Herping?

[abcat1993]

I can't wait until spring. When I go turkey hunting again (assuming I do) there is a pond maybe 50 yards in diameter with a good THOUSAND frogs. If you walk within 200 feet of it you start seeing frogs like crazy. Also there is a creek with a some rocky ledges looking into it where I caught what I'm pretty sure was a baby timber rattlesnake deer hunting. Good thing I didn't say "yes" when my dad said "do you want to keep it?".
WOOHOO 400!!!

[CrazyHedgehog]

I think he meant in the wild.

ah, sorry, me speed reading and not digesting again!

[nessy]

crazyhedgehog: what about snakes in britain? have you cought/seen any, or are all of them protected?

[CrazyHedgehog]

There are three types of snake in the UK..

The grass snake, supposedly quite prolific, however I have looked lots and never found one...not poisonous...if caught will often play dead...

The smooth snake, extremely rare, very protected, quite viscous if caught but again not poisonous..

The adder, (or viper) the only british poisonous snake, poison can kill but usually only in the very young or very old and if not treated quickly..
You are more likely to die from the anti-venom, so a bite is usually treated with very heavy doses of anti hystamines, don't think there has been a fatality in many years..

There is also a good colony of escalapean snakes in wales...some believed escaped from the zoo, others believe that the romans bought them over....not native but doing well.

I often go on full days snake searching, not to catch or even disturb, but just for the chance to get a photo in natural habitat...never been lucky, so gives you an idea of how 'prolific' they are..

(Have found some interesting things on searching....a good view of young munchjack deer, different types of newts, frogs and toads, common lizards and slow worms... and the biggest garden worm I have ever seen! - I held it with both hands and it pulled its way back into the earth with out breaking, just leaving a dirty great big hole!)

[nessy]

ahh, thanks for that. i've heard of your first three but not the escalapean snakes... i'll have to look into that

slow worm!! i've always wanted to see one of those, i've seen them on videos off google and it's so cool the way they blink!

i've heard that they can be found sometimes under corrugated iron, dunno if you've tried that...

[CrazyHedgehog]

Slow worms are cool, very much like a small snake, they are about a foot at the very most for a larger one, but usually around 8 inches...Theier bodies are flatter than snakes and more rigid...

Cool video, showing slow worm giving birth, very similar to thamnophis..
Film clip - Slow worm giving birth to live young - Slow worm - Anguis fragilis - ARKive

Yes, any large flat object left lying around that gathers heat, corregated iron, wooden planks, old doors... etc..Used to find them in wasteland behind a building site.., just pick up the rubbish.. they are fairly slow too so easy to catch..

[abcat1993]

do they burrow? Also, are they common pets.

[CrazyHedgehog]

yes it burrows under tree roots, and soft soil in the winter to hibernate, but basks under things in the summer...

Not many people have them as pets, not sure if it is allowed? The only ones I know of, are where they have been rescued from a cat or similar and are kept as pets for a time whilst their health is checked..

[nessy]

yeah, slow worm's are prohibited for trade/sale in britain i think. i would love to keep one though, they're so cool.

crazyhedgehog: escalapean snakes? are they be okay to catch/keep if they aren't native? i tried to do a search on google but couldn't find anything... would love to know more...

[CrazyHedgehog]

You wouldn't find anything because I spelt it wrong!! Sorry...
correct spelling is..Aesculapian Snake
I used to work at the zoo, I was a locust breeder! thats all I did all day...
but we used to wander the zoo at lunch time, and the staff were often called to remove one from the play area, or picnic bench area...they are a largeish snake, the ones I saw were around 5 foot, and damn viscious. .I wasn't going anywhere near one!

If you do a search with the correct spelling you will find lots about it...