Hi there I am a reptile enthusiast in the west Houston area, I have a goal of tracking the reptile population around my neighborhood with an emphasis on Dekay’s Brown Snakes. I chose to do this for them as I rarely find them in and around where I live, in contrast if I take a 15 minute drive to the south I can find them in an abundance. So I was wondering if any one had any suggestions on how to find more Dekay’s Brown Snakes, and why there might seem to be a lack of them in my neighborhood area.
1 Like
Dear Houston Herper,
I debated writing this, because it might not make sense to you.
Many of us on the forum (Tony, James, myself, and others) started out as herpers.
I was actually quite active on another forum — Field Herp Forum — 20 years ago.
It’s a very positive sign that you’re engaging with the iNat Forum.
There are herping-focused threads here, and if you keep pushing, you will connect with some herpers.
However, you have an incredible opportunity here — almost unprecedented in human history — to use herping as a gateway drug, as a jumping-off point, into the giant pool of global biodiversity.
Herps are a relatively tiny part of that pool (although they are very cool).
I think, because you are already here, and you are actively posting, this will naturally happen anyway. I just wanted to make it explicit.
Does any of that make sense?
1 Like
Predation by house cats and lack of cover habitat might be reasons. As a kid in NY state I used to find this species in vacant lots in my suburban neighborhood by flipping trash. I suspect those little pockets of habitat are now gone due to infilling of these lots with houses.
1 Like
Do people put out poisoned slug/snail bait in your neighborhood? They may have either been indirectly poisoned, or starved out when their favorite prey declined.
As a Houston native, amateur herpotligiest of over a decade and a life long Texan, do not head west. I have found plenty of rough earth snakes but not a single dekays brown. I’ve only seen them along the Gulf coast. They are here in San Antonio but they seem to be very uncommon
2 Likes