Herps found in
the Saint George, UT area
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Our old friend. Heidi and I had found this gimpy
tortoise Gopherus
agassizii a couple weeks before.
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Nice side-blotched lizard,
Uta stansburiana
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All cozy for the evening. I heard this large male
as his shell scratched against the rock
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Another large tortoise. There were so many
around. We saw around a dozen.
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Night cruising yielded nothing more than this
desert tarantula, Aphonpelma
iodius
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Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus) was found across
the road from the campground
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This snake was very mellow and well behaved
during the photo shoot. No striking or rattling at all.
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Looks great in the lava rock habitat, right?
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Another nice side-blotched lizard.
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These recently morphed red-spotted toads (Bufo punctatus)
were everywhere areound three ponds.
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It was amazing watching these tiny toadlets make
their way through the hot desert.
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Nice arch around three ponds area.
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This western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)
on a rock wall at the terminal pond.
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I love the canyon tree frogs (Hyla arenicolor).
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Beautiful countryside. This is on the three ponds
trail after hiking Padre.
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Butterfly getting some moisture at welcome
springs on the beaver dam slope.
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Great horned owl hanging out in the cave. Scared
it off before we could get some better pictures.
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The owl flew as we got too close. Was neat to see
such a large owl in the desert.
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Although a larger individual eluded us, we caught
and photographed this juvenile coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum).
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We were lucky to find this Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus))
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Another shot of this beautiful animal. They have
a limited range in the very southwest corner of UT.
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Snow Canyon is an amazing place!
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On the way down to look for some herps on the
east side of Snow Canyone.
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This tortoise nest had been predated by
something, possibly a gila monster.
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Close-up of the egg shells
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| Male was out basking in front of his burrow. Such
cool animals! |
This female was found across the wash from the
basking male. |
This was one of the coolest finds of the trip.
This hatchling tortoise was so cool! |
Another shot. Amazing how these little dudes can
survive in such a harsh environment. |
Big male half-way up the hill. It is incredible
how well they climb up the rocky slopes.
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