Bryan Christy

Old school snake hunters call looking for snakes, “flipping tin.” Why? On account of that’s what you do.

Are you too fat, too old, or your weather too cold to go out and dig through trash for reptiles?  Don’t worry, it’s Oscar season. You can go reptile hunting without leaving your sofa.  From the advert pages of Vanity Fair and New York Times Magazine to the latest awards ceremony there’s plenty of opportunity to flip a little bling and find a python or two.  You’ll see snakeskin shoes and bags, alligator belts, and more. If you’re good, you can even ID the species.

So where do these come from?

I don’t agree with Peta on its anti-pet shop policy but I do think they’re on track with this video:

Inside the Exotic-Skins Trade.

I have vid of a far larger operation in the videos section.

If you’re like me, I’m sorry.  But if you’re like me you’re always snake hunting.  You judge the distance between the dumpster and the woods behind your local Target…on road trips, you keep a running ticker in your mind, evaluating the time of day, the temp., and the last time it rained as you look for downed street signs and decaying barns, nodding to whatever the driver has to say about the Phillies or her new problem at work.  You notice snakeskin bags and boots, lizardskin wristwatch straps and business card cases.  You open magazines and look for snakes.  You can find them easily most months in Vanity Fair (e.g., page 9,  March 2009, www.bally.com)), and the Sunday New York Times Magazine (page 53,  Feb. 15, 2009 Marc Jacobs –but also look for the reptilian bits this week on the shelves of Yves Saint Laurent, pp. 44-45 (see star tortoise shell?))–really, there is no out of season when it comes to reptiles killed for fashion. 

If you’re like me you try to ID whatever you find from the snatch of skin.  (The correct answer is almost always reticulated python.)  It’s The Year of the Python.   Last year I was invited to where all those python skin fashions begin.  This year, while watching the Oscars you may see a python or two walking the red carpet, or maybe a monitor lizard (on a watch strap) shaking hands with a star, giving you a chance to flip some tin without ever leaving your sofa.  Try it.  You’ll be amazed how much reptile is all around you.