Go back to my home page, Welcome to rickubis.com
           Go back to the RICKUBISCAM page.

----------------------------------
 That's me on a trail (03/29/2004). As I get more pictures, these pages expand. I've gotten enough images of snakes to collect them on the snake pages. For most of my 
identification, I'm using "Texas Snakes-a field guide", by James R. Dixon and John E. Werler (2000, 2005)

06/05/2021 (posted 6/13/21) I visit Fiorenza Park frequently . It's pretty close to home, it covers 362 acres, it has about 6 miles of trails and a wonderful collection of wildlife. 
I'd seen a number of interesting animals at the park (documented on other pages), when a Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia rhombifer) came swimming by. I followed it for a while,
trying to film it. Then another one came from the opposite direction, so I followed that one back towards the bridge. Another one came from across the channel, and I watched that 
one swim towards the bridge and over the sidewalk.   There's also a short video clip (mp4) showing them moving around.  
   
        BEAUTIFUL SWIMMING SNAKE              SWIMMING TOWARDS SUBMERGED BRIDGE   

05/02/2021  Even with more "spare time" it's taking me days to work on new material so I can post it. Part of the reason is that I get more new material before I've completed
editing of the previous new material--because I have more of that "spare time" to go get the new material. Oh, darn. LOL
So, here's how my morning went at Brazos Bend State Park on 05/02/21.  
I'd been staying near an alligator, and paying attention the the alligator, and park visitors, I didn't look around much further.  One of the visitors noticed a snake nearby, so I went to look. It wasn't moving
and was mostly hidden, but I'm pretty sure it was a Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia Cyclopion).  The general dark-green color, the keeled scales, and the dark edges on
the scales around the lips (sometimes described as looking like "threads") help me ID this as a water snake--but the closeup shows that there's a row of scales between the bottom
edge of its eye, and the lip scales below it.  Only N. Cyclopian has this row of scales.
     
  Mississipi Green Water Snake (Nerodia Cyclopion).

08/13/2020    I caught a quick look at another Diamondback Watersnake at Fiorenza park, it's the image below.

04/25/2020 Like almost everyone these days, I've been staying inside.  I have stopped driving around outside for...recreational purposes. BBSP is just too far away, AND, entrance protocol
to the park has changed dramatically (even for volunteers). So...I haven't been going there. The parks in the city are generally pretty crowded (when they are open) so I've been staying away
from them, too.  Still, it is possible to have a quiet walk anyway.  For instance, this morning, just before sunrise, I took Piper for a walk.

     
 The first 2 pictures are the street that I walk along. Near the point where I turn around to come back, I found a snake on the sidewalk.  It was about 69 deg. F, and the snake was a bit slow.
     
 I released it into a nearby garden. Walked back along this road. Then a little further along-if one stops at the right spot and then turns in the right direction,-one can see the view I show
 in the last picture. I can't go in there (and hopefully not many people can), but it's a great sight!  Snake is brown, with keeled scales & pointed snout,should be a Rough Earth Snake 
(Virginia striatula).  (I used Texas Snakes  by Dixon and Werler to I.D. the snake.)

02/15/2020    While visiting Archbishop Fiorenza Park (Phase II) I saw a few Dianmondback Watersnakes (Nerodia rhombifer).  The water here is often pretty murky, so once anything 
submerges, that's it. I usually don't see it again.  The dark lines (sort of forming diamonds on the back) against the light grey background are good for identifying these. They're the first and 
second images below.

05/13/2017    At Archbishop Fiorenza Park (phase II), I saw this Diamonback Watersnake hunting and basking near the low bridge. Rough, keeled scales, light grey color with dark markings
that make a diamond pattern down the middle of the back (and lines on the scales around the mouth); reddish eyes with round pupils, the back of the head is close to the size of the neck 
when the snake is relaxed--all these features togethe can help identify this snake (Nerodia rhombifer).

04/16/2017    Easter Sunday is usually busy at Brazos Bend State Park. So, I usually bring my bicycle to allow me to cover more of the trails. Today I rode about 16 miles,
repeating loops over the Elm Lake, Spillway, Pilant Slough, Live Oak, and 40 Acre Lake trails. I was riding West on the Spillway Trail when a couple of park visitors called my
attention to a Barred Owl in a tree above the trail. Further description is on my Owl Page.
Soon after, I noticed some park visitors looking at something at the edge of the trail about 20 paces East. When I went there, I saw a beautiful Broadbanded Water Snake
in a high periscope position. I explained that the snake was raising its head above the ground cover to see what what around it, and that it probably intended to cross the trail. The snake
lowered itself into the cover, and appeared again next to the trail as a shorter periscope. And then...it crossed.  This video shows the snake moving across the trail. Notice how the markings
on the snakes face cross the jawline, and the orange, black, red and brown coloration. These markings clearly identify this snake and differentiate it from any of the 3 venomous snakes
that might be encountered at the park.

