Going Herping

Roundtail Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum)

This summer, I fulfilled an undergraduate dream of taking a class at the Texas Tech University - Junction Field Station in Junction, Texas. I went into a great debate to select a class and based myself as to “What I wanted to be when I grew up”. Of the classes offered: mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, ecology, entomology, and ichthyology, I decided to take herpetology mainly because my parents never let me have any sort of herp as a pet(or rather I was unsuccessful).

Michael and Brandon working up a
Trans Pecos Copperhead
(Agkistrodon contortix pictigasler).

My earliest memory of a herp in my life, was when I was around 10 years old in Encinal, Texas. My cousins and I had been running all over town during summer, when I came across a Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) who had been run over and was slowly being eaten by its major food source of harvester ants. I remember being confused, to what I now attribute to, a change in tropic levels and its morphological features of having horns on its head and its body. The next herp experience I remember happened in my backyard of Laredo, Texas. We had just moved into a new housing development, which was close to a creek. After a big rain, Gulf Coast Toads would “swarm” my yard (Imagine a 12-year old Masi freaking out over maybe ten toads!) and I would try to catch as many as I could keep in my bucket. I was always highly unsuccessful because I never put a lid on the different containers I used to catch the toads, which would inevitably jump out.

My first scientific experience with herps was collecting data from drift fences and road surveys on the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area in Cotulla, Texas. I got to get up close and personal with a variety of animals. My favorite herp, hands-down, is a Texas Horned Lizard.

Myself, posing with a Bullsnake (Pituophis cantenifer).

The Junction Intersession started mid-May, but I had a bit of a bumpy start. I had driven from Lubbock, Texas to San Antonio, Texas to spend a couple of days with friends. Before heading to Junction, I stopped at Academy Sports and Outdoors because I needed some last minute field items.  After purchasing my items, I returned to my truck and noticed it was a lot cleaner than I had left it. It was then that I realized my truck had been broken into and all my field gear was stolen. I cursed and I cried, “Who would ever steal my pants! They are hemmed to only fit me! Who would steal my sleeping bag that I’ve had for over ten years and took to my first Brigades Camp? Who would steal my leather gloves that fit my petite hands so perfect?” The list goes on as to what was stolen and the emotions and memories tied to each item. Of course, I felt personally victimized, as though they had gone through all my stuff and decided they needed everything that was in my truck. I’m sure the perpetrator didn’t see it like that, but decided to take as many backpacks, coolers, and other items before getting caught. I was most upset about them stealing the years of field gear I had accumulated and stealing my brand new Osprey backpack I was given just three days earlier. Luckily, I had enough in saving to replace the items I needed to be a herpetologist for the next two weeks.

I continued on to the Junction Field Station, arriving after classes had begun, but still excited to learn as much as I could about herpetology. Unlike other classes, we had the opportunity to travel around Texas to go herping. It was an exciting opportunity to travel around Texas, as we visited two properties belonging to The Nature Conservancy: Independence Creek Preserve and Dolan Falls, and private ranches in Kimble County, Texas.  Being a former GLOBE intern with The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico definitely heightened my appreciation for the opportunity to go herping on Nature Conservancy Properties. Collectively as class, we caught over 40 different species of herps during our two week intersession!

My favorite activities were getting to go road cruising, flipping rocks, taking blood from different snakes, and learning natural history of the variety of reptiles and amphibians in herpetology, of course getting to go herping in different bodies of water didn’t hurt either(via swimming, kayaking and tubing). This experience deepened my understanding of herpetology and love of conservation. Many times, species who are categorized as herps, do not receive the adequate funding needed to study because they are not “warm and fuzzy”. I do not see myself growing up to become a world renowned herpetologist, mainly because, I lack the adrenaline needed to catch venomous snakes. However, my herping skills have definitely improved, from catching nothing at all, to catching small lizards and even a small unidentified turtle from a kayak! In catching these different species, comes the data collection that goes along with science. I have included a list below of the different species caught throughout the course.

Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)

Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

Easter Spotted Whiptail (Asipidoscelis gularis)

Little Brown Skink (Scincella lateralis)

Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus)

Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)

Western Diamondback (Crotalus atrox)

RedStripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus)

Plains Flathead Snake (Tantilla nigriceps)

Great Plains Rat Snake (Pantherophis emoryi)

Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus)

Mountain Patchnose (Salvadora grahamiae)

Western Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum)

Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynsoma cornutum)

Roundtail Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum)

Canyon Lizard (Sceloporus merriami)

Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)

Short Lined Skink (Fumeces tetragrammus)

Trans Pecos Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix pictigasler)

Black – tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus)

Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus)

Bullsnake (Pituophis cantenifer)

Blotched Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster)

Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi)

Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turicus)

Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta)

*SW Earless (Cophosaurus texanus scitulus

Greater Earless (Cophosaurus texanus)

Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo nebulifer)

Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)

Texas Banded Gecko (Coleonyx brevis)

Red Spotted Toad (Bufo punctatus)

Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophyrne carolinensis)

*Blind Snake (Leptotyphylops dulcis)

Variable Ground Snake (Sonora semiannulata)

Flathead Snake (Tantilla gracilis)

Cliff Chirping Frog (Eleutherodactylus marnockii)

Diamondback Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer)

Texas Map Turtle (Grapetemys versa)

Texas River Cooter (Pseudemys texana)

I would like to thank Dr. Lou Densmore for being an exceptional professor that encouraged us to go out herping. Equally Stephen Roussos and Michael Sager for being our chauffeurs, guides and walking herpetology book throughout and after the course. Most importantly, my classmates that made it an enjoyable and at times comical experience. 

Texas Tech University - Junction Summer Intersession, Herpetology 2014