessed to have found a mudsnake today and a true “lemon head”.

This snake proved to be the hardest to photograph I’ve ever encountered! They cannot sit still and any cover placed on them they will push until it is moved. I also noticed an unusual defense mechanism where this snake used its tails to move as if the tail was its head. Its head sat still while the tail “creeped” around the ground imitating a snake searching the ground/water. I’m not sure if they are known to do this, either way I am super happy with only one snake this week and it’s the rarest around here!