   

03/27/2016 I was riding my bicycle towards Elm Lake when I passed a snake on the trail.  When it didn't move as I rode by, I assumed that it might be dead or wounded--perhaps
run over by a bicycle earlier. So I turned around and went back to the snake. It was a nice speciman of a Broadbanded Water Snake (one of our prettiest snakes). Water snakes in
general do not take kindly to being handled, and will often strike at hands put near them. So, I was careful as I approached the snake. I gently prodded it with a small twig, and it
moved, and flicked its tongue. So, I decided to try to pick it up. I just slid my hand under it, and lifted it on my palm. The snake rested there until it seemed to warm up, and began
moving around. So I released it. It was a bit cool this morning, but I didn't think it was chilly enough to cause the snake to be torpid. I any case, it moved off into the grass.

11/25/2015  It was cold this morning-about 42� F when I got to the park-but sunny. As the day progressed, it did start to warm. At about 11 am, I heard the soft call of a frog
in distress, and I looked for it. I knew that I have a relatively short time to find the frog (and usually, the snake that has it) before the frog is gone. I got lucky
and found the snake. It was hidden in the grass, but I was able to find the snake.  It was well hidden by the grass, and I stayed back enough to avoid disturbing the snake
(this was about 8 feet away). Through manipulation of the camera, and some luck, I was able to get focussed on the snake, and filmed what I could through a small gap in the
cover. Images below are frame grabs from the video clips. I have edited the clips together and the result can be seen here.  This is probably another Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake.
Ribbon Snakes are non-venomous, and are not constrictors. Therefore, they have no way to quickly immobilize their prey-so they have to struggle with it once it's been caught.
They seem to snag frogs by a back leg--probably because the frog leaps as the snake strikes. The snake's hooklike teeth take hold, and then it works the jaws and teeth to work
the prey into its mouth (or to work the snake over the prey). It can still happen fairly quickly, unless the frog is large, relative to the snake's head. Then it can be an extended
tug-of-war, but the snake seems to usually be successful. I have not found any information on why the frog makes the sound when it has been seized. Perhaps it's trying to
get the attention of a larger predator--which could eat the snake.

  
  

I was suprised to see a snake moving around in such cool weather--especially one that was hunting!  The ground where the snake was hidden was tilted towards the sun
and had been getting warmer, but the air temperature was still probably around 50� F.  In the book How Snakes Work by Harvey B. Lillywhite, it says that snakes generally
"prefer" a body temperature of 29� - 34� C (page 109). That's 84.2� - 93.2� F; and quite a bit warmer than it was this morning. In the same book, it refers to a behavior
called "acclimatization" in reptiles. This is a tendency for the "preferred body temperature" to shift (within limits) if the average environmental temperature has changed
to a higher or lower range for a period of time (i.e. seasonally).  This means that the snake make actually be able to function properly at lower temperatures than normal due
to changes in body chemistry. In the case here, we had just experienced a cold front which had dropped the temperature at least 20 degrees, but it was a relatively short-term
event. Within a few days, temperature had returned to 60's-70's.  BUT...we are in the fall season, so the snakes may acclimatize regardless.

Here's what I what I was wearing that day, because it was cold (below left).
 

And near Noon, smaller alligators (generally 3 - 6 feet) came out of the water, like this 5-footer.  This is discussed in Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians, by Grigg and
 Kirshner. I'm still working my way through the section on thermoregulation, but I can see that it is not a simple matter for alligators. Many factors influence whether or not
a particular alligator will come out of the water to bask. In fact, the connection between basking and thermoregulation is not clear--especially for larger animals.
Above some size, body mass allows the crocodilian to maintain a very stable "thermal inertia"--which means that the internal temperature changes very little over the course
of 24 hours. Generally, smaller animals (say less than 5' long) warm faster (and can't hold their breath as long either, but that's another issue) and cool faster than larger
animals. Depth of the water is probably a factor, too--deeper water isn't going to cool as fast as shallower water. So, along the section of trail where I was, the average
water depth may be about 4', and the smaller gators came out to try to warm themselves. Not many did, but I didn't see any larger ones come out of the water at all in that area;
although a showed their heads at the surface.

12/14/2014  Not Snakes and Ladders-Snakes and 'Gators!! On this Sunday, I spent a few hours by the mother alligator and her babies.
Clouds began covering the sky about 12, so I packed up my scope and moved to 40 Acre Lake. Near the South end of the East part of the trail, an alligator was up on the bank. I stayed near
it for a while, to talk to any park visitors that came by. I saw a group of people moving towards me, so I moved to the side of the trail across from the alligator. While I was moving off the trail, 
I looked down at the leaves...and noticed black scales glistening in the shadows.  I carefully brushed some of the leaves away, and revealed a beautiful Mud Snake.
 

Since the snake was just off the trail, and directly across from the alligator, I stood very close to it, so noone who was avoiding the alligator would step on the snake. Although they were 
interested in the alligator, but when I pointed out the snake hidden the grass near me (it was about 3 feet long) they decided it was time to move on.  When the group left, I decided I'd better 
move the snake a litte further off the trail, so no one would step on it. I gently picked it up, and used the opportunity to take some pictures of it. The snake was very calm an cooperative. The 
shiny, "black" scales at the top, and the bright red underside are easy identifiers for the Mud Snake.  After a few pictures, I placed it closer to the Pilant Slough overflow, and moved back a few
steps to give it space. 

