It saddens me to see people are serving snakes. Rattlesnakes have been terribly persecuted and are becoming quite rare in a large part of their range. They are not aggressive snakes and want nothing more than to be left in peace to go on with their lives. They are a vital part of the food chain and in their own way are quite beautiful. I've met quite a few of them in very close quarters (including my garage at night where I almost stepped on one in the dark, and still he didn't bite me). I thanked him by capturing him and driving him up into the hills where hopefully no one will bother him. Wild lives are precious and becoming ever more so. Ingrid

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

Hello folks. I have been somewhat dormant these past few weeks due to moving and getting settled in back in Hays. Despite all of the school work and my busy schedule, my roomate (Mike Rochford, a herp grad student here at FHSU) and I have been able to herp quite a bit. I will start with late July. A few researchers from Ohio State University came to Kansas to collect venom samples from Massasauga rattlesnakes. So we set out to aid them in thier search. Here the totals: 15 + Massasaugas 2 Prairie Rattlesnakes 3 Great Plains Rat Snakes 2 Texas Brown Snakes 1 Texas Longnose Snake 2 Kansas Glossy Snakes (I know there were more in the other cars, but I cannot recall the totals) Glossy and Longnose Snakes have a limited range in Kansas. They are always a good find and both are protected in Kansas. Over the past few weeks, Mike and I have been able to roadcruise Ellis County...Totals: TMTC Western Slender Glass Lizards TMTC Prairie Rattlesnakes 5 Great Plains Rat Snakes 1 Speckled King Snake 1 Eastern Hognose- We are at the furthest west of their range. They are somewhat uncommon here in western Kansas, although they seem to be fairly common in some places. The Easterns we have here are incredible looking. Here is an example of a western Ks eastern hog: http://webcat.fhsu.edu/ksfauna/herps/index.asp?page=species&species_id=393-995&dots=yes&tributaries=yes&isAnura=&map=ks 1 Bullsnake TMTC Lined Snakes TMTC Ringnecks TMTC Western Coachwhips TMTC Woodhouse Toads Herps are really moving out here. We had to go to the Red Hills region of southwestern Kansas last weekend for a night, so we herped...Totals: 1 Prairie Kingsnake 1 huge Coachwhip 1 Massasauga 1 Black Rat Snake TMTC Woodhouse Toad TMTC Plains Leopard Frogs 1 G.P. Narrow-mouthed Toad 1 Great Plains Toad 1 Common Garter Snake 1 Western Slender Glass Lizard Now so far we were disappointed with the night's totals. We had to make the three hour drive back to Hays and it was about midnight, so we set out. Along the way we ran into a massive storm and we enjoyed a lightshow the entire way home. I was hoping we would get some active rain that would set the Tiger Salamanders in motion, but we had no such luck. At about 1:30 in the morning, we saw a small white snake in the road, it was very...glossy...and about a foot long. I turned the truck around and we went back to find a Kansas Glossy Snake crawling across the road. This was a great find because Kansas Glossy Snakes have not been recorded from that far north in Kiowa County. It was a great specimen. A little while later we crossed into Edwards County and after a few minutes, we spotted a DOR. We went back to find an adult Dipodemys (Kangaroo Rat) sitting in the middle of the road. We agreed that this was not the DOR that we had seen, so we went back further to find an adult Texas Longnose Snake DOR. This was a somewhat significant find because it was a county record and a slight range extension in that part of Kansas. We have had some great luck out here, but we still have yet to find a Western Hognose or an adult Eastern. Watch for a large post soon that will be complete with pictures. (And I mean LARGE)... chad

I'm not sure I'd want to use buckshot of any kind because of ricochet concirns, but there are rounds made for a .22 cal pistol called snake rounds. They have 150-175 very small pellets that do a pretty good job of dispatching snakes, scorpions and the like. Although I haven't had the opportunity to try it on a snake, I've known other that have and they supposedly work well. I have used them on scorpions with wonderfully interisting results. Because the pellets are small it's very effective at close range, but is no threat at longer range (such as the unintended stray shot) or from ricochet. Just google "snake round ammunition" to find a place to get them. Obviously, check your local laws on their use and possession and discharge of a firearm of any kind. BTW winged mammal, all animals protect their selves, most protect their family and territory (home). Often times one animal will intrude on another animals space and conflict ensues. I, and I suspect most of us don't go out of our way to kill anything we don't intend on eating, but like all animals, we may move into an area and stake our claim to our homes, protect it and our family. That's natures way. We are a part of nature. Republican? Well, we all have to choose between two evils. I tossed my coin and it came up heads. I took that to mean that I was not supposed to choose the party represented by an ass. :) .........Sorry, I just couldn't resist. :)