Name: HOW TO FIND SNAKES - HERPING FOR BEGINNERS
Uploaded: 2018-07-20T07:41:48.000Z
Duration: 14 min 18 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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You've probably heard of fishing, camping, birding, hiking, and hunting,

but do you know about herping? What is herping?

Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians.

Herping is the act of searching for reptiles and amphibians in the wild.

The term herping is used by both professionals and amateurs, who are referred to as herpers.

Some herpers are knowledgeable professionals

who can earn a living from herping in various capacities,

such as wildlife photography, research expeditions,

and collecting wild specimens for scientific research.

and a way to test your ability to understand the behavior of different species.

I have been enjoying herping as a hobby all over the world

since before I even knew that there was a word for finding reptiles and amphibians.

But herping isn't and shouldn't be as easy as crashing around the wilderness until you find something.

In this video I'd love to share with you some of the basics

to help you get started with your own herping adventures,

and to share some tips and advice which will ensure that

you are a positive influence within the herping community.

Herping is going to be different around the world with different laws and environments,

so use this video as a rough guide and tailor it to suit where you're going to be herping.

Also, if you're a herper, what has been your greatest find so far?

For me, my greatest find was the Malayan pit viper. Amazing!

I saw this sign in Kenya and I think it works really well for herping.

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."

To herp successfully, you need to understand the behavior of the species you're searching for.

Are they nocturnal? Diurnal? Crepuscular?

What temperatures do they like? When are they hibernating?

And when are they likely to be on the crawl for food? When is their breeding season?

Understand all of these things to give you the best chance

of finding the species you'd like to encounter.

If you don't 100% know the species you encounter, don't touch it!

The most dangerous snake on earth is the one that just bit you.

I know it can be tempting to take a free handling selfie with a venomous snake or

to take a video clip with something awesome,

The reality of getting bitten by a venomous snake in the wild

is that you and your partner or group may not be able to get you to safety.

Also if you do manage to get to a hospital for antivenin,

they may not have the specific antidote for you.

If you do get bitten in the USA and your health insurance won't cover your medical bills,

you can potentially kiss your house and your pension goodbye.

And on that note, be aware of the plants around you.

You don't want to accidentally lean against or squat on any poison ivy.

If for whatever reason you do happen to get tagged by a venomous snake,

remain calm. Take a picture of the snake for identification

and calmly have your herping buddy or buddies get you to a place where you can receive medical assistance.

The more you panic the faster your heart will beat

and the faster the venom will spread around your body.

It's a total myth that you can suck the venom out of a wound

and you can't just pee on the wound to neutralize any stinging

like you would with some jellyfish stings.

You have to get yourself to a hospital and take a picture of the snake with you.

Handling wild specimens. Okay. I know it's tough

But it is always, always better not to touch any reptile or amphibian you find in the wild.

Not only does handling cause the animals stress,

but you could also be potentially contaminating the animal

and therefore its environment with your own bacteria which it's not used to.

it is completely prohibited to disturb or touch any native wildlife.

Flipping is when you overturn logs, rocks, stones, and other things to look underneath for any animals.

If you do flip anything, it's extremely important to put it back.

Otherwise, you completely destroy the microhabitat.

It can be tempting to rip apart decaying logs or peeling tree bark to expose any hidden invertebrates,

But please don't do this. It destroys homes for much more than what you can see with the naked eye.

Also, you may encounter flippable objects which at first glance look like junk.

An old carpet, a couch, a wooden board, or a piece of sheet metal.

These are often fantastic little safe spots and even

Be very careful when disturbing what looks like junk.

because they offer snakes and amphibians cover and food.

Boards are placed in strategic locations and left to mature for a number of years.

First of all, the rodents move in, and then they're followed by the snakes.

If you flip a board, please, please, please put it back exactly as you found it!

Some people study the same site for decades

and disrupting a board can ruin valuable research.

If you have a large yard or a piece of land,

consider putting your own boards down to study too.

In our yard we have boards which house salamanders, frogs, and even milk snakes.

Don't disturb your boards too often or the reptiles and amphibians won't feel comfortable enough

Okay, finding places to herp and people to go herping with.

And my best advice is to research the reptiles and amphibians you really want to find,

read about their known geographical ranges,

and utilize apps such as Instagram to search for the hashtags of these animals

and try and decipher where the sightings are.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

HOW TO FIND SNAKES - HERPING FOR BEGINNERS

specific

essential

native

potentially