What is this..??..Texas Garter Snake..??....SASP Tx North Unit (1 Viewer)

SanAngelo · Apr 16, 2016

I was hiking the Concho River north to south in San Angelo State Park trying to get photos of a Belted Kingfisher.

I was on the west side of the river, looking at the east bank for droppings so I could pick out a good hide. As I was hiking I took shots of holes in the sandbank to view on the computer. It was a bit of a reach for my bridge camera so I couldn't tell what I got when I took the picture.

The east side bank had about a 15 foot drop, maybe more. The hole in the picture is about 4 feet from the top. When I shot the photo I thought it was a tree root sticking out the bank.

Whatcha think....Garter...???

RJP · Apr 19, 2016

Looks too thin for any species of Garter (and there aren't many in west Texas). I'd say it's a Western Ribbon Snake.

SanAngelo · Apr 19, 2016

RJP said:
......I'd say it's a Western Ribbon Snake.

I googled it and sure enough, I found a page that fits the description to a T. Good info and fun to read.

Thanks for the help, appreciate it.

SanAngelo · Jun 11, 2016

Texas Rat Snake...??

Saw this snake yesterday in SASP North Unit while hiking through a riparian run-off ditch, 12 feet or so deep, that flowed into the North Concho River.

I was climbing up the wall and found what I believe to be a Texas Rat Snake circling a tree near the top of the ditch. I must have kicked up the snake, he was circling the tree on one side and when I came around he back-tracked and slithered into a hole at the base on the other side.

SanAngelo · Jun 11, 2016

Texas Horned Lizard

Also, yesterday 10 June, I came across this Texas Horned Lizard while hiking up a sandstone bluff. First one I've seen this year.

RJP · Jun 16, 2016

I agree the snake is certainly a Rat Snake, and Texas Rat looks right to me.

Nice shots of the Texas Horned Lizard!

SanAngelo · Jun 26, 2016

RJP said:
I agree the snake is certainly a Rat Snake, and Texas Rat looks right to me.

Nice shots of the Texas Horned Lizard!

Thank you sir....you can ID almost anything with google..!!

Ran across this Ribbon Snake yesterday, a smaller version you ID'd at the start of this thread.

It was as skinny as a lead pencil and a little over a foot long.

Question:

I've stumbled on two skulls; one I know what it's from....the other one I don't.

Can I post pictures of them here (over in the Mammal Forum) for an ID request or are skulls prohibited?

RJP · Jun 26, 2016

SanAngelo said:
Question:

I've stumbled on two skulls; one I know what it's from....the other one I don't.

Can I post pictures of them here (over in the Mammal Forum) for an ID request or are skulls prohibited?

You're welcome, and I agree you have another Ribbon Snake there.

As for the skull pics - I don't see any "sticky" posts on the Mammal forum with rules, so I think since you are on topic you should feel free to post the skull pics. For an example of a sticky post in case you haven't seen one, check out the Bird Identification Q&A forum, right at the very top of the list.

SanAngelo · Jul 13, 2016

Ran into this guy hiking in the park this past Sunday.

I was walking off trail in the tall grass when I heard him rattle. It was a short rattle, only three shakes; tit, tit, tit. At first I thought it was one of those locus things, I see and hear them often. We have different kinds but they make the same tit, tit, tit, metallic kinda noise. Here's a photo of what I'm talking about.

I immediately stopped, looked around for the bug or the rattler, definitely didn't wanna step on the snake. Found him 3 feet away but I had to look hard cuz he was hidden in the tall grass. I used my monopod (at full extension) to get a good look. He didn't like that, he coiled back, raised up, lashed out, striking at the monopod.

He was a fat guy with a big head. You can see his rattle in the 1st photo on the left. Counted 9 rattles, makes him 9 years old, am I correct?

Shabby as they are, these were the best shots I could get. I didn't feel comfortable tempting fate. I wear gaiters, ORs made out of Gore-Tex, that come up to my knees. My boots are Moab Merrell lows, a combination of webbing and leather.....I'm guessing it would be short work for the snake.

aeshna5 · Jul 13, 2016

The insect is a cicada of some sort.

Davebutterflyman · Jul 14, 2016

The snake could be Western Diamondback Crotalus atrox

Tiraya · Jul 14, 2016

Right hand cicada is Neotibicen dorsatus. Don't want to guess on the left.

SanAngelo · Jul 14, 2016

aeshna5 said:
The insect is a cicada of some sort.

Yeah....that's what I thought, which was the limit of my knowledge.

Davebutterflyman said:
The snake could be Western Diamondback Crotalus atrox

I thought so. Very little 1st hand experience but Google helped.

Silverwolf said:
Right hand cicada is Neotibicen dorsatus. Don't want to guess on the left.

Google'd it, very interesting, a fun read, I enjoyed it.

Thank you all..!!

SanAngelo · Aug 8, 2016

Found this guy today, 15 miles from the park on my front stoop.

It's about an inch and a quarter long, 3 centimeters or so.

The inside house geckos hatch this month but I haven't seen any yet. I guess this is my outside gecko but I'm use to seeing them indoors; much paler, almost translucent.

It looks brand new....days old maybe..??

The last two shots are my Porch Lizard and Wall Lizard, I believe they're both Texas Spiny Lizards.

