My first herp of 2010

[slygecko]

We've been in a deep cold snap in south-central Florida for pretty much all of January, including almost 10 straight days of below-freezing nights (note to northerners - I'm not complaining, I'm loving the break from the heat!), which has really put a damper on herping. I've been doing fieldwork on a massive tract of pine flatwoods and scrub on the central ridge of Florida, so I've got a lot I could find, but field herping pickings have actually been pretty slim. I'm a bird tech but it seems like the Gopher Tortoise techs find everything cool. So yesterday I went with them and I found something cool. After I saw it, I got to thinking, I'm pretty sure this is my first herp of 2010. At least, I haven't seen anything else this year that I can remember. Even anoles are in short supply in the cold.


Scoping a Gopher Tortoise burrow



That's not a tortoise!



Coming out...





He was pretty cold and not very aggressive. He never coiled up, struck, or rattled. He just moved over to the closest palmetto clump a couple feet away and curled up, glaring at us.

[Andrew Gilpin]

Nice dude, and neat photos of the scope viewing down in the hole..... I think that's a hole you don't really want to stick your hand down in to see what is in there

[slygecko]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gilpin

I think that's a hole you don't really want to stick your hand down in to see what is in there

No worries, I can't remember exactly but I think he was around 4 meters in. You won't be reaching anything sticking your hands in a gopher burrow.

[Salzy]

That is cool as hell! I bet that really threw you guys for a loop when you saw that. Are they super common in that area?

[slygecko]

Originally Posted by Salzy

That is cool as hell! I bet that really threw you guys for a loop when you saw that. Are they super common in that area?

Actually they staked that one out for me

They are not too uncommon here, but this is only the second one I've seen in Florida and I've been here a year. I guess I just suck at this game The gopher techs have seen several this fall and winter, but they have the advantage of scoping the burrows and seeing them and other cool things like Indigos and Gopher Frogs. Somehow they seem to find Pygmy Rattlesnakes too. I'm just dying to find one of those alive, and will be devastated if I leave Florida without. Clearly my jays and woodpeckers keep me looking up too often.

[Zookeeper Gabe]

I had to check and see if that was my friend with you (It's Not), Jess Gonyor out of UGA is doing her PhD on Gopher Torts and disease transmission. Also David Steen does a lot of work down there, I'm jealous of the herps you guys get to play with

[umop_apisdn]

Join the club, man.

Nah, but that's pretty cool. Did the folks doing gopher tortoise work see any females give birth at tortoise burrows?

I'm dying to see some indigos. I might get a chance to get out with some of the people at Project Orianne this spring...definitely looking forward to that.

Nick, you need to get a car. I've never seen a pygmy in habitat, per se, but I've seen plenty of Carolina pygs on roads and I've flipped one dusky under tin around Ocala.

You should definitely take advantage of the weather warming back up after this cold spell. Lots of herps will be basking, on top of that this is basically the best time of year to find indigos.

[Zookeeper Gabe]

Originally Posted by umop_apisdn

Join the club, man.

Nah, but that's pretty cool. Did the folks doing gopher tortoise work see any females give birth at tortoise burrows?

I'm dying to see some indigos. I might get a chance to get out with some of the people at Project Orianne this spring...definitely looking forward to that.

Nick, you need to get a car. I've never seen a pygmy in habitat, per se, but I've seen plenty of Carolina pygs on roads and I've flipped one dusky under tin around Ocala.

You should definitely take advantage of the weather warming back up after this cold spell. Lots of herps will be basking, on top of that this is basically the best time of year to find indigos.

Joe (can't remember last name) formally of Bronx Zoo Herp dept fame now works with Project Orianne and is a great guy

[DDReptiles]

Nice Find Nick, I was down in the Everglades for the cold spell, I also found an EDB and a pygmy during one warmer day between cold spells.