There’s something primal and unforgettable about the sound of a swamp at night. The buzz of insects, the croaks, chirps, trills, and barks, these aren’t just background noise. For those of us who live for herping, these calls are a living soundtrack that tells us...
Few snakes can stop you in your tracks the way a rainbow boa does. When light hits the scales of Epicrates cenchria at just the right angle, the entire body erupts in a shifting spectrum of color, coppery bronze, electric blue, neon green, and deep violet all...
When most people think of the Himalayas, they picture snow-capped peaks, elusive snow leopards, and Buddhist monasteries perched on cliffs. But for those of us who live for herping, tracking down and observing reptiles and amphibians in the wild, there’s another...
In the world of herping, few species strike the perfect balance between beauty and biology quite like the red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas). With its bright scarlet eyes, lime green body, bold blue and yellow lateral stripes, and vivid orange feet, this frog...
If you’re into herping, Florida might seem like paradise. Swamps, marshes, tropical temps, and a staggering diversity of cold-blooded creatures, what’s not to love? But beneath all that wild beauty lies a growing problem: invasive reptiles and amphibians that are...
Draped across a branch in a perfect coil, its vivid green body marked with white lightning-bolt stripes, the emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) is one of the most visually stunning snakes on Earth. For anyone who has ever gone herping in the Amazon Basin, spotting an...
If you’ve been herping for a while, chances are your memory is packed with sightings, locations, and near-misses that you swear you’ll never forget. But the truth is, you will. That’s where a field herping journal comes in. Whether you’re just getting into herping or...
In the world of herping, experience is the best teacher, but that doesn’t mean you have to learn everything the hard way. Whether you’re just starting out or have a few decades under your belt, there are common field herping mistakes that even seasoned guys can...
When most guys think of herping, snakes, frogs, or maybe even a Gila monster come to mind. But dig a little deeper, literally, and you’ll stumble upon one of South America’s weirdest and most elusive herps: the Bolivian Collared Amphisbaenid (Amphisbaena boliviensis)....
The rattlesnake’s rattle is one of the most recognizable sounds in the animal kingdom. That dry, buzzing warning has stopped hikers, herpers, and large mammals in their tracks for millions of years. But how did a simple tail wiggle become one of nature’s...
