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Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and the gymnophiona) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians and the tuataras). Long, long before my endeavors in amateur Paleontology, though I did not know what to call it at the time, my childhood passion was amateur Herpetology. Anywhere I went, that's what I was looking for. If you were to ask what I wanted to do, that would be it. There were empty lots near my house (which are now Petco and Target) that I called "The Mesa" that were chock full of lizards of all shapes...my parents tell stories of having to drag me away. As I grew older, other things began to consume my time and I figured I out grew that phase... ...nope, not the case! My BFF is quite fond of reptiles and amphibians and has reignited that flame. This year alone we encountered 12 genus of herp in the wild, managing to document 10 of those with photos. Trachemys... ...Terrapene... ...Cnemidophorus... ...Crotophytus... ...Uta... ...Holbrookia... ...Scaphiopus and Spea... ...Bufo... ...Sceloporus... ...and Pituophis... ...that's one heckuva list! There was a insanely fast Coachwhip (Coluber) and a large bullfrog (Lithobates) that we could not catch. As Autumn blows through we are saying goodbye, for now, to our slimy and scaly friends...we will miss you! See you in the Spring! I make this post in memory of our beloved Merlin (Pagona)... ...we will always love you! To my Chickaroo...thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the realignment! And to my Forum Family, post 'em if you got 'em...or you've seen 'em...or if your just a fan! Got Herps?

When I found this fossil, it was kind of a big, oblong, sparkling rock. I ran cold water over it and noticed that it started losing some of its size. Needless to say, this is what I have. I had to use my phone's camera so this is the best I can do with the pics. To me it looks like he is trying to swallow something.

Found in North Florida at Fort Clinch State Park. There's a lot of dredging done around this area for the naval submarines. Looks very serpentine to me, but I don't know much. I have found about a dozen of these through the years. I can't think of any additional info to give.

I found this petrified snake/reptile head in North Carolina. I have this one and many others from my back yard. Including a petrified giant, and fingers with fingernails, perfectly preserved.. I know it's a petrified reptile from the petrification of 40 years of saltwater from the great flood. It's species is not in the internet anywhere that I can find, other than other petrified snakes, it's a one of a kind. I'm thinking it's extinct. It's very prominent for snake features and certainly a rock now. What does anyone here think? And I have many more like it. There are these and many others... You can see the neck bone, the black jugular vein, then the arterial iron oxide- Rich returning blood and that's what petrifies to gold. And they are also other species not alive today to our earthly knowledge.... Thoughts?

So over the last few years I've collected different rocks, fossils, and anything else I find that i think is unique. Eventually, I go through them and have a closer look. I'm sure my eyes are making things up, but, hey, why go om wondering when I can just ask?? I have some rocks here some found in Indiana and some in Ohio and I'm wondering if they are reptile heads of some sort(I'm assuming that's a thing people actually find lol) If you tell me they are rocks, I will believe they are rocks and will appreciate the knowledge. Thank you in advance! You guys rock(yes, pun intended)! Oh, and these are between a half inch to a little over an inch.

I was looking for fossils at Greenleaf Lake today in Oklahoma. I came across a cottonmouth on a narrow, wooded trail (cottonmouth is a poisonous snake) The cottonmouth made sure I saw it--when I was about 8 feet away, it started whipping its tail. I had to get past the snake on the trail to go back to my pickup. I kept thinking the snake would leave while I was taking pictures, but instead, it went into a threat display with its open mouth and increased the thrashing of its tail. The tail thrashing brought a copperhead out of the nearby leaves, and the copperhead then started displaying with its own open mouth (copperheads are also poisonous). I searched around me for a long stick to nudge them off the trail, but I was in the one part of the woods with no suitable sticks. The copperhead eventually slithered on top of the cottonmouth. This startled the cottonmouth and they both darted under a large rock on the downhill side of the trail. That is when I was able to pass by. There was a second copperhead in the leaves, but I never saw it until I looked at the pictures when I got home. Photos are attached (The zoom makes it look like I was close, but I was 6-7 feet away--except for the second copperhead that I didn't see at the time.) I think I'll stay away from the lake until winter. Best wishes.

Lots of ordinary things lately at Etobicoke Creek and Joshua Creek. Of course, when I began hunting in April 2019, I couldn't imagine finding such treasures, but there you have it. At the former location, we seem to have fun finding "How many decent-size orthocone nautiloids can fit on one rock," and the number appears to be 10 or 12 in some cases ! We also seem to be able to find snakes when we lift rocks, which can be disconcerting. Recently I noticed some unpromising "wavy surface" rocks, but they had a layer underneath with branching bryozoan fragments. Turns out, there are lots of them, and some are the largest chunks I've ever seen. So today I was out in the rain, getting muddy. I had to leave lots of great rocks...they were reasonably heavy chunks. Tree roots along the creek had split up the shales, pushed some promising rocks through to the forest floor, and dumped lots of slabs onto the creekbank. When I get some of these rocks cleaned up, I hope to post some pictures. Meanwhile, here is a group of recent finds.

Can anyone help me identify these? Ì have found these on my property where some excavation work was done. A hillside was excavated and I started finding these around the 4 foot mark. I have so many more. I believe I've stumbled across a whole colony of something that was killed off at the same time. Any input is tremendously appreciated!

With spring rains and rising temperatures, the riparian expanses in Texas and elsewhere return to their verdant glory and beckon us afield with promises of nature's treasures. With renewed opportunities for spectacular collecting come renewed opportunities for dangerous encounters and serious maladies. Let's review a few: Insects A fossil buddy swung by my house one night last week after a whirlwind, one day road trip. We hung out for a while and traded a few fossils. A couple days later, he started showing me pics of strange rashes and finally went to urgent care, and then the hospital. It turns out that he has contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This is a very serious deal. This could happen to any of us. A few precautions that I take include liberal application of potent bug spray, and choosing a course to minimize brush busting. Before entering the field, I pull up cuffs of pants and spray my ankles, shins and calves. Also, I pull up my shirt and spray the waistline. After spraying hands and shirt (I wear long sun block shirts) I spray my neck, then block my eyes, hold my breath, and spray my whole head. So far I've been lucky. Snakes The upswing in temps has brought a marked increase in my encounters with various snakes, mostly water mocassins, often coiled with mouth open and head shaking. Although I generally carry a licensed firearm, considering human reaction time and distance of snake encounters, it is best to walk with a stick or similar to knock a snake out of the way if needed. In my experience, they aren't very aggressive unless I haplessly stomp inside of their comfort zone. I've never had to kill a water mocassin and try to stay in areas open enough to see for at least 10 feet. That way I tend to see them with time and distance to reroute without even having to take a swing. Poison Ivy, Oak, etc. Best bet for highly allergic people like me is to not walk through the stuff. Through great suffering and reflection, I have learned to be constantly aware of what type of vegetation I'm walking through. I try not to touch any plant unnecessarily. Tecnu is a great topical protective barrier, but I saw a Youtube video of perhaps an even more useful idea. A guy explained an informal study he conducted and his most useful suggestion post contact was to get down in the creek and scour the contact area with handfuls of wet sand without delay. He felt that the mild abrasive action of sand administered in a timely fashion was effective at lifting urushiol from the skin before it could set up and do its nasty deed. I have employed this technique and not had serious outbreaks in several years. But my first line of defense is avoidance of contact. Be safe and have fun!