Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Doug Watson]

It'd be great to have cute little snakes like that. Here, the majority are deadly, and the harmless ones like the Green Tree Snake use a skunk like defence mechanism. Pythons are about the only snakes you can pick up, but even then you've gotta be careful.

Yes, I have often wondered what kind of trouble I would have gotten into if I had grown up somewhere like Florida or Australia. The only venomous snake in my province is the Massasauga Rattler and it is over 400 miles away and I have never been lucky enough to see one outside of a zoo.

[triceratops83]

It'd be great to have cute little snakes like that. Here, the majority are deadly, and the harmless ones like the Green Tree Snake use a skunk like defence mechanism. Pythons are about the only snakes you can pick up, but even then you've gotta be careful.

Yes, I have often wondered what kind of trouble I would have gotten into if I had grown up somewhere like Florida or Australia. The only venomous snake in my province is the Massasauga Rattler and it is over 400 miles away and I have never been lucky enough to see one outside of a zoo.

You wouldn't get into too much trouble - if you get within about four metres of a Brown Snake they turn around and stare you down. Even someone as foolish as myself turns tail when when they give that look. They have the best Clint Eastwood Stare.

[Doug Watson]

You wouldn't get into too much trouble - if you get within about four metres of a Brown Snake they turn around and stare you down. Even someone as foolish as myself turns tail when when they give that look. They have the best Clint Eastwood Stare.

No that's the trouble I wouldn't have let them be I seemed to have been born with a natural love and lack of fear of snakes. Now I sure wouldn't approach them like the girl in the video I would have used proper technique but even when you know what you are doing if you handle venomous snakes eventually you will get bit.

[triceratops83]

No that's the trouble I wouldn't have let them be I seemed to have been born with a natural love and lack of fear of snakes. Now I sure wouldn't approach them like the girl in the video I would have used proper technique but even when you know what you are doing if you handle venomous snakes eventually you will get bit.

When I have to catch snakes, like when they are eating our birds in their cage, I usually chicken out and put on a pair of leather gloves. The reason being some, like the nocturnal Brown Tree Snake, are listed as venomous, but not deadly, and I still don't want to find out what effects that might have. Even though we have some colubrids and pythons, the majority of local snakes are BIG elapids - I rarely see any smaller than my height in length. I don't have a fear of snakes, but I've learned to steer well clear of some. I've had Eastern Browns strike at me, and they don't even like being watched from a distance if they notice you. I really can't emphasize how aggressive they are, please don't ever try to handle one.

[Doug Watson]

I really can't emphasize how aggressive they are, please don't ever try to handle one.

Well, I am married with a family now so the chances of me handling a venomous snake are 0%. I have more than myself to worry about. The point I was trying to make is when you grow up as a snake person you handle what is available. Just so happens none of my snakes growing up were venomous. If I had grown up in a place with venomous snakes I would have caught venomous snakes as well that's the way snake people are. There are lots of snake enthusiasts like the late Steve Irwin that handle Browns and as you are probably aware it wasn't a snake that killed him.

[triceratops83]

If I had grown up in a place with venomous snakes I would have caught venomous snakes as well that's the way snake people are.

What is the most northerly venomous snake in the Americas? Are there any at all in Canada? Seems surprising to me that such a cold place produces reptiles.

[Doug Watson]

What is the most northerly venomous snake in the Americas? Are there any at all in Canada? Seems surprising to me that such a cold place produces reptiles.

In Canada we have three species of Rattlesnakes including the Massasauga in my province but like I said it is 400 miles away and even when I have been in the area I haven't found one yet. Two of our Rattlesnakes can reach over 1.6 meters in length. We also have the extremely rare Desert Nightsnake in BC. Heck we even have a Rubber Boa in BC, the most northern occurance of a boa. Of course it is not venomous. I count 35 species of snakes in Canada. We also have lizards and turtles. Once every year we have about 5 days where we can all chip a hole in the ice and come out for some sun  

[triceratops83]

