It's been an unbelievable two days for me. It started out Sat. morning with a trip to Des Moines. I got to hold a very docile Copperhead. She's very old and failing fast. Her head was in her hide and I was able to hold the back half. My first experience with a hot.
Then in the evening I was able to get up close and personal with a number of very large snapping turtles. They averages 60 lbs each. At first they resisted my hands on them but quickly figured out everything was OK. One big male allowed me to give him a neck massage and a chin rub. This was all done from a back position. None of these Common Snappers(Chelydra serpentina) were aggressive as long as I stayed away from the front of their faces. It was quite an experience. I found that watching their eyes was a good indicator of their intentions. At first they were nervous but quickly calmed and seemed to enjoy the attention. I did meet one male that was a true predator. He was sizing up the situation at every moment and would launch a bit with lightning speed. I didn't attempt to work with him and he did come very close to grabbing my arm. I think some was food motivated but I think much was territorial.
This morning it was off to find some T.s.parietalis and hopefully some Timber Rattle Snakes. No T.s.p's were found but I did get some awesome photos of baby Timbers and some beautiful Milk snakes. I will be getting the photos and video ready and post it in the next couple of days.