Small snakes, variable bush vipers are adult at from 18 to 24 inches in length.
Meet Africa’s non-eyelashed, muilticolored viperine answer to the crotaline Eyelashed Pit Viper of Central and South America! This is the variable bush viper, Atheris squamiger. An arboreal species, this 18 to 24 inch long viperine is most at home in forest shrubs rather than canopy reaching trees.

Although in some populations the color of the variable bush viper may be a rather standardized olive-green, in other locales the variations in coloration are nothing short of remarkable. In these latter the little snakes may be of some shade of green, orange, russet, cinnamon, blue, yellow, charcoal, or brownish. Some may even be of one color dorsally and a second color laterally. And on any of these colors the snake may or may not bear a vague or prominent dorsal pattern of dark-edged, darker than ground color, dorsal saddles or chevrons. The belly may vary from immaculate to heavily spotted. Have I yet described a variability sufficient to warrant the name? I would certainly think so.

Atheris squamiger occurs in tropical West and Central Africa

This snake will bite if threatened and envenomation has resulted in human death.

Mussels and crayfish beware. You are being searched for.
Rapids, calm, more rapids then more calm. Kelly and I were on the 7-Point River, now searching for, among other things, common map turtles, Graptemys geographica. Still an hour or so before dusk, robins were already chirruping their evening songs and red bats were flitting in quest of insects just a few feet above the water.

Thanx to Kelly and another AR GFC biologist, both of whom dove deeply to check on Ozark hellbenders, Cryptobranchus bishopi, I had already had an opportunity to see and photo one of these huge salamanders. Throughout that float we had been watched by raccoon, a mink, and taunted by common map turtles that rose from the depths almost, but not quite, in reach from the boat.

But now we had a longer net that I hoped would increase our chance of getting up close and personal with one of these chelonians. It didn’t. They continued to surface but as if divining our intent, all were now even more distant. Well, darn.

While not the largest of the genus, the common map turtle is big. Females attain a 10” carapace length and males are between 4 and 6” in shell length. Females, mollusk and crustacean eaters, develop the enlarged head associated with such a diet. IOW, they are an impressive turtle. And I had just about decided I was going to have to leave with no photo.

But Lady Luck was with us. Just as we beached a big female map turtle came trudging down the sandy bank. Probably returning to the river from a nesting, pix were taken, and we, turtle and humans, went merrily on our individual ways.

Thanx again, Kelly. Yours is a beautiful region.

A pair of diminutive Egyptian tortoises, Testudo kleinmanni.
OK, Chris, what are those?

I had ventured over to harass Chris and Mike while they unpacked a shipment of Egyptian imports. I recognized most of the herps, but the critters before now, little tortoises, were something new. They looked a bit like Hermann’s tortoises, but were much smaller, a little more elongate, and these ostensibly came from Egypt and Hermann’s didn’t, so????

And that was my introduction to the little “Egyptian” tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni. It was apparently rare back then and is now even more so. And sadly, as I later learned, those in that first shipment didn’t fare very well.

There seem to be very few of this tortoise species in America but a few are bred in zoos and by private hobbyists each year.

The highly domed carapace varies in color from a variable off-white, through buff, to brown. Reflecting more heat than darker colors, this allows the little tortoise to remain in the open and forage longer. The carapacial scutes often have dark edges or dark anterior blotches. The plastron is off white to buff and carapace is light yellow, often with two dark triangles on each of the two abdominal scutes. The head, neck, and legs are pale. These colors blend well with the light background colors of their desert home. Adult size is about 4”.

This is a chelonian species that I have never worked with. I have been told that although shy, the species does well and breeds readily once acclimated. I’m glad I had an opportunity to meet them so many years ago and hope to see more captive bred examples in the future.

An adult female Patch-nosed Salamander
By Dick and Patti Bartlett

In 2009 a new species of “miniplethodontid” salamander was described. Although looking much like the brook salamanders of the genus Eurycea, research determined that this pretty little miniature was sufficiently different from the brook salamanders to warrant the erection of a new genus—Urspelerpes. This genus contains only the single species, U. brucei. Because of the nose-spot this salamander was given the common name of Patch-nosed Salamander.

It is an uncommon denizen of the leaf-strewn montane streams and stream edges of northern GA and adjacent SC.

