|
1-7 of 7 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by CanadianSnakeMan on February 9, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Is there any good herping to be done at this time of year in NC? I've been down here with work for a few weeks and I'm staying until the 20th. We've had some really nice weather but I think it's a bit of a stretch to hope that some rattlesnakes would crawl out of thier dens early... am I wrong?
My main question is: Does anyone know of any fun herp-related stuff to do in NC that's hopefully not too far away from Ft Bragg? I'd settle for a good reptile zoo or serpentarium if anyone knows of any.
|
| |
|
RE: Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by Crotalusssp on February 10, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I am not real familiar with the relationship between Ft. Bragg and Cape Fear Serpentarium, but I am sure it would be worth the drive.
|
| |
|
RE: Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by ChunkHead on February 10, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Herping this time of year isn't great, but you'll see sunning turtles and anoles, probably salamanders as well. Snakes aren't unheard of at this time of year, but it can be hit or miss.
Ft. Bragg to Wilmington is about a 2 hour ride, but would be worth it.
|
| |
|
RE: Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by najasuphan on February 10, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Yes, definitely hit Cape Fear Serpentarium. They have an awesome collection of animals and it's definitely worth the trip.
|
| |
|
RE: Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by FSB on February 11, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
If you go to the serpentarium (and you definitely should) it would also be worth a visit to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, out past Atlantic Beach. Very nice aquarium with an exceptional collection of local and coastal reptiles.
|
| |
|
RE: Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by Existential on February 11, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
As a former employee of the Cape Fear Serpentarium, I can't help but second the recommendation. It's a very nice facility. It's been a few years since I have been to the aquarium, but I've heard only good things.
There are lots of decent areas to herp in that area as well. Even though you probably won't see many snakes this time of year, if you feel like getting out on a nice nature trail, Carolina Beach State Park is a great place to wander for a few hours. There are supposed to be pigmy rattlers out there, but it's been a long time since any sightings have reported. I've heard of some neat looking corals in that area too. Very nice habitat, and highly accessible. Check it out if ya get a chance.
|
| |
|
RE: Herping or herp related activities in NC?
|
Reply
|
|
by CanadianSnakeMan on February 19, 2011
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Here's my story of herp experiences in NC so far... it's not much but I hope I can provide a somewhat interesting account (from a Candaian perspective). Keep in mind that most Canadians are not normally used to dealing with venomous snakes...
My company is in the US to get some cross-training with the Amreican paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne division. We jumped into a 3 day exercise on Monday and mostly sat around waiting for the enemy force to show up, which is quite frustrating to us given that we have the intense desire to stir up trouble and attack the bad guys. Most of the troops in my company know that I'm a snake freak and have been listening to me rant about how I want to upturn every log, plywood board and piece of sheet metal I can find in order to hopefully catch a glimpse of some native NC herps.
So, we were on a patrol on day 2, looking for the ever elusive enemy force when we had to conduct an obstacle crtossing of a swamp (and keep in mind the unseasonably warm weather that this state has been getting). I was close to the front of the patrol and had just soaked my boots in the crossing when I got a tap on my shoulder. The man behind me said "Hey, Halstead... you konw about sankes... there's a huge one on the trail hissing at the guys behind us."
"What does it look like?" I replied.
"It's fat and brown and coiled up with its mouth open... What is it and what can it do?"
"Is it's mouth white?" I asked...
"Yeah, and it seems pretty mad..." was the response.
"That sounds like a cottonmouth... leave it the hell alone unless you want to be missing a foot... and please pass that message to the back of the patrol. They're venomous and they will defend themselves!!!"
"OK... Hey guys... leave it the F@*k alone!"
So that's the closest I've been so far to herping in NC, but hopefully at least I provided some important info to some non herp-conscious Canadians. I still wish I'd seen that snake, but I couldn't exactly hold up the patrol to go find it (unfortunately). I'm here for another 48 hours... I may not make it to the serpentarium in Wilmington, but I promise I will at least walk some nature trails and lift some logs to make a sighting of my own!
Thanks for hearing my (probably quite dull) story!
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