In Canada we have three species of Rattlesnakes including the Massasauga in my province but like I said it is 400 miles away and even when I have been in the area I haven't found one yet. Two of our Rattlesnakes can reach over 1.6 meters in length. We also have the extremely rare Desert Nightsnake in BC. Heck we even have a Rubber Boa in BC, the most northern occurance of a boa. Of course it is not venomous. I count 35 species of snakes in Canada. We also have lizards and turtles. Once every year we have about 5 days where we can all chip a hole in the ice and come out for some sun  

Holy Moly! I had no idea! Very surprising to hear there is a boa that far north. Lizards, too. I have a friend in Montreal who was an exchange student here, and he was fascinated with the wildlife here, and never gave any indication of reptiles from home. Sure it gets cold here during the brief winter, but the local reptiles must tolerate it better than I, even crocodiles can be found in zero degree Celsius temperatures. You've got me interested now, I'm gonna have to buy a book on Canadian Reptiles.

[Doug Watson]

Holy Moly! I had no idea! Very surprising to hear there is a boa that far north. Lizards, too. I have a friend in Montreal who was an exchange student here, and he was fascinated with the wildlife here, and never gave any indication of reptiles from home. Sure it gets cold here during the brief winter, but the local reptiles must tolerate it better than I, even crocodiles can be found in zero degree Celsius temperatures. You've got me interested now, I'm gonna have to buy a book on Canadian Reptiles.

All joking aside reptiles and amphibians have from late April to late September to go about there happy way up here. In the heat of summer it can get into the 30s celsius where I am and out in the western provinces where the big rattlesnakes are it can get into the 40s. For the rest of the year the smart little buggers do what we should do and hibernate. A lot of people up here only know our reptiles from roadkill and even some people in my extended family were so oblivious they thought all our local snakes were venomous.

[stargatedalek]

Montreal is pretty urbanized, I wouldn't expect to ever see many (if any) wild/feral reptiles.

Around here pretty much the only reptiles are turtles and if your really lucky garters. I don't recall exactly how many species but it must be close to a half dozen plus non-natives. Several endangered and at least one critically endangered turtle. Its a good thing I like turtles (although it won't stop my wishing we had lizards).

Most of our local diversity comes from the birds (although other than Atlantic puffins they are the same birds you can find anywhere in the country), and the marine life. I live about a half hours drive from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, and while its displays are primarily focused on mapping they do offer tours of specimen research storage, they have some darn interesting creatures, just don't get too attached to any of them!

[triceratops83]

I was just looking through articles on Canadian Lizards. Funny, skinks look the same wherever you are.
And really?! They have to hibernate for more than half the year? Actually, that sounds like the life for me.

Montreal is pretty urbanized, I wouldn't expect to ever see many (if any) wild/feral reptiles.

Heh, that doesn't stop reptiles around here. Fair enough, it's not a big city, but I love the fact that every time a cyclone causes flooding, crocodiles wash up into the ponds in public parks. It takes the Wildlife services months to catch them. Never seems to bother anyone, though.

[Doug Watson]

Heh, that doesn't stop reptiles around here. Fair enough, it's not a big city, but I love the fact that every time a cyclone causes flooding, crocodiles wash up into the ponds in public parks. It takes the Wildlife services months to catch them. Never seems to bother anyone, though.

You definitely have more reptiles per square foot in Australia than we have up here just because of the weather. The only times up here you see snakes in large numbers is when they get together to breed or when they den up for the winter (I still haven't seen that). The only reptiles that you see in fairly large numbers are fresh water turtles where you can see large groups basking on logs around lakes and rivers. At Murphy's Point it is nothing to count well over 100 in a couple hours of kayaking. I'll post some pictures later.

[Doug Watson]

Oh, I forgot to mention that up until late last summer I used to participate in the online Ontario Reptile & Amphibian Altas Project, where people like me would report their observations to help plot populations and identify species at risk. Unfortunately the wise Ontario voters (not me) re-elected the lying Liberals who promised no cuts to services and then promptly cut funding to the Atlas, killing it. The organizers of the atlas are taking legal action. Good luck.

[triceratops83]

That sounds like a great project to be involved in, I hope their funding is resumed.
Another fun reptile activity I enjoy is going to a beach called Hay Point at low tide, when many Green Sea Turtles get stuck in rock pools. I pick them up from shallow pools and transfer them to deeper pools where they have room to swim. They actually feel like rubber toy turtles.

