Texas
< 3 of 3
Part III - South and East Texas
The drive from West to South Texas was a long one, and fully of mishap and mayhem. I wont go into detail, but involved two stops by Texas police, a quick trip to Mexico, bribing Mexican cops, surrendering my US-bought Walmart sausages to Boarder Patrol, inability to find a camping spot we had reserved, and, most unfortunately, temporary loss of my camera. For this reason I have virtually no photos of South Texas. In general, though, it was not as I had expected. Good habitat was hard to find amongst agricultural fields and herps were hard to come by. Luckily the birds were more than enough to hold my attention and I spent two days of fantastic birding in the Brownsville region. South Texas is truly one of the treasures of the US from a birder's perspective.
On the final might in South Texas I was able to turn up one species that I had hoped to find...
Species List
Herps – 70 Species, 79 subspecies
Birds 123 species s
Mammals - 28 species
Herps
Alligator mississippiensis – American Alligator - LA
Chelydra serpentina serpentina – Common Snapping Turtle - ETX
Graptemys kohnii – Mississippi Map Turtle - ETX
Trachemys scripta elegans – Red-Eared Slider Turtle – ETX, WTX , LA , MS, AL
Trachemys gaigae – Big Bend Slider Turtle - WTX
Pseudemys concinna metteri – Missouri River Cooter - ETX
Apalone mutica mutica – Smooth Softshell Turtle - ETX
Apalone spinifera guadalupensis – Guadalupe Softshell Turtle - CTX
Apalone spinifera emoryi – Texas Softshell Turtle - WTX
Apalone spinifera pallida – Pallid Softshell Turtle - ETX
Coleonyx brevis – Texas Banded Gecko - WTX
Anolis carolinensis – Green Anole - ETX
Crotaphytus collaris – Collared Lizard - WTX s
Cophosaurus texanus – Greater Earless Lizard - WTX
Sceloporus poinsettii – Crevice Spiny Lizard - WTX
Sceloporus undulatus consobrinus – Southern Prairie Lizard - WTX
Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus – Eastern Fence Lizard - ETX
Sceloporus merriami annulatus – Big Bend Canyon Lizard - WTX
Uta stansburiana – Side-Blotched Lizard - WTX
Phrynosoma modestum – Round-Tailed Horned Lizard - WTX
Cnemidophorus sexlineatus viridis – Prairie Racerunner - ETX
Cnemidophorus marmoratus reticuloriens – Western Marbled Whiptail - WTX
Cnemidophorus tesselatus – Checkered Whiptail - WTX
Cnemidophorus septemvittatus septemvittatus – Plateau Spotted Whiptail - WTX
Scincella lateralis – Ground Skink - ETX
Eumeces fasciatus – Five-Lined Skink - ETX
Eumeces obsoletus – Great Plains Skink - WTX
Eumeces tetragrammus brevilineatus – Short-Lined Skink - CTX
Gerrohonotus infernalis – Texas Alligator Lizard - WTX
Leptotyphlops dulcis dulcis – Texas Blind Snake – CTX – 1 Hand
Nerodia rhombifer – Diamondback Watersnake – LA, ETX – 1 Hand, 2 DOR, 5 obs
Nerodia erytrogaster flavigaster – Yellowbelly Watersnake – ETX – 1 AOR, 4 DOR
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis – Midland Watersnake – MS – 1 Hand, 2 obs
Nerodia fasciata confluens – Broad-Banded Watersnake – LA – 3 DOR
Regina septemvittata – Queen Snake – MS, GA – 4 obs
Regina grahamii – Graham's Crayfish Snake – LA – 1 DOR
Regina rigida sinicola – Gulf Glossy Crayfish Snake – ETX – 1 AOR
Storeria dekayi texana – Texas Brown Snake – CTX, ETX – 3 AOR, 2 DOR
Storeria dekayi limnetes – Marsh Brown Snake – ETX – 1 DOR
Thamnophis marcianus – Checkered Garter Snake – ETX, CTX – 1 Hand, 1 AOR, 1 DOR
Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis – Western Blackneck Garter Snake – WTX – 1 Hand
Thamnophis proximus proximus – Western Ribbon Snake – ETX – 1 DOR
Thamnophis proximus orarius – Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake – LA, ETX, STX – 3 DOR
Virginia striatula – Rough Earth Snake – ETX, CTX – 1 Hand, 1 DOR
Heterodon platirhinos – Eastern Hognose Snake – ETX – 3 DOR
Coluber constrictor constrictor – Northern Black Racer – GA – 1 obs
Coluber constrictor anthicus – Buttermilk Racer – ETX – 1 obs, 1 DOR
Coluber constrictor latrunculus – Blackmask Racer – MS – 2 DOR
Masticophis flagellum testaceus – Western Coachwhip – WTX – 1 Hand, 1 obs, 4 DOR
Masticophis taeniatus girardi – Central Texas Whipsnake – WTX – 1 DOR
Opheodrys aestivus – Rough Green Snake – ETX – 1 DOR
Elaphe guttata meahllmorum – Southwestern Rat Snake – STX – 1 AOR
Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta – Black Rat Snake – GA – 1 Hand
Elaphe obsoleta lindheimerii – Texas Rat Snake – ETX, LA – 8 DOR
Pituophis catenifer – Sonoran Gopher Snake – WTX – 1 DOR
Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellates – Texas Longnose Snake – WTX – 1 AOR, 1 DOR
Sonora semiannulata – Ground Snake – WTX – 1 AOR
Tantilla gracilis – Flatheaded Snake – CTX – 4 Hand
Micrurus tener – Texas Coral Snake – ETX – 1 Hand
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix – Southern Copperhead – ETX – 3 DOR
Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma – Western Cottonmouth – MS – 3 Hand
Crotalus atrox – Western Diamondback Rattlesnake – WTX, STX – 3 AOR, 7 DOR
Desmognatus conanti – Spotted Dusky Salamander – MS
Syrrhophus marnockii – Cliff Chirping Frog – CTX
Bufo fowleri – Fowler's Toad – MS
Bufo valliceps – Gulf Coast Toad – LA, ETX
Bufo marinus – Giant Toad – STX – call only
Acris crepitans blanchardi – Blanchard's Cricket Frog – CTX – call only
Acris crepitans crepitans – Northern Cricket Frog – MS, GA
Hyla cinerea – Green Treefrog – ETX
Hyla squirella – Squirrel Treefrog – ETX
Hyla chrysoscelis – Gray Treefrog – ETX
Hlya avivoca – Bird-Voiced Treefrog – MS – call only
Psuedacris feriarum – Upland Chorus Frog – ETX – call only
Gastrophryne carolinensis – Eastern Narrowmouth Toad – ETX – call only
Rana catesbeiana – Bullfrog – WTX, ETX , MS , GA
Rana clamitans clamitans – Bronze Frog – ETX , MS
Rana spenocephala – Southern Leopard Frog – ETX , LA
Rana berlanderi – Rio Grande Leopard Frog – WTX, STX