I went herping yesterday. Alot of you may be familiar with "Snake Road" in southern Illinois. If not, its a 2.6 mile stretch of dirt road near the small town of Wolf Lake. They close the road for 2 months every fall and spring because of the huge number of snakes that cross it going from the swamps and lowlands to the bluffs, which provide a nice little hibernaculum.
Anyways, my numbers are incredibly low compared to what most people find while walking up and down the road.
2 Cottonmouths
3 Black Rat Snakes
2 Unidentified Water Snakes (fast little buggers, they are)
3 Ribbon Snakes
Heres the pics. Sorry they are so small. I am actually uploading them as 640x480, but it has something to do with the hosting site.
First picture is of the bluffs. Its really neat to come around the curve and see this. Snake Road runs parallel to these bluffs.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/15578_p195026.jpg"></img>
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This was one of the 3 black rat snake. All of them were pretty grouchy and tried to bite. They were all between 4 - 5 1/2 ft.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/15578_p195025.jpg"></img>
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When I lived in North Carolina, I used to think every snake I saw in the creek
was a cottonmouth. It wasnt until I really became interested in snakes that I realized I lived about 60 miles
outside of their range. So I guess its safe to say that this is my very fist wild cottonmouth. I walked right by him, and if he hadnt vibrated his tail, I probably wouldnt have seen him.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195028.jpg"></img>
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I pulled him out onto the road for a better picture.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/15578_p195165.jpg"></img>
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Right after I let him go, he dove straight for the leaves and buried himself under them, which sort of suprised me. I had been walking through ankle high leafs all day. I didnt walk off the trail after I saw that. Hehe.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195029.jpg"></img>
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I found this cottonmouth laying just off the trail. He's dead of course, but I couldnt figure out what killed him. His body seemed to be in perfect condition. The reason he looks all bent is because I uncurled him, rigor mortis had already started to set in.
The only thing I can think of is that he got caught out in the cold the night before and froze to death. The temps the night before were in the low 40's.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195030.jpg"></img>
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A frog eating one of his own.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195031.jpg"></img>
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Can you find the snake in the picture? Black Rat Snake
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195032.jpg"></img>
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Like my homemade snake hook? Hehe. Cost me a whoppin $1.75 to make. Another Black Rat Snake
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195160.jpg"></img>
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Winters Pond at the edge of the bluffs.
<img src="http://picturevillage.com/photo/data/397d6b4c83c91021fe928a8c4220386b/full_15578_p195033.jpg"></img>
Anyways, Im going back in two weeks, so hopefully next time the snakes will cooperate a little more and show themselves.
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