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Question about Missouri herping
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by LongDucDong on June 1, 2006
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Heading down near the Gainesville area for some scorpion and tarantula hunting. I hear there are good populations of A. contortrix and piggies... is this true? Is this a good time of year to observe them and where could I expect to find them?
One more quick question... do snakes such as a copper ever share a retreat with, say, a tarantula. Im just curious if this has ever been observed before.
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by Snake18 on June 1, 2006
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Hy,
I`m not from the U.S. but I realy don`t think that copperheads would share a burrow with a tarantula or a scorpion.
Alex
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by Crotalus_Catcher on June 1, 2006
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Hey Steve,
I'm not 100% sure on the answer you're looking for but the tarantuals we have here in Texas, (Aphonopelma hentz) have very small and narrow burrows, nothing that I could see a copper comfortably hanging out in since the burrows I have dug up really don't open into a larger area at the base where a snake could comfortably sit. They're just like a tube into the earth with the female spider sitting at the end. Just my opinion.
-Scott
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by LarryDFishel on June 1, 2006
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Although I don't have any direct experience, everything I've seen about scorpions is similar. Long, skinny, winding tunnels just wide enough for the scorpion, with no chambers. Doesn't look like a likel place for a snake.
P.S. Watch out for those lakes...
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by LongDucDong on June 1, 2006
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The reason I ask is because a person I know in Phoenix has found a rattlesnake hiding under some plywood and sharing a space with 8 scorpions.
Does anyone know if A. contortrix will be out and about at dusk this time of year down there? And what about daytime hides? Rocky outcrops? Old tin piles? Just curious. Id love to see these in the wild and want to check the right locales. Thanks!
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by Rob_Carmichael on June 1, 2006
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I just came back from a herping trip to Oklahoma and drove through Missouri where I had a little time to poke around on my way back home to Illinois. I did find one copperhead near the area that you are going to....I was driving an old dirt road where I found an old pile of tin. After flipping a few boards, there was that gorgeous snake. I just wished I GPS'd the location as I will probably never find it again; but I'll sure try.
Weather conditions will dictate when the best time is. Hot weather will yield very little under tin during the daytime so try late at night or early morning. Vertical hollowed tree stumps are other great spots to check for copperheads; I've found a number of them coiled up in these nooks.
Hope this helps.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by LongDucDong on June 1, 2006
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Thanks a million Rob! Thats exactly the kind of info I was looking for!
Hows the discovery center coming? Any new additions? Ive been meaning to make time to find my way up there. Is a call still necessary before visiting or is it open invitation?
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by timberrattlesnake89 on June 1, 2006
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I have herped in North Georgia and have found under tons of rocks copperheads then the next one scorpians so I would say yes they can live hand in hand.
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by Rob_Carmichael on June 1, 2006
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The rattlesnake/venomous herp exhibit is coming along great; so much so that Animal Planet is doing a special feature on it in the very near future. If you do make a trip up this way, I would highly recommend calling me first to make sure that we are open (we do close on occasion for large outreach events). My cell is 847.902.9941
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RE: Question about Missouri herping
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by Cro on June 1, 2006
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Steve: I am not sure if Copperheads ever share a retreat with a tarantula, but there are quite a few other snakes, and amphibians, that do this behavior.
Most of the snakes involved have been Western Garter Snakes, and small ground snakes like Sinora.
I have not seen any resent studies on this, but in the past it captured some interest.
If I remember correctly, both animals derived some benefit from the relationship.
You will find some old articles in Herp Review and National Geographic from the late 70`s concerning this co-habitation of tarantula burrows. Perhaps you can search the indexes from past issues.
Sorry that I can not steer you to specific issues to review. It was a very interesting topic in the past, and the info is still out there somewhere.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards JohnZ
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