nmherps

Tunitas Creek sharp-tailed snake

2011-07-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

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.

People's Park Amphibian

2010-07-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

07/18/2010 @ 12:43:07 PM PDT
I found this Aboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris) while working in a garden adjacent to People's Park in Berkeley, CA. It lived among the discarded hypodermic needles of the drug addicts that habituate the park. I moved it away from the fence to the other side of the garden, picking it up with cupped hands, which was the right way to do so. I didn't know it at the time, but it turns out that these things have a mouth full of nasty-looking teeth and they are sometimes liable to bite if you grab them.

Tour de Snake

2010-07-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

I usually spend at least 4 hours of my weekend road cycling in unbelievably gorgeous coastside San Mateo County, where I'm always on the lookout for snakes. This past Saturday paid off with two good catches.

07/11/2010 @ 12:43:07 PM PDT
At a little past the midway point of the 61-mile ride, my chain came off. After I put it back on, I reached to this piece of cardboard to wipe the grease off my fingers. Lo and behold, a nice 4ish foot Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer), was using it for its bedroom ceiling.

07/11/2010 @ 12:43:52 PM PDT
As usual, we got a rattlesnake impersonation act. They can be pretty convincing to the less-herp inclined.

07/11/2010 @ 1:03:14 PM PDT
A few miles further along in the ride, we came upon this California yellow-bellied racer (Coluber mormon). This was the first time I've caught one of these. Here it's sunning itself on the road.

07/11/2010 @ 1:04:13 PM PDT
And here it's posing as I hold its tail. Thanks to my riding buddy for being patient with the snake freak.

Southern Alligator Lizard

2010-07-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

07/02/2010 @ 7:30:30 PM PDT
I saw this 10-inch long Southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) while riding up a rural/suburban lane in Woodside tonight. It was hard to get him off the road as he kept trying to hide under my shoe. I finally picked him up and put him in the grass.

07/02/2010 @ 7:30:48 PM PDT

07/02/2010 @ 7:32:12 PM PDT

Summer Newtgration & In The Spotlight

2010-06-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

06/26/2010 @ 4:24:21 PM PDT
As I was road cycling up the incredibly beautiful Tunitas Creek Road in the Santa Cruz mountains between Half Moon Bay and La Honda in San Mateo County, I encountered this Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosai). These things are seriously poisonous, but you have to eat one to be killed by one. Otherwise, they are completely harmless to handle, which is what I did, moving this one to the other side of the road in an assist on its migration from its breeding grounds in the pools of the creek to its summer home in the logs and leaf litter of the redwood forest floor.

Also, check out this interview I did with the kind folks at reptileforums.co.uk. It was a lot of fun to tell a few stories and relate the joy I find in herping.

Marin Headlands Herping

2010-05-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I forgot to post about this adventure to Carson Falls, Mount Tam Watershed, in the Marin Headlands between Fairfax and Bolinas, CA, on March 20th of this year. It was during a family outing with my pals Todd, Teresa, their children Kyan and Kacia, along with friends Anna and Jen.

03/20/2010 @ 1:24:38 PM PDT
The local population of Foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) are considered endangered. Nevertheless, we saw about 10 of them in the pools along the falls, so they're either doing reasonably well in this habitat, or Kyan and I are completely awesome frog spotters.

03/20/2010 @ 2:15:46 PM PDT
On the way back up the trail, we encountered this Pacific ringneck snake (D. punctatus amabilis). Shy and unassuming, it didn't bite, although like most non-venomous snakes in North America, it stunk up my hands with an escape musk. Notice the iridescent light on its scales. Jewelry should look as good as this.

03/20/2010 @ 2:16:49 PM PDT

03/20/2010 @ 2:17:37 PM PDT

03/20/2010 @ 2:21:58 PM PDT
Then, just a hundred yards further up the trail, we found this Sharp-tailed snake (Contia tenuis). Another unassuming resident of the leaf litter, it didn't try to bite, but it did put down a serious stink on me. Notice the severe scarring mid-body, probably the result of a bird attack, or perhaps an unobservant mountain biker.

