Return to The Islands!

This past weekend as the adventures in Reptilian Conquests continued, our crew found itself back on the Erie Islands. After filming there almost 2 months ago we returned to finish shooting the Lake Erie Water Snake (LEWS) segment. We had pretty good luck last time around but we were not completely happy with the size of the snakes captured. This time around was another story...I will have the scars to prove it.

In addition to filming LEWS we also returned to shoot some aerial footage of the islands to use as establishing shots.

With the help of an amazing islander who is also a veteran pilot we took to the skies and shot some incredible stuff...

With storms moving in the aerial work was risky but well worth it.

While on North Bass Island we focused on capturing LEWS. Early on in the filming I spotted the biggest snake I had ever seen...it must have been close to 6 feet long and was as big around as my arm. The snake took off quickly into a break wall along side of the lake and thrusting my hand into the rocks (not something we recommend doing) I managed to get a hand on her...unfortunately the snake was too strong and to avoid hurting the animal it had to be released before we could get it out of the rocks...it will forever be the Mother of all Water Snakes...that got away.

However...not to be disappointed I soon after managed to capture another monster...nearly 3 1/2 feet long this female LEWS was not to happy to be handled and she let me know it.

We have many mottos on The Reptile Show..and one of the most important is..."Never turn your back on a Reptile"...well, I broke that motto and as I was trying to reposition myself to present the scene to the cameras our captured reptile struck my hand and reeked havoc on my pointer finger.

These snakes are not venomous, however they do have mouths fully of pin like, razor sharp teeth...and a mild anti-coagulant in their saliva...the bite was bloody and pretty deep but it made for some great entertainment.

If you are wondering..."Did the bite hurt?" The answer is YES...but it was more of a pulsating pain that came after the segment was finished being filmed. When the adrenaline gets going you don't really notice your finger is gushing blood...but when the reptile is released back into the wild and your cameraman says..."you're getting blood every where we need to bandage that thing up" then you notice the aftermath of the encounter.

We captured several snakes on the course of the trip...but it was this one pictured just above and below who took the award for friendliest snake of all time.

This female was captured on Middle Bass Island and didn't even try to bite me.

In fact...she sat on my lap for about 30 minutes while we photographed her, even let the camera get this incredibly close. When let loose back into the water...she just kind of hung out and then slowly slithered on off. Quite a difference from the first encounter of the day.

In all it was a great trip...dedicated mostly to snakes and B Roll of the island scenery. We did also shoot some great Green and Bull Frog footage...but didn't run into any turtles this time around.

A big thanks to everyone who assisted us on this trip, especially Jeff Fine for braving the extremely rough Lake Erie waves as he boated us back and forth from Middle to North Bass Island, we couldn't have made this trip such a success with out you!

I'm Coyote Peterson, and this...is The REPTILE Show!

PS...cameraman Chammp Swaggerty on top of a Blue School Bus...looks photo shopped but believe us...NBI is that surreal!

Mission Relocation!

We catch a lot of ugly beasts on The Reptile Show, most of them are dangerous, scaly and come equipped with teeth, claws and razor sharp jaws. But every once in a while we catch something cute...a little slimy...but in our books 10 buttons of cuteness.

Today in a puddle behind the office I captured and relocated 4 Baby Bull Frogs. Fresh off their time as tadpoles these little hoppers were all sharing a puddle with about a gallons worth of water in it.

A dangerous little scenario for these young amphibians because little did they realize...their current abode was right in the pathway of landscaper destruction. As a matter of fact, the puddle they called home sweet home was nothing more then a depression from a large lawnmower.

Being the lover of critters that I am...it was with out question that these green micro frogs be relocated to a larger retention pond that is in the office complex. They were very happy to be let go in a new setting and will hopefully thrive and grow up to become monster sized Bull Frogs. As Kermit always said..."it ain't easy bein' green!"

I'm Coyote Peterson and today...its The Amphibian Show!

Right Place...Right Time!

This past weekend our gang of Reptilian Enthusiasts headed to northeastern Ohio for two days of intense filming. Dual location stops on the schedule always makes for an interesting time, The Holden Arboretum, located in Kirtland, Ohio and The Rookery in Newbury, Ohio were our exploration destinations.

