Selfish

[Greenbare Woods]

Snakes mostly eat mice, vols, and other small rodents that otherwise would invade our homes or destroy our crops.  Snakes are generally beneficial to humans.  That doesn't include the huge invasive pythons that can eat children and are upsetting the ecology of Florida, but most snakes would much rather avoid human contact. 

[nuduke]

How are the invasive pythons affecting Florida's ecology, Bob?
Presumably eating some layer of the ecosystem that is unbalancing other layers.
What seems to be happening?  Any idea where the pythons come from and how they get to the US? In cargo? Released as unwanted pets?
Interesting.
John

[Greenbare Woods]

How are the invasive pythons affecting Florida's ecology, Bob?

Pythons are huge and even eat deer.  They are destroying the ecosystem in south Florida.  They are also dangerous for humans, pets, and livestock.

Presumably eating some layer of the ecosystem that is unbalancing other layers.
What seems to be happening?  Any idea where the pythons come from and how they get to the US? In cargo? Released as unwanted pets?
Interesting.John

They apparently arrived as pets or zoo animals.  They may have been deliberately released as unwanted pets.  They get so big that people who wanted a nice snake pet can't manage them.  Or, they may have escaped during hurricanes or other flooding.  Pythons thrive in water and swamps.

[nuduke]

That is a tad frightening, Bob.
I shall avoid swimming naked in S Florida!!
John

[RiverNude]

Recently, I read an article about the Florida Fish and Wildlife folks using radio transmitter collars to locate the pythons. Collars on snakes? No, not exactly. They put the radio collars on raccoons. The collars send out location updates at regular intervals as the raccoons go about their business. After a certain number of unchanged location signals, the collar sends out a "mortality" signal, and they know the raccoon has likely been eaten by a python. When it starts sending moving location signals again, they know that the collar is inside the snake. Then they just track the snake down. It's usually the larger snakes that eat the raccoons, so they can eliminate some of the big breeding snakes.

[Greenbare Woods]

Recently, I read an article about the Florida Fish and Wildlife folks using radio transmitter collars to locate the pythons. .... It's usually the larger snakes that eat the raccoons, so they can eliminate some of the big breeding snakes.

I think Florida has a bounty program for dead snakes too. 

[nuduke]

Recently, I read an article about the Florida Fish and Wildlife folks using radio transmitter collars to locate the pythons. Collars on snakes? No, not exactly. They put the radio collars on raccoons. The collars send out location updates at regular intervals as the raccoons go about their business. After a certain number of unchanged location signals, the collar sends out a "mortality" signal, and they know the raccoon has likely been eaten by a python. When it starts sending moving location signals again, they know that the collar is inside the snake. Then they just track the snake down. It's usually the larger snakes that eat the raccoons, so they can eliminate some of the big breeding snakes.

Wow!  I will never tire of admiring the enterprise of we humans!!  What an ingenious technical solution to a very difficult problem.  Love the lateral thinking and feel sad for the cuddly old racoons that get eaten!!
John

[eyesup]

I wrote this up shortly after it happened (3 yrs ago). Just now getting around to posting it.

There's something primal about standing naked within strike range of such a beautiful and dangerous creature!

Blimey!  There's something bowel-openingly frightening about it too, I feel!
Thank goodness snakes isn't something we have to bother about in the UK.  We only have 2 species:  The Grass Snake which is a small constrictor so not poisonous and the Adder which is poisonous and will bite but the bite is rarely lethal, but fairly horrible causing an assortment of symptoms including nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting, mental confusion etc etc.  However, both snakes are rare and retiring in their habits.  Never seen one alive but have encountered a slough of a grass snake once.
John

I arrived in this valley on Labor Day 1986. Within a couple months I had discovered a local state park just outside of town where I would go hiking and climbing regularly. I also explored other desert areas in the area, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Great Basin, Zion, Bryce etc.

In all that time I have never seen a snake of any kind, though I’ve heard from others that have. I have seen evidence of them. Skeletons, molted skin, etc. But never a live one. Until the middle of 2020.

I was on a trail I had been on multiple times and was walking up a small wash. There was a mid-size (about 3-1/2 ft. tall) Mormon Tea: (Scientific, Herbal remedy) plant ahead of me. When I got to within about 10 ft. I heard a rattling sound. I came to a dead stop. I’ve heard sounds before that were similar, leaves and debris blowing or bushes shaking in the wind, but the wind wasn’t blowing very much that day.

As I wasn’t sure which direction it came from, I took another step and immediately heard it again. This time I was focused on the Mormon Tea. Another step, again. I was triggering the reaction. I was pretty sure it was a rattler.

The bush was on right the edge of the small wash, so I decided I would make a wide berth around to the left staying about 10 ft. away. I heard him again but not straight away. Every time I took a step. As I headed up the trail on the left side of the wash, I saw another snake sliding across the trail toward the Mormon Tea plant. Ok! They’re having a confab in there and I was pretty sure I wasn’t invited so I did a 180 and bugged out. I was trespassing on their home. Fair enough.