As mentioned the yellowish patch on the nose tip is characteristic. Including tail, adults are about 1 7/8th inches long. Unlike the Brook Salamanders on which males and females are similarly colored, the males and females of Urspelerpes differ in color. Females tend to be patternless while males are strongly patterned with a pair of dorsolateral stripes.

Nose to nose with a California Giant Salamander.
California has it all. Well almost all. Except for what they don’t have. But if its caudatan diversity you’re interested in, California is definitely a state you should consider visiting. Newts, Lunged salamanders and Lungless salamanders all may be found there. Some are colorful, some are drab. Some are tiny, some are comparatively large. All are interesting.

One of the groups that I find of great interest are the Giant Salamanders of the genus Dicamptodon (family Dicamptodontidae). Of the 4 species 2 dwell in California’s cool, moist forestlands. These are The California and the Pacific Giant Salamanders, D. ensatus and D. tenebrosus, respectively. Both are hefty, and both top out at just about a foot in length, with tenebrosus perhaps being a bit more slender, a tiny bit shorter, having a proportionately smaller head and shorter limbs. This latter is also a bit darker in color. The former, the California Giant, is the southernmore of the 2, ranging southward in the Coast Range from southern Mendocino County to western Glenn County. The Pacific Giant ranges northward from Glenn County to southwest British Columbia, Canada.

Populations of both of these big nocturnal salamanders are adversely affected by foresting practices that leave stream banks unprotected, subject to drying, and the streams themselves subject to warming. Although both of these salamanders are variably colored, neither is brightly colored. Ground color of both is tan to light brown with well-defined reticulations and spots of reddish brown to dark brown. They breed in streams and creeks and the aquatic larvae may take several years to metamorphose.

Prey includes invertebrates such as worms and slugs as well as vertebrate prey such as smaller salamanders.

This coachwhip caused a scream, a screeching stop, and a marathon run. But it was worth it.At scream volume “---S T O P!!!!!!!!!! ---.“ Yep, Jake had managed to scare me again. I was in the passing lane doing about 65, about halfway past a slower car, when Jake yelled. Fortunately there was no one following tightly so I slammed on the brakes and before I stopped Jake was out of the car running east while we were heading west. I parked on the verge, clambered out and back about 50 yards Jake was stationed in the grass trying to decide what the snake he had seen and I had missed on the side of the road was going to do.

Hurry screamed Jake. Hmppphhh. Not likely. My days of hurrying are long gone. But I WAS closer now. Go out on the road and try to prevent it from crossing. It’s a coachwhip—a PINK coachwhip!

Now I understood. We had seen but failed to catch or even photo pink coachwhips on our last 3 trips to or through Texas. Suddenly I felt Jake’s excitement. I do love racers and racer relatives.

So I limped out in the road and rather than watching me the big snake was now watching me. Then it turned it’s head towards Jake and started to move. In an instant Jake was airborne.In anotjhert instant he was flat on his belly in the grass and sandspurs. And in a 3rd instant he was screaming OWWWWWCH! GET IT! Certainly no problem now because he alresdyu had the snake at midbody and the snake had him by the eyebrow. Interesting dilemma. I wondered which would win?

But heck I wanted to photo the snake as badly as Jake did, so I grabbed it before it decided to swallow Jake and the snake immediately transferred its attention to my arm. Oh well. It was worth it.

Right Jake?

And I guess it might have been because another 5 miles down the road we had a similar but a bit less bitey encounter with a second pink coachwhip.

I was so impressed with these snakes that I did something that I haven’t done in a long while. I decided that if Jake didn’t wish to retain the snake I would like to keep them. Jake didn’t, I did.

But here’s what I didn’t expect. Once home and caged these 2 adult coachwhips proved dog tame. The first time I fed them both slowly left the hidebox, came to cage top, and gently took each thawed mouse from my fingers. No biting, no striking. And both have continued to do so on each feeding attempt. Now I’m excitedly awaiting their next shed. They should be knockouts.

Banded Geckos look a lot more delicate than they actually are. This is a San Diego Banded Gecko.

Counting species and subspecies there are 7 forms of banded geckos, genus Coleonyx, in the American West. Two of these, the Barefoot, C. switaki, and the Reticulated C. reticulatus, are larger than the remaining 5 and have very limited ranges. One, the Texas, C. brevis, is the easternmost and is smaller than any of the others. It is the remaining 4, all subspecies of the wide ranging Western Banded Gecko, C. variegatus, that we shall mention here. All have elliptical pupils and are nocturnal. The body is slender and between 2 and 3 inches long. The original tail (the tail is easily autotomized and often in some stage of regeneration) is about the same length as the snout-to-vent. Original tails are prominently banded.