This was our second official shooting date at Holden's and one of our best filming experiences yet. The Rookery was more of a scouting trip and we loved what we found...the plan is to return to this location in August to film a full segment.

The adventure began about 7:00 Saturday morning and right from the start things were interesting. A large Snapping Turtle was spotted in a small pond behind Holden's visitor center...we moved in to make a catch...but the turtle some how eluded us...it was one of those head scratchers where you say to yourself..."How the heck did this beast run the coop on us?" Oh well...the morning was young and the challenges were only going to get trickier.

After filming a few frog segments we headed toward a body of water that had less plant life growing in it. This has its pros and its cons...pros being with less plant life large turtles are easier to spot...cons...Snapping Turtles are incredibly fast swimmers, especially in open water...so making a capture here was going to be a very difficult thing. It was going to get muddy and without question it was going to be DANGEROUS!

Early on we had two really great oportunites to make catches...following bubble trails on the waters surface we slowly tracked a first and then second Snapping Turtle. Both encounters began with me running from the shore and diving head first into the water after the elusive creatures...ending with nothing but hands full of mud and broken confidence. Despite the fact that it is always a bummer to miss on a catch...sometimes it really makes great footage to show that we don't always get the animal we are after.

As the day went on we captured a beautiful Northern Water Snake...all in all it was the best NWS segment we have shot to date.

Watching as the snake swam in from the middle of pond right down to a game of cat and mouse on the shore line until I made a running sideways dive into the water to barely grab hold of the serpent just before it disappeared into the murky abyss.

By late afternoon we were getting ready to call it a day...the sun was draining and the temperatures were pushing 90 degrees. Most of the animals had hunkered down from the drudging heat and our team was beaten, bruised and bitten from the snake segments and failed Snapper attempts.

In a last effort we took a peek along the edge of one last bog, ready to call it a day when camera man Chammp Swaggerty called out..."right there...somethings moving...what is that?" I was quick to pop up the binoculars and just as I did the enormous carapace of a Snapping Turtle breached the duckweed covered bog top. "That's a Snapping Turtle...and its a big one!" I began to intro the segment, setting up the precarious scenario before us, and then it was go time. The turtle came to a rest with just its nose above the surface of the water...quickly getting into position we set up the catch and the action began. To keep the story short...and the real adventure for the episode lets just say this, to date, this past weekend's Snapping Turtle encounter, capture and filming has been the best yet! This encounter was truly a "Right Place...at the Right Time" sort of thing.

Here are some pictures of the beast...35lbs, 15 inch carapace. Not a world record but a pretty sizable animal. The difficulties of the environment and the fight this animal put up during capture probably put another 30 lbs on it all, making for one heck of a segment.

Wrestling this monster from a waist deep sink bog resulted in cuts, scrapes and some disgustingly large leeches! At one point there were 12 on my legs.

Because why wouldn't you want to get the camera this close to an animal that can take your finger off with a single chomp! One of our favorite shots to get with these animals, once they have calmed down, is the up close look into the eye of a true prehistoric beast.

The weekend was an incredible success. In addition to what you see here the team also captured several Bull Frogs and two awesome Midland Painted Turtles. For a complete set of this weekends adventure photos check out our Facebook page!

Special thanks goes out to everyone who helped us this past weekend and photo credits go to field biologist Rick Rozic, field photographer Zoom LeFluer and graphic designer Lonnie Ross...you guys did an awesome job...the pics speak for themselves!

I'm Coyote Peterson and this...is The REPTILE Show!

Coyote and Pup Peterson Catch It All!

For most people, Independence Day means family, fireworks, and a good ole' fashion cookout...all of which we did this past weekend, however, there's always time for Reptiles and Amphibians. So for the 4th of July my girlfriend Fox Peterson and I took our daughter, young Pup Peterson, out to The Holden Arboretum for some much needed exploring in the natural world.

The Holden Arboretum is a great place for family oriented exploration...a multitude of ponds, lakes, bogs, marshes, fields and forests makes a true playground for children of all ages. The Reptile Show is many things, and aside from the action and adventure, its deepest rooted message is to encourage people to get out of the house and explore the natural world around them. Most importantly...our goal is to inspire the next generation of explorers and this past weekend...that is exactly what happened.

