That is indeed a Black Chinned Red. I had a few of them in the past that I legally collected (with permits) in Cades Cove. Compared to regular Reds they are darker with more spotting. Dave

Some of the numbers are still a couple of trips behind but I think that the species list is mostly caught up-- Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma Red milk (Lampropeltis triangulum syspila)------------------------38 Central plains milk (Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis) -----------21 Prairie king (Lampropeltis c. calligaster)----------------------------8 (3 DOR) Speckled king (Lampropeltis getula holbrooki)--------------------29 (3 DOR) (and speckled/desert intergrade) Osage copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster)---------15 Broad-banded copperhead, (Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus)--6 (3 DOR) Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)------------------------------4 (1 DOR) Western Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius streckeri)-------2 (1 DOR) Western Cottonmouth, (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)----1 Western massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus)------------10 (DOR) (dead lifer) Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus v. viridis)-------------------------------1 (DOR) (dead lifer) Northern Scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea copei)---------------1 (DOR) Western coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum testaceus)------------ 2 (1 DOR) Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum)------------1 (DOR) Black rat snake (Elaphe/Pantherophis o. obsoleta)-----------------12 (2 DOR) Great plains rat (Elaphe guttata emoryi)-----------------------------8 Bull snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi)---------------------------------20 (8 DOR) Northern water (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)---------------------------1 Blotched water (Nerodia erythrogaster transversa)-----------------2 Rough green snake (Opheodrys a. aestivus)--------------------------6 (5 DOR) Graham's Crayfish Snake (Regina grahamii)-------------------------1 Smooth earth snake (Virginia valeriae elegans)---------------------8 Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula)--------------------------------1 (lifer) Flathead snake (Tantilla gracilis)--------------------------------------4 (lifer) Plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix)-------------------------------1 (lifer) Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)------------------------13 (8 DOR) Collared lizard (Crotaphytus c. collaris)------------------------------11 Western slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus a. attenuatus)------------4 Prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus)--------------------------------7 Gray tree frog (Hyla Versicolor)---------------------------------------15+ Smallmouth Salamander (Ambystoma texanum) --------------------10 Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)------------------------1 (lifer) Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)-----------------1 (DOR) (dead lifer) Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris)-----------------------------------------2 (lifer) Great plains toad (Bufo cognatus)--------------------------------------1 (DOR) Midland Smooth Softshell (Apalone mutica mutica) ---------- ? 1 Too many to counts: Yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) Prairie ringneck (Diadophis punctatus arnyi) (1000s) Texas brown snake (Storeria dekayi texana) Red-sided garter (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) Western worm snake (Carphophis vermis) Great plains skink (Eumeces obsoletus) Five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) Chorus frog (Pseudacris t. triseriata) Cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) Southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala utricularius) Plains leopard frog (Rana blairi) Bullfrog (Rana Catesbeiana) Central newt (Notophthalmus viridens louisianensis) Uncounted species (laziness) Ribbon snake (Thamnophis p. proximus) Lined snake (Tropidoclonian lineatum) Prairie racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus viridis) Fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus) Ground skink (Scincella lateralis) Ornate box turtle (Terrapene o. ornata) Three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta belli) Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Common snapping turtle (Chelydra s. serpentina) G.P. narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne olivacea) American toad (Bufo a. americanus) Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousii woodhousii) Northern Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer crucifer (heard) So. California Southern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica) 1 Desert Rosy Boa (Charina/ Lichanura trivirgata gracia) 1 Coastal Rosy Boa (Charina/ Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca) 3 Rosy Boa (Charina/ Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca x gracia) 1 California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) 3 California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus californiae) 2 (1 DOR) Striped Racer/whipsnake (Masticophis l. lateralis) 2 (1 DOR) Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon biscutatus lyrophanes) 3 Red Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus) 6 (DOR) Southwestern blind snake (Leptotyphlops humilis humilis) 1 Desert Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans eburnata) 8 (3 DOR) Shovelnose snake (Chionactis occipitalis annulata) 4 (1 DOR) Great Basin Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus deserticola) 5 (DOR) San Diego Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus annectens) 7 (3 DOR) Spotted Leafnose Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus) 15 Desert Night Snake (Hypsiglena torquata deserticola) 2 Desert Patchnose (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis) 1 (DOR) Western Longnose Snake (Rhinocheilus l. lecontei) 2 (1 DOR) Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) 3 (1 DOR) Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) 1 (DOR) Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus) 1 (DOR) Colorado Desert Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes laterorepens) 2 Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) 3 Southern Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum) 2 (1 DOR) Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) 1 Desert Iguana (Diposaurus d. dorsalis) 2 (1 DOR) Western skink (Eumeces s. skiltonianus) 15+ Western Zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus) 2 Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansbutiana stejnegeri) TMTC Granite Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus orcutti) (and probably S. magister uniformis also) TMTC Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes) TMTC Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx v. variegatus) 46+ (5+ DOR) Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) 1 Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma notata) 20+ Southern Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus) Granite Night Lizard (Xantusia henshawi) 4 Western Red-tailed Skink (Eumeces "gilberti" rubricaudatus) 1 Orange-throated Whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra) 1 Great Basin Whiptail (Aspidoscelis t. tigris) 5+ Coastal Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri) 3+ Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa) 1 California Treefrog (Pseudacris (Hyla) cadaverina) 1 Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris (Hyla) regilla) 1 Red-spotted Toad (Bufo punctatus) 1 California Toad (Bufo boreas halophilus) 1 Large Blotched Ensatina (Ensatina eschsholtzi klauberi) 1 Ensatina (Ensatina eschsholtzi klauberi x E. e. croceator (or x E. e. eschsholtzi?)) 1 ("+" after a number = counted to that number then lost count)

