Another hobby of mine....reptiles

[Russ Jerome]

Since I was a kid I always like turtles,lizards and snakes,
I count the days till this time of the year if not racing.

First time out this year, just common boring stuff today:
http://sites.google.com/site/miscmicsforlinks/_/rsrc/1239585836732/Home/Another%20Garter09.JPG
Pretty late in the day, several in this pond:
http://sites.google.com/site/miscmicsforlinks/_/rsrc/1239585865852/Home/aprilPainter09.JPG
So besides cars, cycles, metal detecting,porn, hunting,
fishing,ect there is catching reptiles and amphibians.

Russ (ya I have A.D.D.) Jerome

[pOrk]

Cool painter, what kinda snake is that?

[-stew-]

It appears you have a turtle head pokin out.

[Russ Jerome]

Common Garter snake, most Wisconsinites like calling
them grass snake (we actualy do have grass snakes but
they are a beutiful green color).

Wisconsin has everything from Rattlesnakes to Box turtles
but not nearly the numbers other southern states have.

[wikked]

This was all I did upnorth on summer vacation, well besides play baseball every day.
Kind of weird to get excited about seeing a rotted log, haha.
Always scoped out under the leaves in the window wells, salamanders everywhere, copperbellies galore. I hated garters, could never touch them without gloves, or picking them up by the neck, always got bit otherwise.

Almost shit myself once when I looked under the old sauna steps and this went slithering underneath the sauna itself...
I don't even know if they are supposed to be in the U.P:
(Black Rat Snake)
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/elaobs1.jpg

Besides the Black Rat, this was probably the other most rare thing I ever found:
Of the 20+yrs I've been going up there, I've only seen one of these *once*:
(Yellow Spotted Salamander)
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/amprep/salamander/spotted.jpg

It was 99% blue spotteds, and a newt every now & then, weird.

[URLOZIN]

This was all I did upnorth on summer vacation, well besides play baseball every day.
Kind of weird to get excited about seeing a rotted log, haha.
Always scoped out under the leaves in the window wells, salamanders everywhere, copperbellies galore. I hated garters, could never touch them without gloves, or picking them up by the neck, always got bit otherwise.

Almost shit myself once when I looked under the old sauna steps and this went slithering underneath the sauna itself...
I don't even know if they are supposed to be in the U.P:
(Black Rat Snake)
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/elaobs1.jpg

Besides the Black Rat, this was probably the other most rare thing I ever found:
Of the 20+yrs I've been going up there, I've only seen one of these *once*:
(Yellow Spotted Salamander)
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/amprep/salamander/spotted.jpg

It was 99% blue spotteds, and a newt every now & then, weird.

I had a 6ft. black rat snake as a pet. I fed it (almost)cat sized rats from our barn. Unfortunatley I had to let it go when I moved out when I was 18. That thing was one of my favorite pets. Except when it got those sharp teeth in my hand. lol
I always used to catch brown decay snakes, garter snakes, and water snakes too, as well as painters. Fun times!

[Russ Jerome]

I don't even know if they are supposed to be in the U.P:
(Black Rat Snake)


.

I've found them along the WI river SW of Madison and into the very SE corner of MN but historicaly thats the extent of there range. A captive release could certainly live for years in the right enviroment, Rat snakes spend a lot of time climbing so it could have been transported in a car or truck.

Spotted salamanders turn up everywhere in decidius forest land with ponds near bye but like you said not nearly as common as blue spotties.

[Karps TA]

f-that. Snakes don't live long in my yard. Hate them damn things,

[Russ Jerome]

f-that. Snakes don't live long in my yard. Hate them damn things,

Snakes in your backyard eat these before they go in your basement:
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_02/ratPA1002_468x321.jpg

In Texas they love killing Rattlesnakes...now they bitch about the rodent population!

[Karps TA]

yeah well I don't scream like a little girl when it comes to mice. But snakes.....

[GTSLOW]

Where can you find box turtles in WI?

[Russ Jerome]

Where can you find box turtles in WI?

Extreme SW corner along the WI river, if you see cactus and sand your there. If you want a box turtle, buy an Eastern Box turtle from any pet store, our species is the ornate box turtle and rare and protected (ie: protected with Federal fines for posesion).

The same area's contain Timber Rattlesnakes so watch where you stick your hands. I'll be heading over that way in a few weeks, if intersted in seeing Timbers and Box turtles let me know.

[URLOZIN]

We used to catch some ornate box turtles off county k and beloit Newark Rd. in Janesville/Beloit. They are pretty rare. Very cool turtles.

[Russ Jerome]

We used to catch some ornate box turtles off county k and beloit Newark Rd. in Janesville/Beloit. They are pretty rare. Very cool turtles.

Your very fortunate, there are relic populations scatterd all
over that area. There are a few populations of Eastern Box turtles by Green Bay and the very SE corner of WI, presumably pets that were released as pair or some odd ocurance.

There is a great story (unknown for sure) of a carnival train derailing on the western end of Wi, in the train was several Western Diamondback rattlesnakes that reproduced until the 1950's when the last ones were killed. May be an urban myth but they have undocumented Western remains in the Milwaukee public museums Herp Atlas project.

[URLOZIN]

Yeah when we found them, we had to take them a few farms down and a guy there marked their shells and took measurements. We also had a few hognosed snakes. The first time I saw one, i was like 8 or 10 and about shit my pants, i thought it was a cobra. Those things were fricken awesome, they would play dead and made blood comeout of their eyes. That property was 20 acres of heaven. Very aundant with wildlife, as well as raspberrys, apple orchard, plum and pear trees, tree house, creeks and a pond. I miss that property. It was the most fun a young kid could have. I learned to shoot and camp on that property too. It was amazing!

[GTSLOW]

Ah I still have my 3 toed box that I bought probably 12 years ago.