Living Alongside Wildlife

I live in NW Missouri, and in the past week two sn...

2011-12-09T18:39:43.293-06:00

I live in NW Missouri, and in the past week two snowy owls have been sighted at Smithville Lake just southeast of me by about an hour. There are constant reports coming of the exact whereabouts so people can go see them. I plan to try and locate them this weekend. I have not seen a snowy since I was little girl, that time at Squaw Creek NWR.

Here is one trip account from a herp forum: http:...

2011-11-27T19:29:01.864-06:00

Here is one trip account from a herp forum:

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3056&p=34798&hilit=Farancia+erytrogramma+seminola#p34798

My 6-pack says we can close the books on this one.

Now that's a sight I would have loved to see. ...

2011-08-31T18:23:50.774-05:00

Now that's a sight I would have loved to see. Sure glad I wasn't driving in the opposite direction while all this was going on.

I can hear it rattle as I read this post. It's...

2011-08-14T10:43:43.320-05:00

I can hear it rattle as I read this post. It's sound you never forget - and that's a good thing!

I can't help but find it ironic that a "m...

2011-08-11T14:42:47.844-05:00

I can't help but find it ironic that a "minister" would pray a snake falls off of a speeding vehicle and then exclaim that someone should "kill it".

what about "do unto others" and "love thy neighbor" and all that stuff?

I guess that only holds true when the "others" and the "neighbors" ain't things we don&

What, Thanks, I'm glad you found this info...

2011-08-05T09:08:57.922-05:00

What,

Thanks, I'm glad you found this information useful. I have also heard this rumor in reference to humans. The first step in evaluating your hypothesis is to find out if there is a genetic component to rattling behavior. If there was (and there could be), then your hypothesis is certainly plausible.

So many rattlesnakes are killed by humans, whether they're

Very intriguing article. I've heard for severa...

2011-08-05T00:03:31.035-05:00

Very intriguing article. I've heard for several years that eastern diamondbacks do not rattle because this makes them easier to locate by humans. Humans (like hogs in your article) easily locate and kill and the snakes that rattle; therefor the quiet snake lives and passes on the "quiet" gene. Whether on not this is true, I always encourage my friends not to kill rattlesnakes.

COULD YOU NOT HAVE HAD SOMEONE TO COME IN AND REMO...

2011-08-03T21:54:34.695-05:00

COULD YOU NOT HAVE HAD SOMEONE TO COME IN AND REMOVE THE SNAKES TO A OUT OF THE WAY AREA?I WOULD SAY THE REASON YOU SAW SO MANY WAS THE SNAKES HAD A BASKING SITE NEARBY AND THEY JUST GAVE BIRTH TO THE NEONATES (BABY SNAKES)YOU COULD HAVE EFFECTIVLY JUST WIPED A WHOLE DEN'S ABITITY TO REPRODUCE OUT.BECAUSE FEMALE RATTLE SNAKES ONLY REPRODUCE ON AVARAGE 3-4 TIMES IN THEIR LIFE TIME AND IT TAKES

I think you hit the nail on the head there.

2011-08-01T19:39:36.437-05:00

I think you hit the nail on the head there.

Saw this on TV tonight. What a shame that people ...

2011-08-01T19:10:59.088-05:00

Saw this on TV tonight. What a shame that people are so far removed from nature that this was deemed "news" - and I certainly hope the kids in that family don't take after dad in his dislike of snakes.

dude the snake found in tuscany village in st. aug...

2011-07-29T12:24:50.882-05:00

dude the snake found in tuscany village in st. augustine was seriously that big my stepdad is the one taking the pictures. i lived in the apartments right beside the place when they found the snake.

Thanks. Can't really predict how and when I c...

2011-07-02T11:20:22.665-05:00

Thanks.

Can't really predict how and when I come across them...the most recent was May in the Everglades....

Dave

Another good one, Dave! I still lament the fact t...

2011-07-01T18:28:23.416-05:00

Another good one, Dave!

I still lament the fact that I've never seen an eastern diamondback.

No luck dispite some serious searching in Florida a few years ago....

Michael, Thanks for your comment. I've hea...

