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Brandon Bowers
11-12-03, 01:20 AM
:skull: Here’s an e-mail I sent to some folks. If anyone else can help that didn’t get the info, let me know, even if you’ve only found 1 alterna.
To anyone who herps West Texas and keeps good records:
I am working on a simple research paper for my Biology 1301 class. My professor said I could do a paper on the distribution of any herp species, if enough info is available. I wanted to do the C. horridus range in Texas, but my deadline is soon and I don’t have enough time to gather all the info I want to do a sufficient paper. I am now doing alterna because it will be easier to get the info in time. Some people that post on forums and message boards with requests like this receive many accusations and threats, so I am trying to gain all my info through e-mail or the mail. I just don’t want people to think I am a super-collector or that I am just trying to strategize on how to find alterna (they’re not even my favorite West TX snake). I rarely keep anything I find (unless it’s dead), and almost never hunt in search of a specific species. I hate to ramble on about this, but if I got an e-mail like this and didn’t know the sender, I would be suspicious, so I feel I should verify my intentions. I am just trying to create a current listing of as many sightings as I can find and pinpoint them on a map for the project to examine population densities. What I could use, if you guys are willing to supply the information, is:
Any and all info on alterna you have observed, dead or alive, especially the location and mileage. I could also use photographs that correspond with the sightings, date, time, conditions, whether on road, cut, or in the field, and sex. I am specifically referring to specimens found in Texas. I have Troy Hibbitts’ list through 2001, and have gathered a bit of information from **************’s alterna page and Tennant’s Texas Snakes book, but if you know of any other online sites that list location down to the mile, that would help a lot. Also, if you know of anyone who might be able to help that I haven’t e-mailed, I’d like to know. I will probably be in San Antonio next weekend, so if you have written information that you don’t want to type up, I could meet you somewhere at the expo, take it to be photocopied, and return it to you.
Thanks,
Brandon Bowers
(281) 370-4792
metalshrek@yahoo.com
I also have addresses at brbowers@nhmccd.edu and brandon@texassnakes.net , but they are not accepting the test e-mails I have tried to send, so just use the one above.

C.m.pyrrhus
11-12-03, 11:21 AM
I really cannot help on the paper info for ya, just wanted to say cool avatar. SG's Rock! Heh......

Hamster of Borg
11-12-03, 01:58 PM
Sorry to say it, but alterna are a commodity in the herp world, while not as money-catching as they once were, most of the people who go out to look for them still do not give out exact information on where they find them to just anyone.

Do some searching on the Big Bend region of Texas, along with your other searches. You should be able to get some stories talking about the River Road and other things like that. :)

Ham

daver676
11-12-03, 02:02 PM
What is (an) alterna? Got a pic?

Hamster of Borg
11-12-03, 02:42 PM
http://www.ravnos.org/photos/t-colubrids/greyband4.jpg
http://www.ravnos.org/photos/colubrids/greyband6.jpg

Ham

daver676
11-24-03, 02:32 PM
Wow! I'm glad I asked!