Big Coachwhip, The Importance of Good Fire, and A Very Special Frog!

[@angelayeager5678]

I’m a kid and I’m using my moms account and a couple days ago (March 11) I caught a Midland Watersnake. I grabbed it but then he looked back at me and bit me! It doesn’t even hurt that bad! I’m so inspired by all the snakes you find and I continue to try to find more! Thanks for the amazing content!

[@aaronkelley443]

Fantastic promotion of fire management, so very well said and so true. It’s absolutely essential to the health of the ecosystems in the southeast

[@SarahSmith-rx3xm]

And in the Midwest!

[@jameandthegiantpeach2273]

...👍

[@knivesgunfights526]

I am an old guy...74 yoa. During my life, I have only seen two people who have been able to handle big Coachwhips without some degree of aggression. The legend, Steve Irwin, and another legend in the making...you! I have lived in the South (Alabama), most all of my life. I can't call myself a herper...not in the strictest sense. I am totally fascinated by reptiles, particularly snakes. I have encountered most all, other than the Coral Snake. All of my encounters have been incredible, with mutual respect. Racers and Whips are absolutely fascinating. They are not the least bit aggressive until they feel threatened, and then they simply flee, or try to. These snakes are so very important to our world. Maybe someday folks will pay attention to you, and others, who do their part in trying to educate some knuckleheads who kill for no reason. I know you make fairly frequent trips to my State to try and "tame" some of our knuckleheads. I, for one, appreciate it.

[@timbow1356]

Coachwhips are 💯% under-appreciated. 🧐

[@deucemoose7852]

Very polite of you to help him out with that splinter!

[@mid-westbigfootresearchers8665]

Cool to know more about controlled burns, thanks! We were just down in Tate's Hell State Forest, Florida, and the Apalachicola National Forest, where they were doing some large controlled burns.

[@FreetoGrowBand]

Thanks for references to the benefits / requirements of fire in ecosystems. 👌👊

[@caramitten9526]

Your content (and the enthusiasm and respect you have for the critters) is addictive and inspiring! I lived in north GA for almost half a decade and did a ton of bird-watching, but only a small amount of herping. These vids make me want to go back for a visit :D

[@brentleyroyals3032]

The Coachwhip is amazing. I have never had the pleasure of seeing one in the habitat. You know the Piedmont of NC. Lots of Copperhead and Black Rat snakes. And Chorus frogs. Thanks again for sharing the knowledge. Always amazing

[@joshuahull9982]

Most people don't realize that controlled burns actually renew the habitat instead of destroy it. Like you said Noah it makes way for new growth and disposes of dead plants. You will also probably get a lot less ticks on you in areas that were recently burned. Thanks for pulling the thorn out of the coachwhip. It had to be incredibly uncomfortable having a literal thorn in it's side.

[@mikecee5122]

What a beautiful picture when the Coachwhip reared up! Fantastic

[@brickosaurus2276]

What you said about fire is so true! My dad did construction for a ministry a few years back. This ministry has like a TON of property. Anyway, the whole property needed controlled burning, and my dad helped maintain and control a lot of the burning. The interesting thing was that during the burning, a ton of snakes were seen escaping the fire. Which proves your point about creatures dying in the fire. Actually, about 80% of the animals in the woods survive when there's a controlled fire. It's also a good thing that my dad helped with that fire, because a few years later we lived in a RV park, which was located in a neighborhood with a lot of woods. So one night we were chilling in our RV when my brother noticed a grass fire across the small RV park. And we were able to put it out. Also, that coachwhip was epic!

