Trans-Pecos Ratsnake

Please be sure to add this to the Snakes of the United States - CSC mission:
http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1202...

A lot of the snakes are towards the beginning of my spottings, I am under 200 spottings so it doesn't take too long to find them.

And that's awesome! I have only seen prairies, western diamond backs, and massasaugas. I did go to the museum in Kansas with all the species of rattlesnakes so I have seen them all, but I need to see them in the wild!

Beautiful environmental portrait!

That's a lot! I'll look at your sightings to see if I can find any.

In that trip, the less commonly seen snakes were ridgenosed rattlesnakes in Arizona (though I fortunately get to see a lot per year) and twin spotted rattlesnakes. One of the favorite things I found was a big, red diamondback in Eastern New Mexico out in the hot sun trying to eat a dead hognosed snake.

That would be an awesome trip! I went to Independance Creek Nature Preserve for the CSC Spring Snake Count and was there for 3 days. Found 33 snakes of 18 species. What we some of the not so common snakes you found?

I've only been there once; this August. Two week trip looking for snakes across Arizona, New Mexico, and in West Texas from Guadalupes down to finding a diamondback in the reeds along the edge of the Rio Grande by Black Gap. Really amazing stuff, and the trans pecos rats were my favorite colubrids :) We found 5 or 6 (one may be a repeat)

I'm in the panhandle, so I have to go a few hours south to find them. I've only been down there twice, but plan to go more, the Trans-Pecos area is so beautiful! My professors is pretty cage-conditioned so he's kind of bitey, but I have been getting him out more and using it for educational programs so he's getting more used to people :)

Well if you're in West Texas, they can't be that far away! They're such cool snakes - really friendly and slow moving.

These are so pretty! My professor owns one and I have played with it before, but I haven't seen one in the wild yet!