Very cool catch on the coral snake! It would have to chew on you for a while to do any harm (rear-fanged and small head). I've never seen one in the wild - always have wanted to. I spent a good bit of time in south Louisiana (grad school) and was able to see some nice snakes down there. Nothing too exciting around here (MS) - garter snakes, garter snakes, garter snakes.

I agree with you - you're either a herp person or you're really really not. There's not much in between. My daughter (age 4) is showing a lot of curiosity about frogs and snakes - I'm doing my best to encourage it.

I like your collection of herps - very nice. What kind of tortoise? I had a 6 foot boa once. I turned a closet into a habitat for it. Very cool until it escaped and ended up in the rafters in the basement I donated it to the local DNR for them to use in environmental programs (in MD).