[@owenjackson2390]

I always eat to your videos. You know you make good content when someone eats to your videos. Your videos are very relaxing to me, you're definitely in my top 10

[@andrewzepf7510]

I want to thank you for a few things: #1) Thanks for bringing up the issue of proper forest management. Before I joined the navy, I was planning to get a degree in wildlife or forest management, so I know a bit about it. All these wildfires that have raged the past few years out here in the west are getting blamed by the left on global warming, but there are plenty of us who realize that these infernos have been so bad because of the type of forest management that has been in place for several decades - ie a lack of management, a total hands-off, let the fuel buildup, let-the-insect-plagues-wipeout-entire-sections-of-forest type of management that leaves square miles of dead timber to rot and decay and provide fuel for fires. This same practice leaves wood to add megatons of carbon into the air as they rot and even more so when they burn uncontrollably, rather than harvest it and have all that carbon sequestered in products that we use and need. #2) Thank you for providing such great videos that highlight such an underappreciated part of our fauna. #3) You motivated me to do some flipping today - even if not a lot was flipped today. We were getting skunked, 'til right near the end we got a little something. Under one board we had a Vagrant Shrew, a Northern Alligator Lizard, and a large millipede. Right after that we nearly stepped on two Rough-skinned Newts. The birdlife where we went included a pair of Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Ring-necked Ducks. Even with so little, at least we got a little something from all the terrestrial vertebrate classes today.

[@knivesgunfights526]

Andrew Z: What an awesome post, buddy. You seriously have your act together. You posted one of the finest comments I have ever read. Incredible, absolutely incredible.

[@austinjk24]

Found a huge coach also in central TX the other day . Largest one I’ve ever seen in my life ! Great videos ! Thanks !

[@khaotic_snek]

I'm from central TX too, good to see herpers in my area!

[@samTollefson]

Your remarks on fire management were spot on! It is so important in so many ways, some pine species cone seeds will not germinate without being burned. Here in Central Florida all the little green tree frogs around my place have been eaten/displaced by invasive Cuban tree frogs that are much larger at 2 1/2" to 3" long. I made a heavy-duty rubber band gun that stuns them so I can euthanize them by freezing, but I fear I have lost the war and they are here to stay. Sigh!

[@clover7951]

Omg loved the video great to see things moving :)

[@stefanostokatlidis4861]

Fire is important to many ecosystems. Here in Greece for example we have a Mediterranean climate and all lower elevation’s have fire-prone Mediterranean vegetation. We have a problem with wildfires every summer. Although controlled burns would be the solution, people are too cowardly to implement it. More over, the land is narrower and many pine forests are around human settlements, making this project difficult. Fire is an important factor in a Mediterranean ecosystem. Also very nice coachwhip and toads.

[@samanthaedwards3059]

If you ever get a hankering to find some copperheads, timber rattlers, and cottonmouths, just let me know… I am from the Ozark hills, in the lower Mark Twain National Forest…. My dad was a logger, and we are local….so we know a lot of boggy places, ponds, and nice habitat for all sorts of snakes & other wildlife….. we also have the beautiful Big Springs in Van Buren where you could also see a lot of aquatic creatures…… we would love to show you around!

[@yoyoyo9669]

great work pulling out that thorn that was very kind of you! thanks for being a good person!

[@tombrewton7823]

I was fortunate enough to grow up on a small farm in MD in the 60s and spent time as you do wandering the woods and streams and admiring/collecting a wide range of snakes, salamanders, small fish and other native species (although I'm sure my enthusiasm was NOT shared by my Mom!). I admire your unique mix of enthusiasm/wonder and knowledge, not to mention your excellent ability to communicate both to your audience. It has been a joy to find you on YT!

[@michaelrice4016]

Love this stuff!!

[@matthewleach1368]

Thanks for the videos, caught my first snake yesterday thanks to you. I might name it after you or you channel. Have a good day

[@MostMarvelousMOCs]

Awesome vid

[@davidburke709]