2011-06-29T14:09:31.345-05:00

Michael,

Thanks for your comment. I've heard this rumor regarding snapping turtles as well. Have you heard the one about how once a snapping turtle bites down on you, it won't let go until it thunders?

I imagine that snapping turtles feel much more secure in the water, and are therefore less likely to bite to defend themselves (which is the only reason they do

I've seen from several sources, often people w...

2011-06-29T14:03:14.276-05:00

I've seen from several sources, often people who catch them, that snapping turtles don't bite underwater. I have one in my lab, so I know they do, but do you know why people who nab them in the wild seem to think that they don't?

Hi Greg, I'm glad you found the informatio...

2011-06-29T08:21:28.788-05:00

Hi Greg,

I'm glad you found the information here useful. Thanks for sharing your unique perspective/experience to shed some light on the snake that was allegedly from Odessa. As you probably noticed in the comment thread, there was some controversy regarding my suggestion that it was probably taken in Africa.

Dave

Hi, David! Well, the giant "Cooperville, Ga....

2011-06-28T17:11:59.245-05:00

Hi, David! Well, the giant "Cooperville, Ga." rattler appeared on my Facebook page today. A friend named Drew M. linked me to your excellent blog, and I am busy linking to it for the many friends who were interested in the picture and the story. So THANKS for your efforts...Born and raised in Florida, and have only seen ONE rattler over six foot, ever, and I hate to see them killed.<

Thanks for your comment Anonymous. I don't act...

2011-06-25T14:24:30.486-05:00

Thanks for your comment Anonymous. I don't actually have my Ph.D. yet, so maybe I know even less than you think I do.

But in any case, I agree that if anyone has a picture of a ten foot rattlesnake, they should send it to me. I don't expect one soon, however.

Dave

You know, just because you have a Ph.D doesn't...

2011-06-24T21:15:33.993-05:00

You know, just because you have a Ph.D doesn't mean you know everything. First of all, the photos where people are holding the snake at arms length, are not attempts to make the snake look larger, the person just isn't comfortable with a venomous snake being close to them. Those snakes are no more than three feet from the individual holding them. At that distance a 5 foot snake isn't

So you people that are criticizing the person who ...

2011-06-23T15:40:35.519-05:00

So you people that are criticizing the person who killed these snakes are saying that if you had a 2 or 3 year old that played in this area you would have let these 35 poisonous snakes stay??? What would the chances be of a 3 year old getting bit by a rattlesnake when you have 35 living under the steps you walk down every day.......id say very very likely. For someone to chose a snake over a baby

That makes more sense! Indigos are known to use we...

2011-06-22T14:07:01.459-05:00

That makes more sense! Indigos are known to use wetlands heavily, depending on the season. This would probably make them vulnerable to hogs.
I've never seen a wild indigo.

Dave

Yeah, that came off weird. I was meaning to say ho...

2011-06-22T14:04:04.300-05:00

Yeah, that came off weird. I was meaning to say hogs eating indigos. Alot of the indigos problem is lack/declining of scrub areas - but hog trample through what's left of that too. Long time since I've seen an indigo

Ian, There has been some recent research out of t...

2011-06-22T09:08:16.425-05:00

Ian,

There has been some recent research out of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in SC that describes the phenomenon you observed (i.e. cottonmouth migrations in response to drought). Interesting stuff.

Dave

Ian, I think it's safe to say that there a...

2011-06-22T09:04:43.780-05:00

Ian,

I think it's safe to say that there are many less rattlesnakes today than there were a hundred years (or less) ago, due solely to the fact that the species has only a fraction of their original habitat left. When you add additional, new threats like hogs and coyotes (and, of course, humans), rattlesnakes have many problems to contend with. I'm not a proponent of the

It's be rumor for twenty years in FL that ratt...

2011-06-21T19:49:46.764-05:00

It's be rumor for twenty years in FL that rattlesnake populations have taken a dive due to hogs...and indigo snakes. I'm not all that sure about them killing full grown adult ones, but young ones and nests is certainly feasible. Coyotes probably putting pressure on them too. And humans!