I was just curious, what are some of the best herps you've ever found while herping? Mine include:
North American Wood Turtle
Timber Rattlesnake
San Fransisco Garter Snake (yes, that's no type-o)
Well i didn't go out much this year, however my son caught four baby banded geckos in my front yard. other than that just a pacific diamond back rattler. I like to feed them then release them. Its amazing to watch them hunt.
Well other then Garter snakes and Snapping turtles we don't find many herps around here but this year my son and his friend found a red spotted newt in the eft stage. It was very pretty and a first time seeing one for me.
My best of the best:
Indigo Snake
TUATARA! (Sphenodon punctata) WILD! On Tiritiri Matangi Island in New Zealand.
Best local:
Spotted Turtle (in coastal plain of NC)
Coal Skink (in upstate NY)
Copperhead (new county record in GA)
Northern Red Salamander (new zipcode record in upstate NY)
My best (and only) involve the campus pond and some snapping turtles. First was watching a big old snapper get chased out from his hiding spot by a little snapper half his size. And the other was watching my favorite snapper (he's huge and has a little dent in the front left of his shell) try to mate with some female.
There was also this really cute baby turtle but I forget the species, it was less than 3 inches with red spots around the shell, found when they over-drained the pond after a big storm.
the best i have found:
diamondback rattlesnake
ring neck snake
another snake found in the woods that i have NEVER seen anywhere
bullfrgos
and a chiricahua leopard frog
gila monster
chuckwalla
desert iguana
collared lizards
zebra tailed lizards
regal horned lizard
side blotched lizards
mountain skink
striped whiptails
and LOTS more!!!! lol
10. Pine snakes
9. Eastern Milk snakes
8. Snapping turtles
7. Wood turtles in the dead of winter
6. Eastern box turtles
5. Black racers
4. Garters. Easterns and Checkered. (Although common, they are one of my favorite snakes...)
3. Copper heads
2.Timbers
And my all time best herp I have found is...
1. Eastern hognose snakes... They are so rare in my area...
30 pound snapper... went in the creek after it lol
baby bull snake
soft shell turtle lots of toads
5 lined skink
lots of garters
fox snake
attempted to catch a cotton mouth
Here in Oregon I have found Pacific tree frogs, Bullfrogs, an Oregon Red-legged frog, Oregon newts, various salamanders, skinks, garter snakes, bull snakes, pacific rattlesnakes, and Western Pond turtles. I caught a fire-bellied toad when I lived in Monterey, CA, most likely an escaped pet. When I was stationed in Virginia I used to see snapping turtles in a drainage ditch on the base, and saw Yellow-bellied sea snakes during my deployment to the Persian Gulf. When I lived in Florida I found Cuban tree frogs, Alligators, Knight, Green, and Brown Anoles, Iguanas, garter snakes, Black Racers, and red eared sliders.