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Herping in Central FL

ratsncorns

ratsncorns

Bird Nerd
As I have been doing predator research in Central FL (Highlands and Okeechobee Counties) I have seen some great new snakes! I haven't done much herping in Florida, so a few of these snakes have been lifers for me.


Eastern Garter Snake (pissed off one at that!)
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Rough Green Snake
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Florida Scarlet Snake
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My first adult corn in the wild! We relocated him to a nearby barn, where there are plenty of mice (and the local biologist wants more corns).
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Yellow rat with a noticeable bulge in his belly!
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And just for good measure!

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Very nice finds, my grandparetns live near in highlands county so I usually do a little cruisin when I visit them. Those are some really big scarlets, really nice examples.
 
Sounds like you had great luck, thanks for sharing. That Rough Green Snake looks so cool, I really like the yellow going down his/her side, great photo too.
 
Thanks! I was quite excited about the scarlet snake. I was road cruising and was thinking I really wanted to see a scarlet kingsnake. About 3 minutes later I came upon the Florida scarlet.. close enough for me LOL!

Most of these were found at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and areas surrounding, and at Avon Park Air Force Range. I am really hoping to see a pygmy rattler, of which there are a lot of in Highlands County, but I have yet to see!

I have seen other cool snakes, but I can't think of their names anymore... oops!
 
I just remembered two more lifers - the Florida Pine Snake (well over 5ft long), and a Pine Woods Snake. When I saw the PWS I first thought spotted python because of the head, but I knew that it was NOT that. I am pretty excited about all my recent finds. I was tempted to keep the Scarlet, but I like my easy to care for colubrids lol. Plus the fact that most of these snakes were found at a state park. I would so lose my research license LOL
 
Great finds, Angela.
I'm jealous. In all my years of herping and combing the backroads, I've only found one Scarlet Snake....and it was DOR.
 
ratsncorns said:
Thanks! I was quite excited about the scarlet snake. I was road cruising and was thinking I really wanted to see a scarlet kingsnake. About 3 minutes later I came upon the Florida scarlet.. close enough for me LOL!

Most of these were found at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and areas surrounding, and at Avon Park Air Force Range. I am really hoping to see a pygmy rattler, of which there are a lot of in Highlands County, but I have yet to see!

I have seen other cool snakes, but I can't think of their names anymore... oops!
Click to expand...

I have seen several pygmies out near the Kissimmee Prairie I am sure you will run into one soon enough. Congrats on the Pine too I am yet to find one.
 
Great herping place....

ratsncorns said:
Thanks! I was quite excited about the scarlet snake. I was road cruising and was thinking I really wanted to see a scarlet kingsnake. About 3 minutes later I came upon the Florida scarlet.. close enough for me LOL!

Most of these were found at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and areas surrounding, and at Avon Park Air Force Range. I am really hoping to see a pygmy rattler, of which there are a lot of in Highlands County, but I have yet to see!

I have seen other cool snakes, but I can't think of their names anymore... oops!
Click to expand...

Across the street at Three Lakes is nice as well. I've seen panthers there.
 
I have also been working at Three Lakes WMA and saw a sweet corn snake in the road, and a pissed off cottonmouth that I brushed right past while I was working in the marshes there. I didn't manage to get a picture of the moccasin though.

The bombing range has had recent sightings of panthers, too. I have been working in all three of these parks and have yet to see one! I hadn't heard of one at Three Lakes, but I would definitely not be surprised!
 
A quick query if I may....

Last time I was at Avon Park we walked for miles and miles and miles....cows complaining the whole way. Are those.....critters....still arouind?

BTW, up the road I found another state park just outside Mulberry off of SR 17. I can't remember the name (would if I heard it), do you know or have you been there?
 
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