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RE: 2 Questions
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by wls967 on July 31, 2002
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I don't use tongs, hooks only, but from what i've seen, I would have the gentle giant tongs first. As far as field guides, I have always used the Audubon Society field guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. I know I am behind the times, and this is sure to draw responses, but I've always used it for identification and range maps (I know they're flawed). I personally would like to know what guide would be better. Keep an eye on this post, I'm sure there will be more informative responses.......
wls
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Tongs - personal preference
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by Buzztail1 on July 31, 2002
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I have used hooks for 26 years. I only have one set of tongs...Gentle Giants. Everybody has their favorite and is very willing to defend their choice. I recommend attending a major show (like Daytona or Columbia) and check them out at the various vendor tables. That's what I did before I chose the Gentle Giants.
As for online field guides...there are a few but I will have to be at home to check my favorites files for the links...maybe tomorrow. You might try our "Links" pages on the sidebar to the left of this screen.
And as for the Audubon Guide ;-)
I like it a lot but I prefer the Peterson Field Guide series book by Conant. There is supposed to be a new western herp edition by Stebbins published sometime later this year.
Karl H. Betz
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RE: 2 Questions
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Anonymous post on July 31, 2002
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I have found that standard tongs work great for cobra's but if you using them for heavy bodied vipers such as gaboons i would use gentle giant.
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RE: Tongs - personal preference
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by TomT on August 1, 2002
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I agree with most of what Karl has already said. I bought a set of tongs last year and I almost never use them. I prefer hooks, even with big snakes in the field... canebrakes and cottonmouths don't mind being hooked if you aren't rough with them....
I also agree on Karl's assessment of field guides. I've had Petersen's and I have three copies of the Conant field guide. It is a much better tool because the plates are painted, and the artist can make the animals look like the "average" member of a species, instead of the individual that is pictured in Petersen's photos... If you have a Petersen's, don't toss it out, just get one of the others to go with it. You can never had too many reference books.
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As promised
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by Buzztail1 on August 1, 2002
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Here are a few good identification sites:
Venomous Snakes of Florida (Greg Longhurst)
http://www.jbfishing.com/snakes/
Virginia Herpetological Society (John White)
http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/
Arizona Herps (Tom Brennan)
http://www.brennanart.com/herps.php
Reptiles of Australia (John Hollister)
http://www.kingsnake.com/oz/
San Diego, California (San Diego Natural History Museum)
http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/herps/
There are lots more but that should get you started in the right direction. There are lots of pictures right here in our own Photo Album pages. Let me know if I can help out in some other way.
By the way, Tom is absolutely right! You can never have too many field guides. I have every edition of the Peterson Field Guide by Conant (and Collins) and many more that are much older as well as the Audubon. I just feel that the Peterson series sets the standards for accurate information with useable paintings/plates/photos with identification cues pointed out.
Karl
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