Florida Trip 2015

[Cthulhu138]

Here are some pics of the reptiles, birds, non-cp's and others I found on this years trip. Check out the carnivores here: http://www.terraforums.com/forums/s...Situ-Explorations/page3?p=1172739#post1172739

Eriocaulon sp.


Some Tillandisia.










Vittaria lineata, a very odd species of fern.


No idea what these are.


I saw 2 species of orchids on the the trip, both were plentiful.

Green Fly Orchid - Epidendrum magnoliae Unfortunately, they were not in flower this time of year.












A seed capsule.


Eulophia graminea - An invasive potential pest from China.

 

[Cthulhu138]

The Birds.....

Little Egret - Egretta garzetta


Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias


Great Egret - Ardea alba




Green Heron - Butorides virescens


Anhinga or Snake Bird - Anhinga anhinga




A large chick.


Wood Stork - Mycteria americana






White Ibis - Eudocimus albus

 

[Cthulhu138]

The Rest.......

Southern Leopard Frog - Lithobates sphenocephalus


American Alligator - Alligator mississippiensis






















A skink. Couldn't tell what species it was, moved up the tree too quickly to get a good look at.


Brown Anole - Anolis sagrei - An invader from the Caribbean.




Six Lined Racerunner - Aspidoscelis sexlineatus










Indo-Pacific Gecko - Hemidactylus garnotii - Another nonnative species, a small colony moved in around the porch lights since my last visit.










Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin - Agkistrodon piscivorous














A few very uncooperative Chelonians..........

Peninsular cooter - Pseudemys peninsularis


Florida Box Turtle - Terrapene carolina bauri






A possible hybrid between T.carolina baurii and T.carolina carolina




Gopher Tortoise - Gopherus polyphemus

 

[mato]

Awesome photos. I miss the abundance of reptiles and amphibians in the South. Seeing that pissed off cottonmouth really takes me back to childhood..

 

[Cthulhu138]

Cottonmouths are one of my favorite native snakes. While they're not flashy or even particularly attractive looking, they sure are fun to catch ! In all my years of playing around with them, I've never seen one in a good mood !

 

[swords]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tanukimo]

That cottonmouth looks very muscular!

 

[RL7836]

Thanks for sharing pics - looks like you had a productive trip.

In all my years of playing around with them, I've never seen one in a good mood !

I think I can say that about most of the water snakes I've come across (as long as non-water snakes that live in/around water are excluded - like Mud & Swamp snakes)

 

[Cthulhu138]

Yeah, the Nerodia species have nasty dispositions as well. Been bit by them more times than I can count. Pretty horrible stink on them too. I was surprised by the 1st Mud Snake I ever grabbed, I had no idea about that spine they have on their tail. They're not particularly aggressive but they have no problem stabbing you with that thing.

 

[bluemax]

A very nice collection of photos! I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite but I love the alligator shots.

 

[pebes]

awesome pics! i hope to never see a cotton mouth that closeup in real life.

 

[dozer1028]

Love me some southern Florida. . Thanks for sharing

 

[Dragoness]

Nice Racerunner shots. I remember trying for hours to get some pictures, never got anything that nice.

 

[goods]

Your skink looks like some species of Plestiodon. Beyond that, they're impossible to ID without having them in hand. Counting labial scales was always a fun practice in herpetology lab

Yeah, the Nerodia species have nasty dispositions as well. Been bit by them more times than I can count. Pretty horrible stink on them too. I was surprised by the 1st Mud Snake I ever grabbed, I had no idea about that spine they have on their tail. They're not particularly aggressive but they have no problem stabbing you with that thing.

It's funny you mention the spine. Native people used to believe that this species (and Rainbow Snake, F. erytrogramma) could inject venom into predators and prey through that pointed scale at the tip of their tail. There are some fairly odd legends surrounding that genus.

 

[Cthulhu138]

awesome pics! i hope to never see a cotton mouth that closeup in real life.

You would have hated seeing it in my hands before I brought it out to the road for the photos.

Nice Racerunner shots. I remember trying for hours to get some pictures, never got anything that nice.

Yeah, they're quick. They run and stop though, makes it a bit easier. Catching them early, just after they come out for the day is the best time to photograph them. They're still a little sluggish from the night.

 

[hcarlton]

Love reptiles, especially snakes... I'm jealous.

 

[LuluMegan]

Awesome pictures looks like you had fun! I love the stork