Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
H. H.
1991
August 12 DOR a "three foot" Lampropeltis getula that had (continued) eaten a "two foot" Rhinocheilus lecontei . Dave Hardy and I road hunted up to our Crotalus molossus study site, then E. to Hwy 80 in New Mexico, but found only a small adult Hypsiglena joriquata.
August 13 at 0801h Dave and I located C. molossus #3 on the SE bank of a large branch of Silver Creek, ~40m SE and across the ravine from yesterday. When sighted he was stretched out on dead leaves among oaks and shrubs, and frozen when we first saw him - turned head as Dave approached, but no rattling. At 0805h he resumed crawling ENE parallel to stream channel. We watched him until 0816 - crawling ~2m/minute, body almost straight, constantly tongue-flicking. At 0938h we found C. molossus #8 on the main limestone mtn. ridge, ~500m WSW of the highest peak. The snake was in a crevice under a boulder (D<1m) w/ a loop of ~30cm and including the stomach out in bright hot sun - took photos. Dave spotted the head pointed at us from inside a side hole under the rock, but we saw and heard no reaction. At 0950 the snake had retreated out of sight while we talked a few meters away. This site is ~400m E of where I last saw the snake. At 1105h we found C. molossus #3 on the NW [opposite] side of the ravine he was in earlier, now above the edge