A bushmaster in the dark

It was a dark and stormy night and...

Well, actually it was dark, especially on the trail that wound beneath the towering rainforest trees. And it had stormed (but earlier that day). The forest floor was still drenched and the trees continued to drip the earlier rainfall from the canopy leaves.

With just over a day left before we were to leave the rainforest. all participants were determined to make the most of the remaining time. It had been dark for hours, but many herpers were again out on the trails, some herping along the edges of the reservoir and a few (me included in these latter efforts) trying to catch up on picture taking.

Finally all had straggled in, wet, muddy, butwith a few more herp finds to their already impressive lists. But after a few minutes Matt Cage and Mike Pingleton, trip leaders both, decided to take "just one more" hike. Off they went, down the long trail towards the river. Forty five minutes later, Matt was coming back across the compound clearing hollering, "Bushmaster, big bushmaster. Mike's keeping it on the trail, but we need help."

Needless to say, they got the help they wanted, the 6+ foot long, three-quarters grown bushmaster was safely and gently bagged, and was brought back to camp for all to photograph.

Following the photo session during which everyone had to take "just one more picture" (about 20 times each), the beautiful snake, a heavy-bodied female, was returned to the exact spot where she had been found, and released.

Another photo under the jump...

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.