As someone who worked at Yellowstone in 1989 (the year after the great fires) I agree with what you say about fire and the health of the forests and animals. Simple fact: when you allow deadfall build up in layers of several feet thick because you are preventing regular burns, the fire stays there longer and can produce enough heat to sterilize the soil several inches to a couple of feet below, where lighter deadfall amounts allowed the fire to move on. When I worked at Yellowstone in '89 it was a patchwork of light to moderate burn areas with areas either untouched by the flames or completely sterilized. Life is amazing, and would you know, except for the sterilized regions there were signs of animal life along with the grasses. The United States used to have an absolute ban on ALL forest fires in National Parks - even naturally caused ones. There were places in Yellowstone where the deadfall exceeded 16 feet in depth. Those were the fires that sterilized the soil several feet deep. In other words, there was no life detected including normally expected subterranean bacteria. Relatively few large animals died in the fires: elk, moose, and bison. Most sought refuge in the rivers of the park. Evolution claimed the others. Forests must burn from time to time because in some cases that fire allows plants to reproduce - especially among certain pine trees like the Lodgepole Pine that depend on heat from a mild forest fire to soften the resin in their cones and allow the release of their seeds. However, fire is generally seen as a destructive, and not productive force in our societies and popular culture. Fire is depicted as terrifying and nothing less than ruinous. It is hard to imagine any benefit from such events when fire itself is the very catalyst. Oh, who the heck am I kidding, I blame that damned "Bambi" movie

[@auburnbarter]

I'm in the Chattahoochee valley area and we have about 3500 acres if you ever want to come check it out let me know. It's literally every kind of terrain from fields, to deep woods, to swamps..

[@petercarmeci8317]

Nice job, Noah. Great video.

[@calewarner06]

Love the coachwhips, thank you for the education on controlled Burns as always great video

[@myserinity4779]

Man those coachwhips are so neat. I see them run across our driveway sometimes. 💚🐍

[@coloraturaElise]

Coachwhip...what a way to start the day!

[@stevehogan8829]

Congrats on the Wood frog. I don't post much but love watching you explore. Thank you.

[@chetchurchill9524]

Very educational Noah. Thx!

[@HobbyNewsPlus]

I really enjoy your channell. I like that you share a lot of knowledge in your videos.

[@kimharpe6074]

I just love frogs they are so cute and some are beautiful ❤

[@jenn1234]

Great video Noah! I love how you are always educating and you explain things very well. That snake was long and I loved how it was resting it’s head on you when you were holding it. Congrats on finding your wood frog! I love when you find things that you set out to find! Have a great night Noah! I can’t wait for the next video! 😄💙🐬🐊🐍

[@Scrambler85]

You are almost to 200,000 subscribers, congratulations 🎊 👏 💐 🥳 and a thumbs up 👍

[@wifeysman228]

Always love a good coachwhip!! 👍👍

[@willd639]

Thanks for that opening Noah. Now I have to pee…. Lol! Just kidding. Great video are always. Keep up the good work.

[@wesleymorris1]

Up here in Ohio I was in a riverbed flipping rocks and flipped this big flat rock over, and found the biggest toad, I've ever seen, it was as big as a dinner plate at least 6 inches wide, I wish I would of got a picture. The little town I was in is known for frogs and toads. The have frog jumping competition. It was just weird coming across a toad that big, Ive never seen one that size again.

[@tommills177]

Mr Noah. I found a headlamp like the one you use and it’s a game changer!

[@jakefromstatefarm9721]

They do controlled fires quite often in west central Florida. It’s pretty unnerving to see but in time you can see the benefits. It helps the gopher tortoise thrive and what a cool turtle to help out.

[@ckey777]

Give us that history and that environmental science. I really enjoyed how informative this video was! The habitat you were in looks similar to some isolated spots of prairie glades we have here in Alabama.

[@ProjectSimusFlorida]

Protect the habitat!

[@cnnroutside]

Love your rants! Extremely insightful

[@jefffox9361]

Very cool

[@thehoop74]

Controlled burns also help get rid of the ground brush to prevent accidental wildfires. They are very beneficial.

[@JimHerbertOutdoors]

Nice coachwhip, only seen 1 and it was in the Missouri glades. Had no idea how special they were to the herping world. Very cool snakes indeed. Had a couple 70 degree days out here in Kankakee but not much herp action besides turtles on logs. No water snakes out at my den site yet. Have a good one ✌

[@ThePollaton]

Really interesting listening to you talk about controlled burning.

[@degganodontlie6978]

had one of these lurk around my house for years we put up a bird net for the small koi pond and he ended up getting caught in it got a couple love bites freeing em was so tangled

[@fpcooper95]

Your first new vid since I've been subscribed, very exciting!

