Just for fun, Ontario herps.....

[Ontario_herper]

What would you consdifer to be Ontario's:

(1) Hardest to capture herp (once you've spotted it)?


(2) Most elusive herp (may not be hard to catch but difficult to see/ find)?




Myslef......

(1) Softshelled turtles! Females especially. Males can, at times be "slow" and dumb (I use that term "slow" relatively speaking). While in water, females are quite possibly the fastest reptile I have seen. Catching a nesting female is a slice of cake. Approaching one nevermind catching while in the water is a task fit only for the best! I had no luck :(

Female softshells make blue racers look like a slither legless salamander when compared.

(2) Has to be the hognose snake. You don't find these guys, they once in a rare while allow themselves to be seen. Hognose have to be one of the easiest herps to catch but finding them is the tough part.

[chas*e]

Hardest to catch....most turtles

Hardest to see/find......Rattlesnakes(found one-took days of looking)

[ont_herper]

Hardest to catch I would say turtles, but for the most part ive never tried to catch any.

Most Elusive by far is E. Hognose, I looked so long for one this year. If anyone knows a good spots and wants to go this year just let me know when and ill be there.

[Holy Mackerel]

I think i agree with ont herper.

Hardest to catch almost all turtle spp. with the exception of snappers (more common, and are found far enough from water at times)

But for sure the most elusive is the Eastern Hognose

[rattler keeper]

Well Carpetman and i will have to set up a hognose,trip,,we have the best spot,probably record #,s...let us know!!

[Cruciform]

The kids who come by the pond outside our office have no trouble catching the turtles in it. They simply jump in after them.

They've decimated what was once a thriving population :(

[Scotty Allen]

Most elusive? That's easy: C. horridus Just because they haven't been seen in Ontario since the early 1940's is no reason to give up. ;)

[KristenM]

1. Hardest to catch: I would agree with dave also cause they are so damn slippery and fast.
2. Most elusive (althought hognose with give you a run for your money cause its just dumb luck if you find one) IMO is the stinkpots, there so small and blend in sooo well!

[JD@reptiles]

hardest to catch. some turtles can be a pain in the @$$ to catch.

hardest to find so far for me has been tha massassauga. takes a long time to find those things!!! my ratio is 1 massassauga for every 3 days.

[K1LOS]

most elusive .... Eastern Massassauga Rattlesnake. I spent like 4 days looking for one in the French River Delta with no luck. Well i MIGHT have found a juvenile, but the picture isn't clear enough to be a proper id. And i was busy trying to catch it, and didn't notice a rattle at the time. Could have been a BIG mistake.

hardest to catch.... a basking turtle. Good luck with that, they will be in the water before you see them! All we get to see is the splash half the time.

Softshells, where have you been seeing softshells? I would like to go get some pictures this summer. I think i am going to compile a list of things i want to find/catch this summer, and softshells would definately make the list.