but I'm not afraid of them either. I grew up in Thomasville, GA, just north of Tallahassee. I went to school at Valdosta State University. My favorite course was Herpetology. We collected lots of different specimens. My mom loved it when I was able to capture the red headed skink that had been plaguing her bird feeder for a while. The coolest thing was making a hognosed snake go through it defense mechanisms. First it looks like a cobra, even to the spread out ribs, then it will act like a rattle snake, finally it will turn over and play dead. Even if you turn it back over it will turn over and show it's white belly. Funny as heck!!

My professor had a highly endangered indigo snake in her office. Picky eater!! Only liked live gerbils and it was fairly mean. Got a few bites from her.

We also saw endandered species like the gopher tortise and bull snake( a 6 footer!). This and the ornithology course were great summer classes I took as a Biology major.

My daughters freak at the sight of a snake or lizard, or the little Mediterranean geckos that have become dominant in N.TX. My cat likes to play with snakes and lizards.

Nanci, guess I would never pick up a coral snake but I have seen a couple in my life time.

Some of y'all would love the Herpetarium at the Fort Worth(TX) Zoo. It's ranked as one of the best in the world. Even have a couple of Kamodo dragons!!

Believe or not, you will pass by about 85% of the reptiles in the forest and never know they are there. Most people get into trouble when they step over logs in the pathways and get struck by a snake on the other side. Always look over the log before you step!!

Well, there's my advice for the day.

BTW, the knee surgery went well and the daughter's eye surgery also went great. It may be a couple more weeks before I can get on the bike but I'm working towards that end.

Donna