Tunitas Creek sharp-tailed snake

04/02/2011 @ 5:48:46 PM PDT
Riding up Tunitas Creek Road in coastal San Mateo County, I found a curious-looking stick on the road under the redwoods. It was very straight, but ever so slightly undulating. I picked it up, and it became a dead snake, and when I started to put it back down, it became a very alive Sharp-tailed snake (Contia longicaudae). Charmed by the warmth of the road, it was probably waiting for some food to amble by.