RJP · Aug 8, 2016

The only native gecko in your area is Texas Banded Gecko, so that's what I assume they must be. I agree about your lizards being Texas Spiny Lizards. The spiny lizard family has been reorganized with a good number of renamings, but Texas Spiny was one that came through unscathed.

SanAngelo · Aug 9, 2016

RJP said:
I agree about your lizards being Texas Spiny Lizards.

I wasn't sure about the small lizard, it's head looked different.

I had two other lizards in the backyard, both Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard, but I haven't seen them since May. I suspect a cat got 'em or they moved to their appropriate habitat. In the 14 years I've been here, this yard sighting is a first. There's a field about 5 blocks over, where I regularly see 'em, but it's a long trek through manicured yards to roam my backyard...??

That said, is it possible I introduced them?

Last January the State Park did a control burn and thinned out the dead trees. The park allowed the cut timber to be hauled off, you had to sign a release; not holding them responsible for lurking critters. Some of the timber was previously knocked down; dead trees knocked down for years.

I picked a dozen or so small trunks, all hollowed to some extent, with the idea of landscaping new habitat for the Spiny Lizards. This was in January. I arranged them along the fence line and waited for the Spiny(s) to wake from winter.

At the end of March I see the Spiny perched on the logs just as planned, he loves 'em...!! Not to long after that I noticed two Grassland Whiptail Lizard; they appeared in April, hung around the yard for about a month, never saw them again.

Attached are photos of the hollowed trunks, one has some kind of droppings or shaving falling out it?

Whatcha think Randy, did I haul in 'em in from the park?

RJP · Aug 10, 2016

I think it's a very good possibility that you introduced them in all that wood.

But we have a problem to work out with the whiptail. |=)| Unfortunately, whiptails have also been reorganized, and even given a new genus.

Desert Grassland Whiptail's normal range is fairly far to the west of San Antonio, and only grabs the teeniest little part of the farthest western part of Texas. It is not supposed to have any spots at all between the stripes - and your whiptail does. This species still has the same common name, but a new genus.

I believe your whiptail is what used to be called the Texas Spotted Whiptail. It's a pretty good match, too. It's now called the Common Spotted Whiptail, and ranges over almost all of Texas.

SanAngelo · Aug 13, 2016

“I bought a book....” not quite the same as “I know a guy, who knows a guy....” but the connotation is there.

Wildlife of the Concho Valley by Terry C. Maxwell - Dr Maxwell is a retired Professor of Biology, Curator Emeritus of Ornithology, Angelo State Natural History Collections

It's not a field guide but a comprehensive regional study by common names, scientific name, status, remarks, specimens reported, subspecies, and synonym. No photos.

It's been on my shelf 2 months. With no photos it hasn't been my 'go to' book for anything other than birds therefore, google is how I came up with Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard.

RJP said:
I believe your whiptail is what used to be called the Texas Spotted Whiptail. It's a pretty good match, too. It's now called the Common Spotted Whiptail, and ranges over almost all of Texas.

Sure enough, I found the Texas Spotted Whiptail in Dr Maxwell's book but no mention of the Common Spotted Whiptail. Nor was there a mention of the Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard.

His book was published in 2013. Concho Valley covers 10 counties, 29,756 sq. km, 11,500 sq mi of the Edwards Plateau and the southern margin of the Central Great Plains. Land rise 450 m, 1,500 ft at the east to 890 m, 2,900 ft west.

That said, the Grassland Whiptail Lizard is not found in this area.

As for the gecko, I believe it to be a Mediterranean Gecko. Dr Maxwell has it listed as an introduced species; North America 1922, Concho Valley 1955. It's only found in 3 of the 10 counties of Concho Valley. I did the usual google search for photos and they match my house geckos and photo.

Here's the cool stuff......

While sorting this out, I came aware of the ability to access Angelo State Natural History Collections and their Searchable Databases.

Here's the Amphibian and Reptile Collection
Here's the Bird Collection
Here's the Mammal Collection
Here's the Herbarium (SAT) Collection

Here's info on how “qualified visitors can study the specimens”.

I believe the photos are flickr shots of confirmed IDs, not photos from the collector.

RJP said:
I believe your whiptail is what used to be called the Texas Spotted Whiptail.........It's now called the Common Spotted Whiptail, and ranges over almost all of Texas.

Don't know anything more about this.....the Common Spotted Whiptail is not found in the database.

Thanks RJP and everyone else.....this back-and-forth is much more stimulating than a two word ID conformation on iNaturalist.

RJP · Aug 14, 2016

Thanks SanAngelo - interesting stuff. I happily accept the correction on the Gecko - it didn't look right, but if introduced it makes complete sense.

SanAngelo · Aug 15, 2016

Night before last, as I was falling asleep, I heard the geckos chipping or squeaking or whatever. Then early yesterday evening I flip the light switch in the bathroom and see this one scurry along the tile floor.

Got a shot before it ran under the vanity. The gray line is tile grout, 1/4 of an inch wide.

The guy is tiny, skinny, and all most translucent.....can't be more than a day or so old.

1st House Gecko, Mediterranean Gecko, this year..!!

What is this..??..Texas Garter Snake..??....SASP Tx North Unit (1 Viewer)

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