I have tried the traps. It looks like they are called "Macabee traps" and an organic rancher I know uses lots of them in his hay and pasture land. Well, he has lots of experience and land. I've got a garden to protect. Success escaped me ... and so did the gopher that season. I should admit that gophers don't show up often in my garden. Voles are more common but a coyote or a neighborhood Tom cat is usually how I become aware of the voles. There was one notable exception with the plague of voles I had trying to grow potatoes under hay, one year! Anyway, ground squirrels, marmots and gophers have all been "dealt with" through harassment. I may even have killed them by making their lives difficult but it's probably more likely that they just moved on. Ground squirrels and marmots, I've gone after with a sledgehammer! A block of wood helps and my gardens always have plenty of rocks about the same size as the burrows of these pests! Three or 4 rocks driven into every burrow that i can find - one rock after another, and as deep as I can drive them - can seal the burrow. They have gotten the message that they are not welcome and didn't return. Gophers don't have burrows like the others. They seem much more shallow. Their activities seem to be in a fairly small area. Okay, I can use a smaller hammer and find a metal rod. I can spend 20 or 30 minutes driving that rod everywhere within about 25 square feet and, likely, at every depth the gopher might have gone. Destruction to his tunnel must be extensive if I didn't actually impale the pest. As I say, this has apparently gotten the unwelcome message across and the gopher has departed. I hope that helps. Steve

The question seems poorly formed to me. Not counting zoos, there have never been elephants in North America so their population is stable at 0. Similarly, not counting Sea World and aquariums, there are no Killer Whales in North America, but there are more than a few in waters adjacent to North America. There is a small population of American Crocodiles in Florida, but more in other parts of North America such as Costa Rica (Where I saw one). I've never heard of a pygmy raccoon, so they might be pretty rare. If I have to choose between the valid provided answers I'd go with the Pygmy Raccoon, but I'll bet it is in fact a different animal, perhaps one that is not even known to science, perhaps one that might be hanging on in some tiny remote pocket even after being declared extinct -- such as the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.