[Doug Watson]

Another fun reptile activity I enjoy is going to a beach called Hay Point at low tide, when many Green Sea Turtles get stuck in rock pools. I pick them up from shallow pools and transfer them to deeper pools where they have room to swim. They actually feel like rubber toy turtles.

One of my common activities from May to September is stopping traffic on a highway to carry a turtle safely across to the other side. I do it all over up here and I have even done it on holiday in Florida. It can really draw an audience especially when it is a snapping turtle. Rather than being upset about the delay I have even gotten applause when I was done, not that I was looking for it. It does drive my wife crazy sometimes.

[Gwangi]

In North America at least the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) occurs the furthest north, even in sub-arctic habitats. In the spring they'll even come out with snow still on the ground! Garter snakes are common throughout most of North America and I think as a result people take them for granted but they really are fascinating snakes.

New York hits the Canadian border and we have three species of venomous snakes. The copperhead in the southern portion and scattered (and endangered) populations of timber rattlesnake (occurring the furthest north in NY) and massasauga rattlesnake. Despite this every ignorant local thinks that whatever snake they see must be a venomous species. Never mind the fact that Canada and the U.S. only have about 20 dangerous species, all of which are easy to identify. Hell, 16 of them have a rattle on their tail! Despite their rarity I have had the good fortune of seeing a timber rattlesnake in the wild when I was a teenager. Although the populations are scattered there is at least one close to where I live.

As for other reptiles in my state...20 turtle species (including 5 sea turtles), 4 lizards (two are non-native, only one local to me) and 17 snakes. And while we're at it, 14 frog and toad species and 18 salamanders.

And to anyone interested in snakes from the U.S. and Canada I highly recommend "Snakes of the United States and Canada"
by Carl H. Ernst and Evelyn M. Ernst.

[stargatedalek]

Oh I hadn't been taking sea turtles into account, we tend to get size-able populations of leatherbacks visiting much of the year.

[Gwangi]

Oh I hadn't been taking sea turtles into account, we tend to get size-able populations of leatherbacks visiting much of the year.

I thought about not including them but a portion of New York is on the coast. They're in my copy of "Reptiles and Amphibians of New York" so I figured I better include them too.

[triceratops83]

Rather than being upset about the delay I have even gotten applause when I was done, not that I was looking for it.

It's nice they show some appreciation. I've held up traffic once to scoop up (with great difficulty, mind) an echidna off the road. Everyone just looked annoyed at me.

In North America at least the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) occurs the furthest north, even in sub-arctic habitats. In the spring they'll even come out with snow still on the ground! Garter snakes are common throughout most of North America and I think as a result people take them for granted but they really are fascinating snakes.

18 salamanders.

Are Garter Snakes sluggish in that environment, or are they quite happy in icy conditions?

I would love to have salamanders and newts here. Seems weird that they only occur in the northern hemisphere. I had pet axalotls as a teenager, they were cool little things.

[Doug Watson]

It's nice they show some appreciation. I've held up traffic once to scoop up (with great difficulty, mind) an echidna off the road. Everyone just looked annoyed at me.

Are Garter Snakes sluggish in that environment, or are they quite happy in icy conditions?

I would love to have salamanders and newts here. Seems weird that they only occur in the northern hemisphere. I had pet axalotls as a teenager, they were cool little things.

Good Job, I would have loved to have seen that.

In all my years I have never seen any snakes out when there is still snow on the ground, maybe when there are a few patches but I have never seen it, don't forget the ground up here freezes to three feet deep and when you get up north you have permafrost. Now on a cold day if you can find a snake that has just come out to bask or is under something that is when to grab it. They are very sluggish, but all it takes is the warmth of your hands and in a few minutes its ready to rock.

We do have some pretty salamanders, newts, frogs and toads. One winter my brother was ice fishing (cut a hole in the ice, drop a line and freeze your ---- off) and he caught a mudpuppy. I had never seen one in the flesh. He brought it home and I kept it until the spring and then let it go in the same river. The temp of the water would be at freezing so that just shows you how adaptive they are. I have a picture of it somewhere. If I find it I will share it.