pantherophis's Favorites

This leucistic individual is Salamander C. This one has been photographed and observed since 2010 many times by Don Scallen and it had at least been alive two years before that, making it thirteen years old- two years older then me!

Observed crossing sand road in Sand Prairie habitat (see other pics). There is a theory that this is an introduced population, as this species was not recorded in extreme eastern Illinois prior to 1980. Many believe this is not the case, as there are similar natural populations in other counties not far to the West.

Predation - robin tried to kill snake for 2 minutes with multiple attacks. Snake responded with strikes (fake strikes?), escape attempts, and a couple of attempts to look dead lying curled up upside down? The snake eventually made it into the brush and the robin left.

Found within 10 miles of where a historical montanus record was noted, and the pattern heavilly reminds me of some mid-atlantic montanus photos I’ve seen. Plus the iris appeared more brown, but it is hard to tell since I had to recover the third photo from a bad smudge on my lens.

Very large Bur Oak (measured at 4.07 feet DBH) at the end of a ravine forest in high tech Kanata North. There were other, very mature Bur Oaks in this otherwise young forest. The oak is at one end of the old Blue Heron Trail on Hines Road that connects to Trillium Woods.

Caught in trap. Same female seen yesterday in this obs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/79170091

Good example, as she has 4 labials on the right and 5 on the left. Good postlabials.

I am naming her Rose since she is a golden girl.

Dicephalic neonate found in a residential yard. GTS 861. VW ABC 015. Note several spinal kinks. Specimen survived several months, fed sporadically, died and was preserved.

See: Wallach, Van, and Gerard T. Salmon (2013) Axial Bifurcation and Duplication in Snakes. Part V. A Review of Nerodia sipedon Cases with a New Record from New York State, 102-106. In Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 48(8).