Despite the incredibly warm temperatures we still managed to find quite a few Reptiles and Amphibians. We searched out the shady cool areas of Holden's and managed to first find this guy...a beautiful American Toad.

Enjoying some early afternoon shade I spotted him plumped up on a damp patch of moss. I pointed the bumpy, wart covered amphibian out to Pup and said, "Get your binoculars ready...I'll give this one a go and give you an up close look!" American Toads are probably the safest animal you can possibly catch. No Claws, they don't bite, they are pretty slow and they are covered in bumpy wart-looking skin, so having one slip out of your hands is probably NOT going to happen. Oh, and for the record...it's an old wives tale that you can get warts from a Toad...but trust me...they will pee on you!

After our Toady success we ventured along side of a lily pad marsh and as we approached the water a Midland Painted Turtle scurried from the bank and began to make his way into the muck.

With Pup standing watch I sprinted, dove, splashed and successfully captured the turtle...but not before sinking nearly waist deep into the mud. It was a pretty remarkable catch, if you don't mind me tooting my own horn, and to be honest...I am not really sure how I manage to get this turtle...luck must have been on our side because in all actuality... between the time the turtle spotted us and the time I made my capture... he should have been long gone and disappeared into the murky abyss of the marsh.

Maybe this Midland Painty knew that Pup had been asking all day for "1 Turtie...1 Frog" She is only 2...so turtles are "Turties"... and by the way, Snapping Turtles don't count because according to Pup..."they stink". And like a good little herpetologist who knows her field signs, she is right...they do STINK!

With a Toad and a Painted Turtle checked off the list it was time to move on to snakes...some incredible success was delivered to us by Mother Nature in the form of an Eastern Garter Snake and two awesome Northern Water Snakes.

Typically Water Snakes are incredibly aggressive...nonvenomous, but mouths full of needle like teeth can always be an issue. I always expect to get bit...as I did...but it was actually the Garter Snake that was the most aggressive...something you don't see all that often.

Eastern Garter Snake

Northern Water Snake

Northern Water Snake

Pup stayed at a safe distance for the captures but enjoyed seeing the animals up close once they were under control and calmed down. Is it normal for a 2 year old little girl to love snakes? In our family it is!

My goal is to always show Pup the king of the environment and despite the fact that she is pretty bored with Snapping Turtles at this point...and thinks that they "STINK", I always love to show her these ferocious beasts.

As luck would have it...we found ourselves in the right place at the right time and just as I was about to start catching some juvenile Bull Frogs we spotted a Snapping Turtle coming in for his lunch.

The situation was a bit tricky, and the water pretty deep...but with Mama Fox watching Pup and keeping her at a safe distance from the action, I managed to make a pretty good, slightly acrobatic jump and twisting turn in the air to land behind the turtle and make the catch. I assure you...this reptile was none too happy to be disturbed during his lunch hour and in a splash of furry the pond erupted in claws and jaws, mud and deep water. From shore I could hear Pup saying, "awww Papa...Turtie Stinks...Snapping Turtie he's a stinks!".


After wrestling the Snapper back to land I gave Pup a safe look from a distance, took some pictures and put the beast back into feed, explaining to her that Snapping Turtles are the top predator in the wetland ecosystem and that you never get close to a turtle of this size...always get Papa if you see one...don't try to pet it or pick it up yourself.

As impressed and excited as I was with the Snapper and my daring capture...Pup was still after the frogs and keep saying, "Papa...1 Frog Please...1 Frog".


So as promised...and last but not least...we spent the rest of the trip catching Bull Frogs...this one was her favorite and after blowing him a kiss she helped me release him back into the pond...

Where hopefully he didn't become lunch for the Snapping Turtle!


It was a fun filled family weekend...our team of Reptilian Enthusiasts works incredibly hard when the cameras are rolling but it is important, no matter how hard you work...or what your profession, always make time for your family. Fox and I feel it is a truly touching and remarkable thing to have our daughter be so into nature...this weekend she got to see the entire ecosystem, not just the Reptiles and Amphibians...but the ducks, geese, dragonflies, chipmunks and even some spiders.


The Holden Arboretum is probably the best place in Ohio to take your family if you are looking to see animals in their natural environments... so plan a weekend to check it out...I guarantee you it will be a blast!

I'm Coyote Peterson and this...is The REPTILE Show!