barefootgirl Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I went out hiking today in the woods around one of our local lakes. I didn't find any Morels but I did find some sweet ammonites. I also came across hundreds of septarian nodules, none of them worth lugging home though. One of the ammonites I found within the nodules itself. I also found some remnants of other fossils there, so I plan on heading out to that spot again soon to have a really good look around. I didn't stay to long today because it got up to 90 here and I started burning up because I was dressed in long sleeves, pants and rubber boots to protect myself from the sea of poison ivy that is springing up everywhere. I only ran into one snake and it was blind, poor thing. This is the first one I found. This little one was found inside this large rock. It cleaned up well. This one was hiding in the bushes, and all i saw was this little section of it. Same ammonite as above. It is very fragile and the only thing holding it together is the concretion its in. Some of the friends I made along the way. One of the many septarian nodules I came across. I saw him sitting in the weeds and dragged him out by the tail to take a look and realized he was blind. I then placed him back where I found him and just left him alone. Im pretty sure it was a yellow-bellied water snake. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorefossil Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 nice finds and very nice pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Oh, those are Nice BFT. Good trip! The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Love the ammonites. I like finding the Sept nodules as well. They are like geodes. I have found a few ammonites from nodules. Heres a pic of my best find. Its an old pic, so sorry if its bad quality Justin EDIT: well, it wont let me put the pic on here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texaswoodie Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Way to go! I really like that first one. Looks like it has chalcedony or calcite on it. Did you make it back to the river yet? Curt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 No, I probably wont get to go back to the Sulphur till next week. I have to much farm work to catch up on. All the ammonites i find out at the lake are being replaced by calcite, or have calcite sections to them. They are very beautiful. Way to go! I really like that first one. Looks like it has chalcedony or calcite on it. Did you make it back to the river yet?Curt In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 The snake was probably fixing to shed; probably all shiny now "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy1971 Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Very nice BFG! I love the pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Auspex is correct. The snake wasn't blind, just getting ready to shed. Nice fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Nice finds girl.Love the sutures on those ammonites.That site looks like it has potential. That snake is a little pissy because it can't see as well when they are getting ready to shed and become new and shiny. The snake looks like a coluber constrictor or racer snake.Not sure which subspecies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 Well, when I saw its under belly it had just a hint of blue on the side but yellow on the bottom. I was thinking blue racer but I remember them being longer and more blue on the bottom and this snake was right by the water. Although, I haven't seen a blue racer since I was a child, so I could be wrong. Nice finds girl.Love the sutures on those ammonites.That site looks like it has potential.That snake is a little pissy because it can't see as well when they are getting ready to shed and become new and shiny. The snake looks like a coluber constrictor or racer snake.Not sure which subspecies. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Great pictures and finds! The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Well, when I saw its under belly it had just a hint of blue on the side but yellow on the bottom. I was thinking blue racer but I remember them being longer and more blue on the bottom and this snake was right by the water. Although, I haven't seen a blue racer since I was a child, so I could be wrong. I'm not at home and don't have any range maps here on Coluber constrictor. I'm bettin it's a yellow bellied racer.The only thing that throws me off is the black color.Most of the yellow bellied racers I have seen in Trenton Tx. which is about 30 -40 minutes West of you usually are a dark olive green color dorsally. It may be somewhat melanistic....who knows.I'll check my rep books when I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 ...The only thing that throws me off is the black color.Most of the yellow bellied racers I have seen in Trenton Tx. which is about 30 -40 minutes West of you usually are a dark olive green color dorsally... Being as it's started to shed, the color may have been effected. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'm not at home and don't have any range maps here on Coluber constrictor. I'm bettin it's a yellow bellied racer.The only thing that throws me off is the black color.Most of the yellow bellied racers I have seen in Trenton Tx. which is about 30 -40 minutes West of you usually are a dark olive green color dorsally. It may be somewhat melanistic....who knows.I'll check my rep books when I get home. Okay, So tell me then why it would not be a yellow bellied water snake. I can recognize most snakes, but Im still learning. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Nice photos and great finds you said the temp was up to 90, so that would not stop me or bone digger snakes might, blind or not. the snakes up here are still sleepen It snowed up here again late night, even the main Hyway was closed down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Okay, So tell me then why it would not be a yellow bellied water snake. I can recognize most snakes, but Im still learning. It does not appear to have keeled scales (a little ridge down the middle), which I think the water snake does. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 That first ammo is cool. I was going to say the snake was about to shed, also. Those cows must really be bored to all line up at the fence like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 it is obviously a racer, and a lot of them are black. there is no resemblance to a yellow-bellied water snake, other than that they're both snakes. the snake wasn't blind. their eyes cloud up like that when the new skin is forming and the eyecaps haven't hardened yet. the snake's eyes will clear up soon, it'll then shed, and be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Ok...If the snake came from near Paris, TX it is likely an intergrade between the Yellow Belly and the Eastern Black Racer-showing charactoristics of each, which would explain its unsually dark color (even for a snake in shed) as well as the yellow venter. (Barry I answered your email but I'm not sure it went through) Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 Ok...If the snake came from near Paris, TX it is likely an intergrade between the Yellow Belly and the Eastern Black Racer-showing charactoristics of each, which would explain its unsually dark color (even for a snake in shed) as well as the yellow venter.(Barry I answered your email but I'm not sure it went through) Thank you Frank, and everyone else who helped with the identification. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Great finds BFgirl! Those are some really cool looking specimens. And, yes, great pix too. O What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Nice finds, love the pictures!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micropterus101 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Wow we even have herpatologist here gee wilickers batman! Nice report barefoot! I love the Ammos your finding down there. I find any fossil replaced with calcite really cool. fossil crabs website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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