March,4, 2010, in the deserts of Tucson, Arizona particularly in the Sonoran Desert, Hannah Russell (20), a 20-year-old American herpetologist is on her expedition to find and document new snake species. But one of the interesting new species of snake that she wanted to find is the Arizona Black-headed Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus arizonensis), a new species of rattlesnake which said to have been more dangerous than the Mojave Green Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) and Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). But it won't be easy to find.
Hannah walked down the dry trail in mid-day. The sun beat down on her, the sweat made her clothes stick to her body and her long wavy brown hair stuck to her face.
She wiped her forehead, as she kept her eyes in the dirt looking for any signs of snakes
Then, she spotted a new species of rat snake called the Black-striped Lime Rat Snake (Pantherophis elegans) crawling out of the thick bush.
"Ooh! Look at you!" Hannah Russell said.
She spoke to herself in an almost cooing voice and smiled as she stopped to look at the rat snake. It was a beautiful snake with black stripes running down the length of the body.
She watched the rat snake intently, waiting to see what it would do next. She pulled out her field journal and started sketching the snake.
She watched the rat snake intently, waiting to see what it would do next. She pulled out her field journal and started sketching the snake.
"Beautiful markings... beautiful beautiful markings!" Hannah Russell said.
Hannah knew that it was a harmless new species of rat snake.
"This snake is Lime green colored with black stripes all the way down to its body. Its belly is lime green as well." Hannah Russell said. "I'll try to measure the size of this snake."
She took out a small tape measure, and carefully approached the rat snake.
"Stay calm little one, I just want to measure you, you will be okay..."
She reassured the snake and slowly measured its length.
"You're a pretty good size boy, about 5 feet long!" Hannah Russell said.
She made a note on her field journal before she slowly put the tape measure down. She wasn't too worried about the rat snake as it was harmless.
"This is a typical size for this adult male. Females grow up to 6 feet in length This new species is diurnal, both terrestrial and arboreal, feeding on rodents, lizards and other snakes both venomous and non-venomous." Hannah Russell said. "Now I'm start counting the dorsal scales, ventral scales and subcaudal scales, so that I can be able to take noted it in my small notebook."
She picked up her field journal again, and started counting the scales.
"Dorsal scales, 42. Ventral scales, 152. Subcaudal scales, 29. This one looks healthy and in good shape. No sign of a recent meal, but he's not skinny either." Hannah Russell said.
Hannah believes that this male snake is currently looking for females to mate with.
"I'm certain this male is looking for females to mate. I'm certain females could be anywhere here." Hannah Russell said. "This species is found only in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They found primarily in deserts, forests, valleys, grasslands, rocky outcrops and mountains."
She continued to make notes and sketches of the snake while she talked.
"I'd guess this boy is a bachelor, he is looking for a mate. I do wonder if the females are nearby. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for another... or better yet, a couple!" Hannah Russell said.
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Hannah Russell: The American Snakewoman
De TodoHannah Russell (20), a young American herpetologist who is fascinated with snakes. She determined to find and documented new snake species that was not described or not yet being discovered by other herpers.