The 4 subspecies of the Western Banded Gecko that occur in the USA are the San Diego, C. v. abbotti, the Tucson, C. v. bogerti, the Utah, C.v. utahensis, and the Desert, C. v. variegatus. Appearance differences are slight and it is best if you are interested in a particular form that you check a field guide for ranges.

Generally speaking though, the San Diego subspecies occurs on the Pacific slopes of southern CA. The Tucson form may be encountered in seAZ and swNM, the Utah race is restricted to swUT and immediately adjacent NV and AZ, and the Desert, by far the most wide-ranging of the 4, is found over much of AZ, NV and eastern CA.

Although these little geckos may be found beneath surface debris such as wood, cardboard, and rock by day, I’ve always found it a lot more fun to road hunt them at night. They are active, their light color contrasts well with dark pavement, and they cross roads in a series of darting rushes, often with their tail curled up over their back, this initially giving them the appearance of a large scorpion. Keep this similarity in mind as you jam your car into park, slam open the door, and rush out to slap a cupped hand of the little creature on the road. It’s not pleasant to be painfully surprised!

The most variable and arguably the prettiest of the three, this is a male Eastern Box Turtle.
The USA is fortunate in being home to 6 rather distinct box turtles, 2 in the Terrapene ornata group, and 4 in the T. carolina group. The latter 4 are the Eastern, Terrapene c. carolina, the Gulf Coast, T. c. major, the Three-toed, T. c. triunguis, and the Florida, T. c. bauri. Since we chatted about the Florida Box turtle just last month, we’ll exempt it from this blog. That leaves us with the 3 subspecies that are most similar in appearance, even if the most diverse in coloration, with the Eastern race being especially so.. These three have carapaces that are high-domed, may be flattened dorsally, and except for the slightly more elongate Gulf Coast subspecies, are rather round when viewed from above. Collectively they range from southern Maine, south to southern Georgia then westward to eastern Kansas and east Texas. Hatchlings are flatter and lack the hinged plastron for which this genus is famous.

From west to east we come first to the Three-toed subspecies. It is also the most uniformly colored of the three, its carapace usually being of some shade of brown to olive brown, with or without lighter dots and dashes. The face is variably adorned with orange and white, sometimes extensively so.

In southeastern AL the Three-toed Box Turtle intergrades with the largest of the subspecies, the Gulf Coast Box Turtle. In its purist form (Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle), this latter subspecies is big (to 8 ½”), often has a rather flat-topped carapace, and when adult is quite dark—blackish brown-- in color. Old males may develop white patches on the face. Younger examples and intergrades are often light brownish-red.

Finally, we come to the most variable in overall appearance, the Eastern Box Turtle. It may be found east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida to the East Coast. Carapace, legs, and head are brown, but the markings on all, varying from few to profuse, may be yellow to bright orange. The latter produces a truly beautiful little chelonian.

This is a female Kaznakov's Viper.
When Louis Porras told me he had a pair of Kaznakov’s Vipers for sale, I jumped at the opportunity to acquire them. For years this small, heavy bodied viper, Vipera kaznakovii, had been a dream species. But now the dream was to become a reality.

A woodland viper of the Caucasus (Turkey, Georgia and southwestern Russia), it had been seldom imported. In its homeland it is reportedly found near rocky upthrusts and associated scree deposits in rather open hardwood forestland.

The pair received, a black male and a black and orange female, were exactly what I had hoped them to be. At about 20 inches in length, the female was a bit larger than the male. They proved hardy, both feeding readily and steadily on small, thawed, mice.

During their second winter with me I cooled them noticeably but did not hibernate them. Meals then consisted of smaller mice and feedings were further apart. In early winter I noticed breeding behavior and by early April the female was obviously gravid.

All of the above comments are from a memory flawed by time. The computerized records disappeared when the harddrive of the computer I was then using burped and then whirled itself into nonrepairable deterioration. The truth is that computers and I are not in the least compatible.

But at least I have photos of these beautiful vipers and their progeny to share with you. Thanks, Jeff, for the opportunity.

