Snake Tales Summer 2000

Snake Tales: Personal Bests

Summer 2000 tale-teller: York Morgan

First Hot Herp Experience: 3 Canebrake rattlesnakes, 2 eastern kingsnakes, 2 corn snakes, and 3 rat snakes at one stop outside Savannah, Georgia.

Tale: For my very first Georgia herping expedition; my mentor, David Pearce, agreed to take me to one of his favorite stops. It was a dilapidated commercial building site in suburban Savannah. Naively, I exited the vehicle wearing short pants, tennis shoes and no socks. Ten snakes later, when I returned to the car, I had countless bleeding briar holes all over me, and the biggest smile on my face I've ever worn. My spirits were dampened neither by the fact that David had saved me from grabbing a flashy yellow rat snake that happened to be lying beside a well-camouflaged canebrake, nor by the thirteen fire ant bites that I collected on one hand as I dived to grab a corn snake. I have never missed a Spring season in Georgia since that day, and I have never surpassed the joy of that first great catch.

Best Herp Experience - Field: 3 Red pigmy rattlers in one day, four separate times.

Tale: A good day in the field is measured by more than just herp productivity. Anyone who has ever been to Hyde County, NC knows about Lake Mattamuskeet, the Pamlico Sound, and all of the beautiful wetlands and wilderness in the area. The variety of snakes is incredible and if you're lucky you may see a black bear or red wolf . Simply driving the roads of the area and taking in the scenery is enough to provide a good day. But finding three red pigmies in one day can turn a good day into a great one! On four separate occasions, I've been lucky enough to see three red pigmies in one day. This year, I'm going to be greedy and hope for five!

Best Herp Experience - Captivity: 47 baby arboreals born in a five-day span.

Tale: During a five-day period in June 1999, three of my female arboreals birthed a total of 47 babies. As the week progressed, I bought the entire stock of Rubbermaid containers at the local TARGET store.

Most Unusual Siting: An eastern diamondback co-habitating with an opossum.

Tale: I lifted a piece of tin in Eastern Georgia, and there they were: a 5-foot long eastern diamondback sitting within 12 inches of an adult opossum. The opossum was resting, carefree, in its bed of twigs while the rattlesnake relaxed nearby. Neither was large enough to prey on the other and neither was apparently concerned by the other's presence.

Most Embarrassing Herp Moment: York Morgan….Provider of unsolicited rattlesnake advice.

Tale: While searching a pile of tin in Georgia, Mike Queen and I were approached by a passerby who begged the question, "Why in the world would you boys want to find an animal as dangerous as a rattlesnake?" Being the wise college student that I was, I recognized my obligation to bestow upon this poor, rural farmer the truth about eastern diamondbacks. As my lecture ensued, the farmer mercifully interrupted with a kind smile and a gentle rap to his leg with his wooden walking cane. The unmistakable sound of wood on wood revealed, more than words ever could have, that this farmer's childhood run-in with C. adamanteus had rendered him without need of rattlesnake advice.

York Morgan is an enthusiast of Southeastern herps and a frequent contributor to the SHHS Newsletter. He is eager to read the adventures of other SHHS members.

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