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First Contact with a Python
Python regius — Ball Python
The moment it all began — age 8, reaching out with both hands to touch a coiled Ball Python. Zero fear, only a fascination that never faded.
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Holding a Juvenile Gator
Alligator mississippiensis
37 million years of evolution, held in two hands. Those eyes already carried the ancient intelligence of one of nature's most enduring apex predators.
December 2018 Field Encounter
Species to be identified
A close-up video encounter from December 2018. The movement, the behavior — every frame a reminder of how much snakes communicate without a single sound.
December 2018 Field Encounter II
Species to be identified
The second video from the same outing — a different angle, a different moment. Each encounter adds a new layer to the record.
October 2023 Field Encounter
Species to be identified
A 2023 encounter — five years of experience in every movement of the hands, every read of the animal's body language. Growing confidence, growing respect.
October 2023 Field Encounter II
Species to be identified
The same afternoon, a second encounter — the snake moving differently now, more relaxed. A reminder that patience is the first skill in field observation.