The Eastern Spadefoot, Scaphiopus holbrookii, is not a big anuran. It is adult at a length of about 2 inches, sometimes a bit smaller, sometimes a bit bigger. But for its size it does have a pretty-big voice. I’ve heard the vocalization likened to a burp. And at times it sounds like that to me. But I had to rethink the sounds of the spadefoot chorus being voiced in our flooded yard last July. Those calls reminded me more of abrupt purrs than of burps. But the calls apparently sounded just right to the females, for even before full darkness had fallen on that rainy day most males were amplexing visiting females. Even before morning light only the water and the eggs remained.

Our backyard used to be a railbed. Over the rails ran the local Gainesville to Gulf trains, a company now as extinct as the dodo. But the sunken bed, now devoid of rails, ties, and most spikes, remains, and at the lower end temporary flooding is common. We leave it as it is because the treefrogs, narrowmouths, and spadefoots breed there annually. These used to be called Eastern Spadefoot Toads, but today just Eastern Spadefoot will do. They are actually in an entirely different family than the toads. Eastern Spadefoots have almost smooth skin and tend to be a brownish color with a lyre shaped lighter dorsal marking. They have only a single digging spur (but they are very efficient and dedicated burrowers), lack or have very small parotoid glands, and have vertical pupils.

Now we’ll scoot ahead about 14 days. Some of the water had soaked in, but enough was left to allow several hundred tadpoles to grow and metamorphose into tiny spadefootlets. Our yard was temporarily untreadable as the hundreds of wee ones sought refuge well away from the railbed. To walk was to crush, so we kept to the front yard for a few days. But the inconvenience was well worthwhile, for now on humid summer and autumn nights the spadefoots, a burrowing species, emerge and seek repast. This is a cycle we and our neighbors enjoy.

An Eastern Spadefoots dorsal marking is in the shape of an hourglass.

The colors of last years fallen leaves, the little Godman's Pit Viper well camouflaged on the forest floor.

The little Godman's Pit Viper, Cerrophidion godmani, was once readily available and rather inexpensive. Today it seems another of the species that has largely disappeared from the trade. It ranges through the southeastern Mexican mountains to the highlands of Guatemala. Those south of Guatemala are now known as C. sasai. This latter also being a highland species.

In appearance this little pit viper varies in color between the browns of newly fallen leaves to that of darker colored, older, wet leaves. Black outlined darker dorsal blotches (these may actually form a broad zigzag stripe dorsally) and lateral spots are present. There is a diagonal white stripe from the eye to the angle of the mouth. Below the stripe the facial scales, including the upper labials are often a variable russet in color.

Adult size is usually 18 to 24 inches, but some examples have been 30+ inches.

Although of subdued colors, I’m glad that I had opportunity to photograph a snake that might now be only a memory in American herpetoculture.

A beautiful subadult Boa Constrictor from the Miami population.
Yes, as with the pythons there are 3, but again only one is established. The established species is the Boa, or if you prefer, the Boa Constrictor. The population, in Miami, has been known for about 70 years but in no way can its presence be considered a threatening invasion by any but the most rabid conservationist. In its 70+ years, the population of these live-bearing snakes seems to have grown little if at all. BTW, the scientific name of this snake echos the common name, Boa constrictor, often with a subspecies tacked on. The range of the various subspecies of boas extends from northern Mexico to Argentina. Boas from the more northerly locales are smaller than those from the neotropics. In their homelands, depending on locale, most boas are adult at 5 to 9 feet in length but in the neotropics 12 footers have been recorded. The Boas in Miami are a mixture of 2, or possibly 3, neotropical subspecies. I am unaware of the maximum size of the Miami Boas but have seen several in the 4 to 6 foot range and an 8 foot long female was caught in early February. Like the pythons, boas can and will climb. The ground color is a yellowish to fawn with dark saddles. As it nears the tail the ground color becomes red and on the tail may be quite a bright red. It is, of course, from this that the name of Red-tailed Boa has been coined.

The other 2 boids of concern are both “Water boas,” Anacondas, the Yellow, Eunectes notaeus, and the Green, E. murinus. These 2 boa relatives turn up just often enough (primarily on the southern 2/3rds of peninsular FL) to make their status questionable. Like the Boa these bear living young that are well able to fend for themselves at birth. Adults are immense snakes that display notable sexual dimorphism with males being much the smaller gender. They are very much at home in aquatic situations and often seek prey near the shore. They are surprisingly agile when on land. Be smart and beware of large individuals, no matter where encountered.

