Headed out to the study site the following day to meet up with Marty and Emily, a couple of new friends by way of the Reptiles of Arizona field forum. At that time, Emily was a doctoral candidate doing research on Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes, specifically concentrating on size differences between males and females. Part of her study was capturing specimens, implanting them with electronic identification and radio transmitters so their movements could be tracked, then recapturing periodically to take measurements of their vital statistics (length, weight, blood samples, etc.)
When a snake is found it is gently encouraged to enter a clear plastic tube, one that is wide enough for the snake to fit in but tight enough so that it can’t turn around to strike. As the head moves up the tube, Emily reaches down and expertly restrains the Rattlesnake so it can’t continue out the other end nor back out the way it came. She then draws blood and takes measurements, after which the specimen is either released or brought back to the lab as needed. It may look easy, but in reality, tubing a venomous snake is a dangerous procedure which only trained experts like Emily or Marty should attempt.
For this season Emily already had enough females for her study but was still in need of several more males. Ron and I were eager to help out, so off we went in search of eligible bachelors. And where’s the most likely place to find them in the spring, when a young snake’s fancy turns to thoughts of courtship? Why, flirting with members of the opposite sex, of course. And so soon enough Ron stumbles upon this romantic couple, the suitor’s head gently resting on the object of his affection.
The good news was that neither snake had been previously captured, so we were able to add them both to Emily’s study. All together three new males were found in the late afternoon, putting Emily within striking range (pun intended) of her target.
Snakes
weren’t the only critters out and about.
Walking through a wash I came across a Desert Tortoise,
and Ron caught a Spiny
In
the morning I went to check on a Gila Monster that was holed up in a large
outcropping. It was a radio-tagged
specimen that had been tracked to its hiding spot the day before, part of a
research project being conducted by another scientist at the study site. Using a
I decided to come back an hour later in hopes that the lizard would emerge as the day warmed up. As I approached, suddenly there was a loud “Hisss!” at my feet ---- I was so intent on looking for a basking Gila high on the rocks that I nearly stepped on him as he was cruising below through the low-lying vegetation. He backed up onto the boulder, gave me a gape as I closed in with my camera, then settled down for a friendly pose. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a more handsome lizard.
This was actually my second visit to the
study site, having been there earlier in the week before Ron arrived in
The herps were found by Marty and Emily. The first was a Lyre Snake that was crammed into a crevice. Most likely it had overwintered deep down in the rocks where it was protected from the cold. As temperatures rise with the coming of spring, these rear-fanged snakes will come to the surface and sun themselves in exposed cracks, waiting for the weather to warm up enough to begin foraging for food. According to Marty, this particular snake had been sitting still in the same spot for several weeks by the time he showed it to me, but a few days later it was gone, leaving only a fresh shed skin behind in its place. The
other find was a Gopher Snake, a herp I really wanted to come
across. It’s one of my favorites, but
despite being among the most common snakes in
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