[@bryanhauschild4376]

Coachwhip: my personal Favorite.

[@richardcraig8780]

Loved that intro

[@kizmo2317]

As we say in southwest Georgia/north Florida: It's going to burn sooner or later, but it's best if it burns sooner.

[@ahhhhhhhh5071]

you know what would have been scary, when he went to put one of the frogs on the side of the road, then all the noise stopped. btw this was a fun video to watch.

[@Taylordude-Productions]

Thank you for being level-headed and not falling for liberal nonsense. Without proper underbrush management, you end up uncontrollable wildfires. Love your channel my friend.

[@PapaPepper]

I was just thinking about Coachwhips. Only found 2 so far, but I'm hoping for another one this year

[@auzziefive]

"I see one he has a raft, look at his raft" dude do freaking funny LOL

[@PetfaxTV]

I’m just here for the fire importance 🤤🤤🤤

[@joshuahull9982]

My pet eastern milksnake has finally starting eating again after not eating for a few months. She was found trapped in the lobby of my cousins workplace and my cousin brought her to me. Most of my cousins coworkers wanted to kill her. She ate a large pinkie mouse.

[@whome1299]

Coachwhips are my favorite snakes. ❤️

[@jabronjunklove760]

Noah needs to get a bumper sticker that says "My other ride is a Coachwhip."

[@thefishandwildlifereport7441]

Great footage! I pray Michigan learns to burn more.

[@getoffmylawn8986]

Are you sure you're not the "Coachwhip Whisperer"? I collected snakes in N Florida as a kid, and I could never get near a coachwhip. They took off like freakin' rockets. I was a fast runner then, but I could never catch one. I don't know how you get them to just sit there and look at you.

[@NKFherping]

Once you catch them they will usually go into a trance similar to Hognoses playing dead but less dramatic, and lucky for me it was cool outside this day so he wasn’t completely warmed up yet. On a hot summers day I wouldn’t have been so lucky.

[@garrettdowell1354]

Control burns= natures reset button. Makes it run better

[@bluemouse5039]

If I saw that in the woods, I would think it was a black Mamba that somebody had as a pet and let it go

[@cheaplaughkennedy2318]

I read a piece on the reintroduction of the Indigo snake in Alabama, really interesting.

[@andrewzepf7510]

Two questions: #1) What does the NKF stand for? #2) What is your home county in Georgia? Thanks for all these herp videos - been watching yours and others a lot lately, but mostly yours!

[@jaredgorrell1108]

NKF is his initials

[@andrewzepf7510]

@@jaredgorrell1108 Thank you. Would you happen to know the answer to the other question?

[@iamphoenixfire]

Indigenous land management is super fascinating and downright tragic given what happened in colonizing the americas. It’s not even just controlled burns! It’s also managing flora and fauna in ways that European colonizers were unfamiliar with. This is one of the reasons you should find out whose land you live on!! The people who lived here for thousands of years know more about where to look and what’s what than the people who’ve been here for a few hundred

[@wesleymorris1]

Control burns is also good for mushroom hunters, I find morals all the time in controlled burn sites in Ohio.

[@Hippiekinkster]

YOU ARE LUCKY! I was in SF several years ago; my ex had an apartment in Sunnyvale for her work. We had two friends from ATL fly out with me. I got some beautiful dry-aged prime ribs, some morels and fresh green peas (which I shelled), some artichokes we'd bought the day before, and some alpine strawberries. Excellent CA wines. I sauteed the morels and peas in a bit of artisanal butter, then added cream and some fresh grated nutmeg. One of the best dinners I've ever done. You can dry morels, you know.

[@avrumatchison5664]

im new here. enjoyed it. i have 4 australian tree frogs.

[@danielmcguire7752]

Pine trees seeds are very dependent on fire because the intense heat causes the seed pods to pop open allowing them to spread and certain animals are also dependent of fire because it allows new homes and food for them and new plant growth sadly yes some animals do perish from the flames but without it there'd be no animals at all and without it there would no plant growth and no plants means no habitat so Control Burns are important and we do need them

[@sting1111]

It’s either going to burn controlled now or uncontrolled later.

