Some LA and MS herps

[SerpentesCiconii]

Saturday morning my Dad and I got up early to do some herping at a friend's hunting camp in the Homochitto National Forest in southwestern Mississippi. At sunrise we found the first find of the day, a Canebrake phase timber rattlesnake, under some railroad ties. He darted underneath and old tractor implement before we could get him. This thing must have weighed over 600 lbs.

We found some nearby pieces of metal and a tire rim and jacked it up to where we could hook him out.


And if you want to see him rattling, we got a little footage of that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ikVF7YgyvFE
On the road we found this little box turtle.

And after having the adrenaline pumping from the rattlesnake, we were too impatient to wait for him to come out of his shell so we put him in a bin and left him alone for a few minutes while we looked around the area.

We then ran into this little guy, I guess he is a mud turtle?

At the camp we found this female fence lizard. She was pretty fat so we are thinking she was gravid.

At a creek, we found a bunch of these tiny toads.

Heres box turtle #2, found on a small gravel road.


At night we saw this fowlers toad.

We saw another box turtle, but we had camera difficulties with the lense fogging up so we got no pics.
We then found a common snapper at a lake. As found.

He had a fishing hook stuck in his mouth, which we gently removed with pliers. That is why he had a little blood on his mouth.

On the road back we found this little box.

Found this little ribbon on the bank of a lake.

On the road back we saw this timber in the road. The car in front of us must have hit him. He had a broken back, but still had some spunk to him for a few minutes. As we took pics, he was getting worse and worse and I'm sure he is dead now.


Then found this decent sized Red Ear Slider a few minutes after the rattlesnake.


Also seen on the trip were a bunch of ground skinks, green anoles, and TMTC little frogs all over the perimeter of the lakes. Found a few broad headed skinks and five lined skinks which we were unable to catch for photos.
Here is a few older photos.
Western Cottonmouths



And a bad pic of a rough green snake.


John

[Freakie_frog]

Very cool. Yep looks like a typical trip into the the MS/LA swamp land.

[muddoc]

This thing must have weighed over 600 lbs.John

Dang! At first I thought you were talking about the snake. I had to read it again to make sure. Looks like a great trip and some great pics. I love me some Southern Herpin.

[SerpentesCiconii]

Yeah, I think 600 lbs may have been an understatement, Thats an 18 wheeler tire rim, I forget to mention that. Both my dad and I tried to tilt it over together and we couldn't budge it at all. You going to the show in Slidell at the end of July?

John

[Laooda]

What a great adventure!!!! Those boxies haft to be my fav.! Gold star for removing that hook from that snapper !!!!

[muddoc]

I didn't know they had one. Now that I do, I'll probably try to make it. I hate the shows in Southern Louisiana, as their advertising usually sucks. I typically find out about a show the week after.

[daniel1983]

I didn't know there was a show in Slidell either. I will have to look into it, although it will probably just be the usual wild caught garbage that is usual for Louisiana shows......

...but I usually attend hoping to 'get lucky'...ha ha...oh well

Where you from John?

[SerpentesCiconii]

Freakie Frog, you live in MS right? If so are you going to the Slidell show? It's right by the LA/MS border.

Thanks Laooda, it was nice to see all the boxies and know they is still a nice population of them there.

Yeah muddoc, the only place I saw it was on the LGCHS calendar. It probably won't be big, but I'm gonna combine it with a herping trip to DeSoto National Forest in Southern MS in hopes for black pines, EDBs , and coachwhips.

John

[SerpentesCiconii]

Yeah Daniel, I don't usually buy any herps at the shows, I just go to meet people and talk herps. I'm from Baton Rouge.

John

[Freakie_frog]

Freakie Frog, you live in MS right? If so are you going to the Slidell show? It's right by the LA/MS border.

John

I might be Down that way.