FF's Herp Finds

[FinishingFlight]

So I don't necissarily do a lot of looking specifically for snakes but I do hike a lot and come across reptiles on my own while out. So I'll post the photos I manage to take here.

So This one is a rattler I came across last year out in Escondido, CA

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Then this weekend I found this king snake in our backyard. Just in the nick of time too. We have one dog that will chase and kill any small animal it finds. So I managed to grab him as he lunged and called out for my boyfriend to come out and grab the one aggressive dog. So before it found a place to hide I managed to grab it and put it in a critter condo I had for relocation. We walked about a 1/2 mile from our house into the hills and released it. Hopefully it doesn't come back. If Kota found it first, it would not be good.

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[valkea]

Nice finds! Lucky snake that you found it before the dog did. One of my dogs is the same and would try to "play" with anything small and alive.

[FinishingFlight]

Yeah that dog doesn't play with anything, its a high prey drive to kill. So we try and keep everything out of our yard.

Then two weeks ago I found this rattler, it was a very beautiful red colored one that I haven't seen before. I need to read up on local snakes.
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[brandonh]

To me this appears to be a Red diamondback i believe it is a protected species in CA do to low numbers if i am not mistaking. really glad you got to save the king! nice job!

[valkea]

Originally Posted by FinishingFlight

Yeah that dog doesn't play with anything, its a high prey drive to kill. So we try and keep everything out of our yard.

Oh yeah, same with my dog. Anything small enough for him to grab hold of is at risk of being killed. Thankfully most critters stay out of my backyard.

[brandonh]

Originally Posted by valkea

Oh yeah, same with my dog. Anything small enough for him to grab hold of is at risk of being killed. Thankfully most critters stay out of my backyard.

I let my dog out to pee once and he decided to comeback with a toad in his mouth! luckily they both went their separate ways unharmed i let the toad go and the puppy got out of it with just a foamy mouth!

[valkea]

Yikes! Good thing both were fine. My least favourite dog incident involved my ex's dog. We were at a park across the street from my place and she was eating something. It was dark (like midnight or later) so I couldn't see what it was but didn't want her eating garbage so I pulled it out of her mouth. Yeah. Dead bird head. VERY dead bird head. She found the legs later and that was when I called it a night and went home. That and the time my dogs rolled in / ate dead skunk while I was out looking for skulls. Not pleasant.

[brandonh]

Oh wow! yes i cannot imagine how unfun that would be to find your dog eating a very dead bird head!! i don't know what is worse the dead skunk or the very dead bird head lol both seem very unpleasant and would rather them not eat either or roll in it as well

[LouB747]

Very cool. The first rattler is a Southern Pacific and the other is a Red Diamondback. The red is protected, yet a common sight in the right habitat.

Here's a young one, but not very colorful.

https://youtu.be/Tc7ism3wFWc

[brandonh]

Originally Posted by LouB747

Very cool. The first rattler is a Southern Pacific and the other is a Red Diamondback. The red is protected, yet a common sight in the right habitat.

Here's a young one, but not very colorful.

https://youtu.be/Tc7ism3wFWc

Thanks for confirming red diamond and that it is indeed protected I thought it was but I never saw one in person so wasn't 100%

[Ian of Oldham]

hwell we don't get much over the pond, the wildest thing is a adder venom is not strong and there is not a lot left now so we just do not see them, O yeah and them things called People some of tem are harmful. lol


2 Royals 1 Corn 1 Boa and mad Cat

[brandonh]

Originally Posted by Ian of Oldham

hwell we don't get much over the pond, the wildest thing is a adder venom is not strong and there is not a lot left now so we just do not see them, O yeah and them things called People some of tem are harmful. lol


2 Royals 1 Corn 1 Boa and mad Cat

To many ppl kiling or collecting them? That is a shame that there numbers are dropping i think the adders are very neat looking.

[Ian of Oldham]

Originally Posted by brandonh

To many ppl kiling or collecting them? That is a shame that there numbers are dropping i think the adders are very neat looking.

Yeah you are right People just kill them because they have no understanding of the snakes and the prey that are hunted and cannot see that they keep rodents numbers down.


2 Royals 1 Corn 1 Boa and yet one more rescue A Carpet O and a mad Cat.

[brandonh]

i figured it was killing we have the same problem here in my state with timbers and copperheads. Ppl will wipe out whole den sites because they think they are doing the town a favor ..........

[sharthun]

Nice finds!