[@brandoncourteau9696]

If you’re ever in MN look me up we’ve got some pretty sweet stuff here and I know a sweet late summer spot for rare blandings turtles… western hognose and gopher snakes, gopher snakes are always cranky tho so I try to leave them to their hunting

[@MichaelCarolina]

So correct...the southeast definitely need more fire

[@nickveu664]

Actually have seen a Louisiana pine snake once, right outside kisatchie national forest

[@Hippiekinkster]

Greetings! I cannot remember, nor can I find, the vid wherein you were playing with that lunatic Garter snake. Can you help me out? Danke!

[@biggregg5]

I'm following up on my Granddaughter, Kalissa's post. She has expressed a real interest in going out and finding snakes, and we've been out a few times, and found primarily worm snakes and brown snakes. I thought it may be time to step it up. We're in Charlotte, NC, and would love a recommendation on snake gold mines near us.

[@davidmoyer1344]

Cool frog control fire will save him you think..

[@jasonwolfe9892]

Here in WNY we have a pretty good wood frog population. I wish we had more species of herps though. I need to move down south.

[@Hippiekinkster]

There's an endangered species of rattlesnake in the Bergen swamp. I used to live about 5 miles north of the swamp, but never went there.

[@jasonwolfe9892]

@@Hippiekinkster yes, the Pygmy rattlesnake. I believe there are only 2 know populations of them in NYS.

[@voodoodolly]

Wow 😮

[@Nighteyesmoonfire]

Fire = more life

[@chateaumojo]

That American toad in the road looks nearly as yellow as that stripe on the road. Do they change color?

[@drewmattei7613]

I have a question the trees that have been burned on the bottom but are still standing some with green on them are they still alive. Also thanx for the info about controlled burning it was verry fascinating great vid

[@fredwilliams8305]

As a resident of N. FL how can I differentiate between water snakes and cottonmouths?

[@philipwethington7965]

It does look better I sure hope it kill some bad bugs also, I sure hope you show what it looks like in April and May that coachwhip (?) looks like it is going to be shedding because it eyes look odd not sure if I am right (?) I am not a snake person

[@fly_speck_cafe]

Androcles and the coachwhip. Salamanders have been associated with fire for a very long time.

[@khaotic_snek]

What, in your opinion, is the best way to locate public land? I've been searching around my area and I cannot seem to find any.

[@davidfield23]

Parks, State and Federal lands like WMA’s and forests are public land. Find your states fish and game website and it will list most public lands.

[@evelynbrady308]

Hey it’s kalissa me and my grand father and I are planning on going on a road trip to look for snakes I was wondering if you could tell us the closest place to charlotte North Carolina were we can find lots of snakes?

[@foreverjim5240]

Are pinesnakes and bull snakes the same thing. I've seen a bull here in Jackson county ga, but maybe it was a pine??

[@davidfield23]

No bulls in GA. So most likely a Pine.

[@missjo5ie]

Rant about controlled burns as much as you like 😍

[@hurricanetheta1_WX]

I have The mettel Tin at my house

[@Sushi2735]

I thought I was getting better at learning to identify snakes. Not! I thought the Coachwhip, WAS acBlack Racer. Of well.

[@glopple]

i see frog i click

[@mikeeickhoff4855]

How much is gas down there? It’s $3.75 in central Minnesota

[@davidfield23]

About $4.29 currently.

[@-neuro]

I have a question for anyone here who knows the answer Would I be able to find snakes in Pennsylvania, in late march, in 60ish degree weather? I was looking all day and didnt find any but I used to find some last year I would go out I would find like 5-10 a day

[@thadhamilton4812]

hi hi hi

[@danparker8254]

Didn’t those toads pee on you?

[@timwhiting6721]

Make it illegal for mouthbreathers to build in these areas , or teach people how to live in harmony with animals instead of destrpying everything.

[@joedoakes8307]

Get off the Road Brandon......;.