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what it's like
TO BE A HERPER
Jordan Johnson hikes away from his camping tent. When he reaches a rock with the perfect crevice, he stops. His hand on the rock, ready to flip it over, Johnson, 2007 graduate, feels an adrenaline rush close to what he imagines a racecar driver feels on the track. As he flips the rock he sees it: the beautiful 3-foot-long Copperhead, his favorite viper snake. The snake is still until Johnson touches him. The snake isn't slimy, but very smooth and soft. He moves the snake to the perfect position to get a good shot with his camera. Once he's taken the perfect picture, Johnson puts the rock exactly where it
Jordan Johnson holding a red Milksnake.
was before to respect the animal's habitat.
A self-proclaimed herper—a person who simply loves to see amphibians and reptiles—Johnson spends his time traveling around with friends on herping trips looking for snakes to photograph. Johnson says for the most part, a herper is also an amateur photographer.Aware of most people's hate for the animal. Johnson aims to take a beautiful picture of a snake in order to share his love for the animal with others.
"If I can learn a lot about them and am able to see them for their beauty and their ecological importance, then I have an opportunity to educate others about them," Johnson says.
- Rebekah Scaperlanda
06 04.03.2008
VOL.5 ISS.26
interesting fact: Recent analyses suggest that the best-known species of saber toothed tigers was 1.5 to two times heavier than the average Lion. -www.amonline.net.au
contact the writer:
rscaperlanda@kansan.com