Even at the best of times, Anacondas tend to be short-tempered. If you do see one, use care and common sense when approaching.

Male Yellow Anacondas are 5 to 8 feet. Females attain 11-13 feet. Neonates are about 20 inches in length. Green Anacondas are far larger and heavier than the Yellows. Male Greens are often 5 to 9 feet, while adult females attain 15 to 20 feet…and it’s all muscle! Neonates are 20-24 inches in length.

Florida. The land of the invasives!

This is an adult male Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguana from the Miami population.Yes, it does seem that unwanted critters come in threes to Florida—three boa species, 3 python species, and 3 iguana species.

When mentioned at all, the subject of iguanas in Florida usually refers to the omnipresent Green Iguanas of the southern peninsula and the Keys. This is understandable for these are the most easily seen as they display in the trees, on abutments, on canal banks, and just about everywhere else. But besides this attention grabber, there are 2 other species that are actually present. These are both Spiny-tailed Iguanas, ground dwellers, very efficient burrowers, speedsters, climbers if necessary, and of very similar appearance. Both species are predominantly herbivorous but will accept animal matter if hungry.

In name they are the Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura pectinata, and the Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, C. similis. Despite the reference to color, C. similis is very similar to C. pectinata. Both are big gray lizards with darker crossbands. Both are capable of considerable color changes, being lightest overall when warm and content, and assuming darker colors when being combative or cold. The actual difference can only be ascertained by the presence or absence of small scales between the dorsal spines and spiny tail whorls. Hatchlings are green, lack a dorsal crest, but caudal spines differentiate them from the green iguana.The presence of both is, like their green relative, the result of escapees or releasees.



If you see a big (4 feet long) gray lizard basking atop a wall or rock in southern FL, you are probably viewing a spiny-tailed iguana. Say “Howdy” for me.

Adult male Florida Box Turtle
Of the 4 subspecies of Eastern Box Turtle, the Eastern, the Gulf Coast, the Three-toed, and the Florida, it is the latter that differs most in appearance from the other 3. While its relatives tend to have carapaces that are flattened dorsally and to be rather round when viewed from above, the Florida subspecies, Terrapene carolina bauri, is rather elongate and highly domed. Additionally, the carapace is usually black with precise elongate yellow rays radiating downward on each dorsal plate and a complete or interrupted yellow vertebral line. The head is black dorsally and olive in the temporal areas. Hatchlings are less precisely marked than the adults, but do usually have a complete vertebral stripe of yellow. Hatchlings are about an inch in length; adults may attain 6 inches. Like other box turtles, this beauty is omnivorous when adult but primarily carnivorous when a hatchling. Earthworms, insects, and arthropods are all eagerly consumed.


This pretty, terrestrial turtle with the hinged plastron was once common on peninsula Florida from the Georgia state line to the southern Keys. Today it seems a bit more difficult to find. Although not entirely protected, it cannot be commercialized in the state and a limit of 2 in your possession is strictly enforced.

No matter what the nomenclatural whiz-kids choose to call it, a Yellow Rat Snake is still a Yellow Rat Snake.As I write this in early February, I’m basing my comments on memories of old, of those time when I was roaming the hills and dales of Massachusetts’ Connecticut Valley, of times back when I could flip a flagstone in the yard and come face-to-face with an Eastern Worm Snake, Carphophis a. amoenus (when was the last time you saw one of these?), when Timber Rattlesnakes, C. h. horridus, were a northern subspecies and Canebrake Rattlers were the southern subspecies, C. h. atricaudatus, when Black Rat Snakes were Black Ratsnakes, back then Elaphe o. obsoleta, when Fowler’s Toads were a subspecies of B. woodhousei, the former being B. w. fowleri, and…well you get it. Back when field biology was a recognized study subject, when genetics were seldom spoken of, before those who have used genetic studies to cause nomenclatural turmoil, in most cases for the “publish or perish” concept, or simply because they could make change, and not because change was needed.

Annoying though these name changes may be, the recipients, the snakes in this case, really don’t care what they are called, and we, those of us who are interested in nomenclature, are under no mandate to use the newly suggested names. In other words, a Canebrake Rattlesnake can still be a Canebrake instead of a Timber, and a Yellow Rat Snake does not have to become an Eastern Rat Snake. Your choice.