         

When I stopped, I looked back and down and noticed-curled up a couple feet from the water-another snake.This one was a Cottonmouth. It didn't move while I watched it, and I took some
pictures of the Cottonmouth. Then the Mud Snake started to move, so I took a step closer to that. While I was watching the Mud Snake, I heard the peep/splash of a frog hitting the water.
When I looked that way, I saw the Cottonmouth slowly moving towards the water and moving under the leaf cover. Soon, I was alone with the alligator again, so I moved on down the trail. 
NOTE: I know the heading of this page is "non-venomous 4", and the Cottonmouth is venomous. But, it was next to the Mud Snake, so I left the stories together. 

         

With the weather cooling that afternoon, I was probably watching two methods of snakes thermoregulating. In the book "How Snakes Work" by Harvey B. Lillywhite, there are examples of different
methods used by snakes to keep their Preferred Body Temperature (PBT) at the correct level. Many snakes have a PBT of about 29-34 degrees C (page 109). This is 84.2 - 93.2 degrees F. 
Sometimes a snake can use leaves as insulation. (p. 107) It appeared that the Mud Snake was using the leaves. Meanwhile, the Cottonmouth was still lying on top of the leaves, trying to get direct solar
energy.  Also interesting is that the preferred body temperature of a snake can vary with the season. That is, if the average daily temperature changes to a different constant, then the snake's PTB 
could shift with it; so that its body will work most efficiently at the "new" temperature. These changes are produced by the snake altering its chemistry (by adjusting the levels of various enzymes). Also,
these changes are reversable!  This is called "acclimatization" when it happens in the wild, or "acclimation" when inducedin a laboratory. (p. 110)
Gaining or losing heat by movement and use of external heat sources is called "Behavioral Thermoregulation". (p.105)
Why do snakes thermoregulate? According to the book, (p.113) 2 main reasons are:
1) to avoid extreme temperatures that would threaten their lives. For instance, to avoid getting so cold that they cannot move enough to avoid freezing.
2) to help their bodies function at peak efficiency. For example, for proper digestion, or for coordinated nerve/muscle function during hunting.

It wasn't a small bird. It was a small frog! A Green Tree Frog (hyla cinerea), and it had been caught by a Ribbon Snake (thamnophis proximus). It was really difficult to see amongst the leaves,
and the tree swaying in the gusts of wind didn't help. I finally found the snake with the viewfinder of my camera, and snapped one picture. Then, I set up the video camera, found the snake with
that, and left it on the tripod to film while I tried to take some more still images. Unfortunately, with the teleconverter and the movement, I had a really hard time finding the snake again, and only
shot one more still image.  I did get more with the video camera, though.
---
                     PECULIAR FRUIT                                             BETTER CLOSEUP VIEW                                   EATING WITHOUT LIMBS                                      COMPLETED MEAL

I did get more with the video camera, though. The first two images above (PECULIAR, CLOSEUP) are from the first still image, cropped and resized. I've read in many places that snakes 
usually eat their prey headfirst, to allow for easier folding of the limbs as it is swallowed. This frog is going in rear legs first. Consider the amazing feat of catching and eating this meal---without
any limbs! The snake had to climb the tree, stalk the frog and then catch it. Then, with the frog still very much alive, the snake has to manipulate the frog down its throat AND STILL HOLD 
ONTO THE TREE--all without the aid of any limbs. The snake used a combination of specialized muscles and scales to climb the tree and hold itself in place. The frog is trapped, and
manipulated by extremely sharp teeth. Each of these teeth are curves so their points are towards the snake's throat. Moving away from the throat causes the points to dig in, and the teeth to
hold. The only way to easily get free of the teeth is to move down the throat. The process is helped by the snake's full control over the actual shape of its jaws. Each side can move independently
to work alternatively to pull in, or to grab. The third image above (WITHOUT LIMBS) is a frame from a short clip ( SNAKE w FROG mp4) that shows some of this action. The clip is edited
from much longer footage to remove the swaying of the tree and to shorten the clip. I've also cropped it from the full-frame clip. The last image above (COMPLETED MEAL) shows the snake
resting after its meal.  It's the only other picture I was able to take. I've heard the occasional cry of a frog being eaten, and sometimes I've found the frog in the clutches of a snake---sometimes I
never find it. I wonder why frogs make this sound. It's unique, and once heard, is not easily forgotten. It just sometimes blends in with the various other cries and calls from birds and insects, so
I don't notice it. Is this a reflex? Is the intent to call attention to the frog, and the snake, so a predator may appear and attack the snake? Is it to warn other frogs? I understand they are not social,
but this kind of programming would serve to minimize damage of the frogs in a particular location by a hunting snake.

Brazos Bend State Park   The main page.

Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer's Page  The volunteer's main page.
 

           Go back to my home page, Welcome to rickubis.com
           Go back to the RICKUBISCAM page.
           Go back to the See the World page.