One week later I was headed back into a different part of the valley, not the same wash, and saw another one headed across the trail. FINE! I waited till he was gone and headed on in on my hike. This was in May of 2020 and the Lake Mead Recreation Area had been completely shut-down since March.

My guess that with the drop off in foot traffic on all the trails, the wildlife had begun to inch it’s way back amidst all that silence. I was even seeing plants starting to grow back onto trails.

There was very little road traffic. All those helicopter tours that were constantly overhead were shut down. For several months no one was allowed to hike anywhere out there. I have been back to that valley once since then and I have been to other valleys in the area. No further encounters as yet.

After hiking out here in the southwest for over 30 years and having no snake encounters, to see or hear three snakes over one week, I thought was unusual. It made me wonder if I am now on the upward Bell Curve of filling in all those encounters I should have had.

I have since purchased a long walking staff. Just in case.

Don't know what happened, but the majority of the post didn't make it into the post! Chalk it up to having not posted anything in 3 yrs.

[eyesup]

Nudukes mention of adders in his above post reminded me of a post on this forum here in his Reply #16 from March 13, 2017 referencing a post from Ian (Milfmog) on the old TSNS forum on 6/8/2012. How’s that for a hopscotch trip back in time.

Re: Posts salvaged from the memory banks on:

So here’s my 2012 post in reply to Ian’s post of one of his trip reports on TSNS:

Ok, I couldn't resist it.  This reminds me of a joke.

Ian, your 6th photo has a sign warning of ground nesting birds, etc., with a final note to "Beware of adders". So here it is:

The ark has finally touched land and the passengers, human and animal, are getting antsy to leave.  Noah throws open the doors and the animals begin to leave the ark.  He hurrys down to the land and has his sons cut down some of the small dead trees nearby.  He tells them to build several small tables using the logs over in an shielded area.  His sons look at each other and give each other a small shake of the head, shrug and begin doing as asked.

After the task is completed to Noah's instructions they ask him, "Father, why did you have us build all these log tables."  Noah is standing and watching the ramp as a group of snakes are slip sliding down to the ground.  He turns to his sons asd tells them, "Boys, everyone knows that adders can only multiply on log tables."

eyesup

Same thing happened here, but I had a typo in the text that caused the program to lose it's mind! Fixed it! I'll get all this figured out eventually. I've had to load up old posts to remember how some of the formatting codes worked.

[nuduke]

Completely off topic, I clicked on your link, Eyesup and saw posts from Milfmog which had the avatar of his dog.  This immediately prompted my brain to try and remember the name of his dog which appeared in posts almost as often as he did!  Can you (or anyone) remember what it was called to allow my fevered brain to rest!
John

[eyesup]

John,

Was it Taz?

eyesup

[eyesup]

. . . In this day of social media and constantly sharing, were we negligent in our responsibilities? Should we have shared this wonderful experience with the world? Is that so important that it becomes a driver in our day-to-day activities?

Isn't that what you are doing with this post?

Sounds like everyone had fun doing the things they enjoy. The posts of your activities are great snapshots of how you live your Safebare life. I hope to not see those descriptions change to resemble all the other homogenized internet content.

I take great care to not allow social media pressure to start regulating my life. I do not own a smart phone. I STILL use a flip-phone.

Besides, there's always next year.

eyesup

[Peter S]

Eyesup's right, Milfmog's dog was Taz. He lost him (her?) shortly before he disappeared from the forum but I believe he had another dog by then - Hazel?

[Greenbare Woods]

After hiking out here in the southwest for over 30 years and having no snake encounters, to see or hear three snakes over one week, I thought was unusual. It made me wonder if I am now on the upward Bell Curve of filling in all those encounters I should have had.

I have since purchased a long walking staff. Just in case.

I grew up in Eastern Washington State, USA.  It was an area with lots of poisonous rattle snakes. My father told of shooting snakes in a field across the street from the High School.  For my generation it was all houses, and shooting was restricted in town. .In summer there was a group that came to collect rattle snakes because their venom is used to produce anti-venom for medical distribution.  I have seen half a dozen snakes sunning themselves on a trail during a short afternoon walk.  Give them half a chance and they scoot off into the brush.  They don't want to mess with people.  They never bothered me. 

My GF would make be go in front because she was scared of snakes.   It turns out that snakes are well camouflaged so they are hard to spot if they don't move.  Often the lead hiker steps over a sleeping snake and wakes it up.  The 2nd hiker had to deal with a moving rattler.  My GF would scream.  That was when I was younger.   They really don't want to bite a person, and they can't move very fast.  Two steps of distance and you're safe. 

Where I live now there are more non-poisonous Blue Racer snakes than rattlers.  They help to control rodent populations.  I don't chase them away. 

[nuduke]

John,

Was it Taz?

eyesup

Ha Ha! Yes indeed it was Taz.  Happy memories.  Whilst I met Ian Milfmog on several occasions, I never met the dog!
John