03/20/2010 @ 2:21:53 PM PDT

03/20/2010 @ 2:26:58 PM PDT
Our last reptile encounter was with a Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), also known as the Blue-belly. Its capture was accomplished by Watershed wildlife docent Peter Clare, who had some great stories about wildlife viewing adventures in Asia. These became the icing on the cake of a very successful day of herping.

Spring Coachwhip

2010-04-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

I found this western coachwhip snake (Masticophis flagellum testaceus) western yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor) in the San Antonio Valley at Shanti Ashrama, 14 miles east of Mt. Hamilton near San Jose, CA. It was under a fallen branch next to a very small stream.

(Thanks to Mike Spencer for the identification correction.)

Catching Up In California

2009-10-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

As you can see, it's been a while since I've posted here. This is because I've moved back to California and don't get out snaking too much. But when I come across a snake, I usually pick it up and photograph it. What follows are a few of the snakes I've encountered this year in San Mateo County on the San Francisco Peninsula.

05/25/2009 @ 7:08:20 PM PDT
This is a large Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) found next to a bike trail that runs alongside the west shore of San Francisco Bay in San Mateo. It was probably close to 5 feet long, if not a bit more. I saw a few people looking at something next to the trail. I figured it was a snake, so I got off my bike and grabbed it, which created a minor sensation among the folks walking and riding on the trail. It was quite healthy, so after I took a few pictures I placed it a bit more away from the trail and continued on my way.

07/12/2009 @ 2:47:31 PM PDT
This little western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) was found in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Boony Dune, CA.

09/13/2009 @ 1:03:14 PM PDT
This baby gopher snake was found on a country road near Half Moon Bay in coastal San Mateo County. I do a lot of road cycling on these roads and find these fairly regularly this time of year, although I see two or three dead ones for every one found alive. A few weeks before this picture was taken, I saw a dead rubber boa, which was almost disappointing as what you are about to see next.

10/18/2009 @ 10:51:16 AM PDT
On another ride on Skyline Road (CA Highway 35) I found this still beautiful piece of dead jewelry, a coast mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata multfasciata). This is the first mountain kingsnake I've seen in California. I passed a dead california kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) earlier, but didn't stop for a picture. This I had to stop for. This is probably America's most beautiful snake, and when this one was alive, it was a beautiful example of the species. I hope to find a few of these before they get pancaked on the road, but it's looking like I'll have to wait until next spring to make that happen.

Mexican Roommate

2007-12-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

12/23/2007 @ 3:48:24 PM MST
This Mexican spinytail iguana (Ctenosaura pectinata) greeted me outside my room upon arrival at the villa where I'm staying in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. I decided not to catch it as I didn't want to break its tail.

Recent Rescues

2007-07-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

07/27/2007 @ 10:05:08 AM MDT
Today I caught a terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) that had eluded two other rescuers, as well as myself yesterday morning. I hate that "almost got it" feeling after missing a good capture. The snake had taken up residence in a Santa Fe resident's koi pond. It came out to sun itself on the same spot every morning it was sunny. I had to belly crawl up to it and reach over a depression in the rock wall along the pond. The resident was quite pleased I was able to get the little bugger, which I released downstream of the sewage treatment plant along the Santa Fe river. Note the wound near the snake's neck, which could have been caused by a cat, raptor or perhaps a close call with an automobile.

07/16/2007 @ 9:57:40 AM MDT
Last week, rescue volunteer Christian called me to accompany him on a rattlesnake rescue. The snake was conveniently waiting for us at a home south of the Eldorado residential development southeast of Santa Fe.

07/16/2007 @ 9:59:33 AM MDT
Christian moved the decent-sized prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) into his box and we released it in a sparsely populated area between Galisteo and Cerritos, NM, under a scrub oak bush.

07/16/2007 @ 10:56:57 AM MDT

07/16/2007 @ 10:57:13 AM MDT

Baby Texan

2007-06-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

A baby western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) found on the road near Woodson, Texas, after a day of intense storm chasing.

Wildlife Center Open House

2007-06-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 12, the Wildlife Center held an open house. I spent the day hanging with CJ Carmen as he demoed snakes for the folks who visited. Here he holds a snappy great plains skink (Eumeces obsoletus), a common yet not commonly seen lizard in northern New Mexico.

