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Two Snakes, One Day
nunn
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 35,988 ******
Both Texas rat snakes, each around 4 feet long.
First one, I disturbed while trimming grass along my fence. It climbed the nearest tree, not in a hurry, just moseying along. It stayed in the top of the tree for a long time, and it was still there when I quit to go inside.
Second one, was lying in a well-traveled street. It appeared that the snake was crossing the street, and just couldn't resist lying there on the warm pavement for a while. Well, that was going to get the silly thing killed, so I sort of herded it, prodded it, urged it, on across the street, and blocked traffic while I did so.
I like rat snakes. Yes, I know they sometimes cause trouble with the chickens, but I think their taste for harmful rodents outweighs any poultry damage they may do.
First one, I disturbed while trimming grass along my fence. It climbed the nearest tree, not in a hurry, just moseying along. It stayed in the top of the tree for a long time, and it was still there when I quit to go inside.
Second one, was lying in a well-traveled street. It appeared that the snake was crossing the street, and just couldn't resist lying there on the warm pavement for a while. Well, that was going to get the silly thing killed, so I sort of herded it, prodded it, urged it, on across the street, and blocked traffic while I did so.
I like rat snakes. Yes, I know they sometimes cause trouble with the chickens, but I think their taste for harmful rodents outweighs any poultry damage they may do.
Comments
The Texas rat snake has been synomized with Pantherophis obsoletus (no recognized subspecies now), the Western Rat snake. lindheimeri was formerly the subspecific name. They climb at least as well as the black rat. We have seen some very cool neotropical rat snakes (Spilotes sp.) cruising around in tropical dry forest at 20 to 30 feet in the trees. At 7 to 9 feet they can support their weight across a number of small branches and crawl almost as if they were on the ground.
I hope doing these little things makes the Lord pleased with me. I need all the help I can get!!!
Who gets to decide this stuff? And why? Does someone just not have enough to do?
What was wrong with Natrix? Pseudemys?
Now it appears that Elaphe has been replaced with Pantherophis? Good grief!
Molecular biologists doing DNA work make the determination of species/subspecies/generic differences. Taxonomic rules dictate when you decide a snake is not Elaphe (which is now restricted to the old world), the name reverts to the earliest name used for the taxon. We have all long known the family Colubridae was a huge conglomeration of things probably not closely related but similar in morphology. DNA is proving that correct. I am good with Nerodia , I can live with Pantherophis, but Chrondropythron will never be Spilotes to me.