First few hots of the year!!

I scored my first herp of 2011 with a small Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula) on February 8th and have been at it pretty hard since. As of yesterday, I am up to 35 species/subspecies of herps from northwest and west central Arkansas as well as east central Oklahoma. Up until a few days ago, however, I hadn't found anything venomous yet. That changed starting Wednesday the 6th.

Wednesday afternoon I went and hit a couple spots and found some of the usual culprits as well as my first hot of the year, a Western cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) that ended up slinking away before I got my camera on him. The day still turned out pretty good though, and I did score a couple other firsts for the year.
Here are some finds from that day.

Carphophis vermis - Western worm snake (This is a photo from the previous week, as I didn't shoot any of the 20 or so I found that day)
First few hots of the year!! Carphophis_vermis_by_michael_ray-d3c6osn

First few hots of the year!! Carphophis_vermis_by_michael_ray-d3c6osn

Gastrophryne carolinensis - Eastern narrowmouthed toad
First few hots of the year!! Gastrophryne_carolinensis_by_michael_ray-d3ddxbk

Plethodon angusticlavius - Ozark zig zag salamander
First few hots of the year!! Plethodon_angusticlavius_by_michael_ray-d3ddxkw

Chelydra serpentina - Common snapping turtle
First few hots of the year!! Chelhydra_serpentina_by_michael_ray-d3ddy2a

First few hots of the year!! Chelhydra_serpentina_scale_by_michael_ray-d3ddygf

Thursday I went with some herper friends into eastern Oklahoma to look for Crotalus atrox. We managed a male and female coiled together. The male went approximately 66" and the female went about 54" or so. This pair made hot species number two for the week.

Crotalus atrox - Western diamondback (Male and female, in situ)
First few hots of the year!! MS1_1573

The female
First few hots of the year!! Crotalus_atrox_by_michael_ray-d3dgkzn

I also found this 74" Masticophis flagellum flagellum (Eastern coachwhip) in a crack along some bluffs. (Just a voucher shot for the NAFHA database)
First few hots of the year!! MS1_1608-1

Friday night turned out to be the first decently warm night of the season and another friend invited me to go roadcruising with him for a bit after work. We ended up scoring a single snake on the first pass, but it's a snake I have yet to tire of, and made for hot number three. With the temps starting to drop, I didn't want to waste much time shooting it, so I just snapped a couple vouchers and we went on our way...

Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix - Southern copperhead
First few hots of the year!! MS1_1637

After not getting pics of the cottonmouth, I've been adamant on finding another soon, especially since the only pics I've gotten of any cottons are the cell phone pics I posted late last year of the two males in combat, so I really wanted to get some good, clear voucher shots. Last night I decided to cruise up to a small lake I know of that I knew had cottons in the area, as well as copperheads and Crotalus horridus (Timber rattlesnakes). Another species that has evaded me since I moved out here last summer...
Anyhow, I got up there in the middle of a frenzy of calling male Dwarf American toads (Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi) and Spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer).

While walking along the shore shining the water, I saw a snake take off into the water and keep swimming. I snapped a couple voucher shots, but that's it for that one...

Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma - Western cottonmouth
First few hots of the year!! MS1_1673

With seeing that one, I figured there would be more than one in the area, so I continued walking and shining. No more than 2 or 3 minutes later, I came upon this individual foraging in shallow water, maybe a foot off shore.
First few hots of the year!! Agkistrodon_p__piscivorus_by_michael_ray-d3dpnmj

First few hots of the year!! Agkistrodon_p__piscivorus_by_michael_ray-d3dpnmj

Here's what I have found between February 8th and April 10th:
Anything preceded by * is a lifer. Something that I have found for the first time this year.

Snakes

Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix - Southern copperhead
Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma - Western cottonmouth
*Carphophis vermis - Western Worm snake
Crotalus atrox - Western diamondback rattlesnake
*Diadophis punctatus arnyi - Prairie ringneck
*Masticophis flagellum flagellum - Eastern coachwhip
*Pantherophis obsoletus - Texas ratsnake
Storeria dekayi wrightorum - Midland brown snake
Tantilla gracilis - Flatheaded snake
Thamnophis proximus proximus - Orange striped ribbon snake
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis - Eastern garter snake
Virginia striatula - Rough earth snake

Lizards

*Plestiodon anthracinus pluvialis - Southern prairie skink
Plestiodon fasciatus - Five lined skink
Sceloporus consobrinus - Prairie lizard
Scincella lateralis - Ground skink

Turtles/Tortoises

*Chelydra serpentina - Common snapping turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii - Mississippi map turtle
Trachemys scripta elegans - Red eared slider

Frogs/Toads

Acris crepitans blanchardi - Blanchard's cricket frog
Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi - Dwarf American toad
Gastrophryne carolinensis - Eastern narrowmouthed toad
Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularis - Southern leopard frog
*Pseudacris crucifer - Spring peeper
*Pseudacris fouquetti - Cajun chorus frog

Salamanders/Newts

*Desmognathus brimleyorum - Ouachita dusky salamander
*Eurycea multiplicata - Many ribbed salamander
*Eurycea tyrenensis - Oklahoma salamander
Notopthalmus viridescens louisianensis - Central newt (Eft stage)
*Plethodon albagula - Western slimy salamander
*Plethodon angusticlavius - Ozark zig zag salamander
*Plethodon fourchensis - Fourche Mountain salamander
*Plethodon ouachitae - Rich Mountain salamander
*Plethodon serratus - Southern redbacked salamander

Nice, thanks for sharing. The rattle on the female c. atrox looks like it was in high-speed motion - blurred and held up.

I took that shot at 1/80 sec just for that reason. She wasn't too happy at that point. haha

Grat pictures Mike, mostly I like the in situ shots of the atrox, really nice !

Guest

Thanks for sharing Mike, great pictures.

That Eastern coachwhip is stunning. I really like how the colours change.

If you have any more pictures of them I would love to see them.

Owen, that was my first eastern coachwhip, so unfortunately, that's the only animal I have shots of. He was a screamer in person though. Much different than most I see pictures of..

Thanks for the compliments guys! It's been a great season so far.

Guest

Mike Spencer wrote:: Owen, that was my first eastern coachwhip, so unfortunately, that's the only animal I have shots of. He was a screamer in person though. Much different than most I see pictures of..

Thanks for the compliments guys! It's been a great season so far.

It sure is a stunner. I was looking through google images and cannot see one that has such a drastic change in colour from head to tail.

It is a species I am not all that familiar with.

Realy nice shots. My favourite is Eastern coachwhip. Owesome snake.

Best regards, BKK

Thanks Bostjan

Here's another contortrix from yesterday:

First few hots of the year!! Agkistrodon_c__contortrix_by_michael_ray-d3dy3cf