"Wow there's so many photographers here today, make sure to get my good side!" - Semipalmated Plover
This observation is of the Fish, rather than the Snake that ingested it (listed separately).
My colleagues and I took this photograph of an actual original and unique X-Ray (physical "hard copy") film made in the Emergency Room of the University hospital in which I worked night shifts back in 2002. It was the regional center for medical treatment of snake bites in north central Florida. This Florida Cottonmouth's (Agkistrodon conanti) coiled body, head to tail, can be measured on the original film by laying a piece of string on the image, tracing the course of the backbone. At 58 inches, or 4 feet 10 inches (147 centimeters) then, this a pretty large snake as Water Moccasins go.
What's more, one of the main reasons we X-rayed it at all was that it had clearly recently eaten something. It had a large bulge in it's stomach, down about a third of it's body length, just past its air-filled lungs that are visible on the film as well defined darker shapes. We found the bulge was a big fish with a large blunt bony skull and easily discernable swim bladder, which we thought to be a catfish (though we lacked an Ichthyologist amongst the E.R. staff of course).
I can follow the fish's spine for much of its length in the image, but lose it somewhere along the snake's lung in the extreme right of the picture. There is an interesting and distinct structure visible at the top that looks to me like a bony spine at the front of the dorsal fin. The skull is about 7 centimeters long, and the fin spine about 3 centimeters long, measured directly from the actual film. I don't know whether the loose dense material below the swim bladder represents the fish's stomach contents, or something else in the snake's stomach. The X-Ray film was 11 by 14 inches in size, so the fish must have been roughly around a foot (30 centimeters) long in total. We did not, in any case dissect the snake in the E.R.
My impression at the time was that this was most likely something like a Brown Bullhead, just judging from what I could make out of its size and shape. It would be fascinating to hear from someone more familiar with fish skeletons and anatomy. I am sure identification from an X-Ray is possible, considering what can be done with even fossil remains among experts. I will defer to anyone with more experience reading fish X-rays.
The Radiological Technician that made the actual exposure for us on film, at my request, wrote the details of the exposure for future reference on the film itself, which, though the film suffered damage when it was later stolen from my vehicle inside a locked briefcase and dumped out in a back alley and further mistreated both by the thieves and the weather, I can still read most of what he wrote with a "magic marker":
"40(or 46) MA
1 MAS
56 KV"
Are there any X-Ray Tech's out there who can confirm that that is in fact a good exposure for a big dead snake with enclosed fish?
His eyes look like a little heart, really cute. You can see him back on the Bathroom ceiling in the last photo.
Collected from fence beneath oak tree. This was next to a normal Metaphidippus manni male, and is substantially larger. @calebcam @salttaxa I would appreciate any input on this- I don't quite know what I'm looking at. Obviously there's something wrong with the palps, but otherwise I'm not sure if this is M. manni or another species entirely, though none else would make sense in this location? Maybe this is an intersex individual??
~2mm, with thin film of web on the aggregate patio, partly under a table leg. I’m hoping someone can narrow it down because I’m not even sure where to begin.
Fast-receding, wind-driven low tide left many large squids stuck on the beach. Gulls were pecking at them while still alive. I saw a fisherman go collect one as bait and dog food.
I think? Completely dark with no color anywhere on it which is very unusual. The one time I don’t have my camera…
A battle between a San Diego Gopher Snake and California Ground Squirrel that ended in a draw.
Predated by male Kestrel and delivered to female. Kestrel observation in other submission.
Bug Wall
Attracted to front porch light.
American Black Bear - Ursus americanus
This young bear was informed that, no, they could not come into the hatchery and dine on the fresh salmon buffet.
Cardinal getting territorial with itself in this mirror. It was doing the same thing last week too. It spends a not-insignificant amount of time battling itself.
Sometimes you just gotta mash the shutter for too long
Years ago, I heard that this moth will nectar at Manzanita flowers, but I thought I'd never be lucky enough to see it myself. This was spectacular, and the moth was very cooperative. Note that in some photos you can see it "cheating" by nectaring through holes in the side of the flower, and in one shot you can see the pollen falling our of the flower and then being blown upward in the updraft from the moth's wings!
Experts - What is going on here? This male American Kestrel sure did seem to have the hots for this female Merlin. He kept trying to get close to her and even brought her a few treats (insects?) from the grass beneath the fence. She accepted the treats but didn't seem thrilled with the attention. However, when he flew off, she followed him...
photo by Rickard Zerpe
DCIM\100GOPRO\G0029166.
Credit: Ocean Networks Canada / Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility
Few (2-10 individuals)
Tide On Rise Mid Arvo
Eating a still-moving fish crow
Melanistic juvenile (likely male based on size relative to the Great-tailed Grackle it was feeding upon). Verified by William Clark, and Lance and Jill Morrow. First observed by M. Silvas with me, and I shouted "melanistic Cooper's Hawk, OMG" as I identified the bird preliminarily, before submitting it to experts for review.
N31.070728 W-97.369269
JPK-2925