I was quite active on Field Herp Forum and other herp forums around the world circa 2005. Went to SSAR, World Herp Congress, IHS, etc. Got away from it for a while. 20 years later, here we are on the iNat Forum. How the turn tables . . .
That’s very cool man. Maybe it was too long for an initial post, but I had the classic Field Herp Forum ‘End of Year Report’ in my mind with my post. There don’t really seem to be many herpers or herpetologists on this forum, but we’re all here because we love nature, so I figured that there should still be a thread dedicated to herps.
I have nine species of amphibians and six species of reptiles.
Your photos are so beautiful!
I think a lot of snakes look like beading designs for jewelry.
Yes, please limit the number of images to only a few highlights and then add links to observations rather than post photos. It makes the thread unwieldy and we do have a set amount of storage space with our Discourse plan. Don’t worry, it’s not anywhere near the limit, but since the forum is primarily for discussing iNat, I’d like for people to post non-screenshots judiciously.
I used to be big into herping but more and more I dislike how disruptive it often is compared to finding/observing other organisms and I feel guilty doing it. I try to pretty much do in-situ photos only now.
Three herp highlights, though:
a tropical salamander found by @loarie in Ecuador. Likely an undescribed species according to INABIO’s herpetologist.
my first adult terciopelo, which was found right in the middle of the trail by our guide. See @sylvainmorin’s photos of how well camouflaged it was:
Unfortunately for me, we have no wild reptiles in Alaska, but we do have some amphibians here and there.
I think I would be really into herps if I lived somewhere where they were more common.
So far I’ve seen one species, the wood frog.
I guess there are different ways of herping, some more disruptive than others, but I’ve always found plenty of reptiles and amphibians just by walking around/monitoring what visits vernal pools (any herps handled while doing so are handled very carefully by guidelines listed by the Michigan Vernal Pool Patrol, and even then, I don’t like handling herps more than I have to due to many species’ delicate skin)
Is herping really more disruptive than other forms of wildlife watching, and if so, why? Also, do any herpers have any other good tips to limit harm done to animals while herping, besides the general care taken in not handling delicate amphibians?
“Serious” herping generally involves lifting up cover objects, which is inherently disruptive even if done well. And to get really cool photos it can often entail catching or wrangling the animal and potentially cooling it down, posing it, etc. It’s also thrilling to catch a snake or a lizard so catching them is often part of the hobby. Catching green anoles in Hawaii is definitely what got me into nature and herping.
Gotcha, sounds good. I can edit the post if you want.
Agree and disagree. Flipping is never the best for the environment, and tends to create most of the hoarding culture/attitude that gives herpers a bad rep. The flip side is that artificial cover provides habitat. That said hiking and cruising are my favorite ways to find herps, and have resulted in some of my best non-herp finds as well.
Wood frogs are dope, would love to see some. Alaska is still an awesome place to live!
That depends on the form of herping, as Tony mentioned. Cruising roads gets the highest numbers (of snakes especially) and you’ll potentially be saving what you find from vehicles. Hiking is laid back obviously and it’s easy to avoid disturbing smaller wildlife. Flipping cover is the most invasive, but if done efficiently should not be a major concern. However you do need to bear in mind specific scenarios in all cases (hiking a rattlesnake den can disturb them, flipping herps while their hibernating is obviously not great etc.).
As to limiting harm it’s really the same thing, which if you work with vernal pools you’re used to. Just avoid sensitive habitat and don’t handle small or delicate species. Handling at all is a gray area, and really depends on the species.
What is you guys favorite form of Herping? (Rock Flipping, Roadcruising, Hiking, Creekwalking etc.) I personally like flipping the best as long as I’m able to put the rock back exactly how it was. Roadcruising is a close second.
Different methods for different species, but my favorite is whichever is the most effective for whatever I’m looking for. For lizards, looking in open spots near cover on sunny days. For snakes and toads, road cruising at night (or just randomly happening upon them while hiking, which is how I end up finding a lot of snakes). For salamanders, flipping rocks/logs (and putting them back carefully) and/or shining lights into crevices in damp grottoes
Thanks for bringing the thread back lol.
I think it depends on how much you find. Nothing can compare with night cruising the Everglades and finding 30 or 40+ snakes plus gators, frogs, and birds. But often road cruising is a bust plus it’s tedious driving hours at night.
My ideal herping would be finding tons of stuff hiking or creekwalking on a mild spring or summer day in a beautiful natural setting. This queensnake I found over the summer was in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, which makes it all the more interesting. These pics are from the same place the winter before (and it was even nicer in the summer).
I’m always so busy birding in December for the Christmas Bird Counts that I always forget about winter herping in my area for things like California tiger salamander and spadefoot toads. Those are two of my most wanted to see in my area along with night snake.
I was a dedicated herper through my early career in biology, an extension of my interests when I was a kid. Actually had technician jobs in herpetology which is like being paid to do your hobby. Wish I had more photos from my early days doing that (pre-digital photography). Now that I’m retired I hope to get back into more herp activities, especially photo’ing them. You never forget your first obsession.