CJ's portable herpto-menangerie.

A striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus), the less common local cousin to the widespread coachwhip snake.

CJ pulls a prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) out of its box.

Visitors get up close to a western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox).

A close up of the western diamondback.

Coffee Cup Crasher

2007-05-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

This prairie lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) was found lounging in this coffee cup in my sink. I have no idea how it got there. It's the second one this year, the first got stuck in a dog bowl.

Plains Box Turtles and a Gopher Snake

2007-05-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

I was recently storm chasing in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, where I saved four box turtles crossing the highways I was on. This one is an ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata). He had shut himself down in the middle of the road after a close call with a car tire going 65. He was in a puddle of his own urine, a common box turtle defense when alarmed.

I found this gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) on the side of a farm road in Greensburg, Kansas, about 2 hours before an almost 2-mile-wide EF-5 tornado struck. He probably did not survive if he didn't get himself down a hole, as pretty much everything above ground was scoured from the face of the Earth by the monster wedge tornado.

Herping the Caha del Rio

2007-04-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, April 29, I took the dogs and went looking for snakes. My first target was between Rio en Medio and Chupadero Creek on the west slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. I was hoping I'd find some milk snakes, but it got cloudy before I had a chance to get there.

So, I decided to go out to the Caha del Rio, a large swath of the Santa Fe National Forest on the east bank of the Rio Grande. This includes the east side of White Rock Canyon. My first destination was near Buckman's well, just a bit past Diablo Canyon. I found a place to park my truck and went on a cross-country bushwack toward the river across numerous barrancas and arroyos. About a quarter of the way to the river we came upon this western coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum), which was about 4.5 feet long.

04/29/2007 @ 2:04:42 PM MDT
My dog Cisco walked right over it without seeing it. When I caught my first glimpse, I thought it was a bit of discarded hose. It didn't seem to mind being looked at, probably because it was confident in its camouflage.

04/29/2007 @ 2:05:11 PM MDT

04/29/2007 @ 2:05:11 PM MDT
When I picked it up with my hook, it decided that was enough and moved quickly to its hole.

04/29/2007 @ 2:06:06 PM MDT
Down it went.

Meanwhile, all kinds of drunk crazies with firearms where out and about, so I decided to head to a different part of the Caha. I drove south until I got to some power lines that cross the river, and then drove west under the power lines. I ended up at the east wall of White Rock Canyon, which is about 500 feet high at that point. I got out of the truck to take some pictures of the river. I took my snake hook, but wasn't really in snake-seeking mode. That must have been why I didn't notice the prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis viridis) right next to my foot as I was taking pictures. It did not rattle at all as I stood there snapping away. I must have stood next to the snake for a good five minutes without knowing it was there.

When I finally decided to move, it immediately went into defensive mode. The rattling was so close behind me that I jumped forward without having time to decide what to do. It's a good thing that I did, as the snake made an attempt to strike, moving its center of gravity forward and causing it to tumble out from its hiding place under a sage bush.

04/29/2007 @ 5:17:30 PM MDT
It was probably my closest call ever with a venomous snake. While it wasn't very big at 2.25 feet, it would have been a very dicey drive back to civilization with a rattlesnake bite on my gas pedal leg on treacherous and challenging 4WD tracks.

04/29/2007 @ 5:20:07 PM MDT
I thanked Mother Nature for keeping me safe and placed the snake for this shot of the river.

Birds Vs. Bull

2007-04-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

My dad found this good-sized bull snake (Pituophis catenifer) on a tee box at a golf course in Sun City, Arizona, today. It was under attack by the local songbird population. It looks like it's just had a nice meal, maybe a few baby songbirds or a pocket gopher or wood rat.

Dad chased the birds away to allow the snake to find cover.

Training Day

2007-04-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today was training day for the snake rescue volunteers at the Wildlife Center of New Mexico. As usual, head-of-the-reptile-rescue-program Tom Wyant brought a few of his critters along for the show.

Here's Tom Wyant (front) and C.J. Carmen, our instructors for the clinic. They're my herping gurus. Both have many years experience with reptiles in New Mexico. Tom particularly enjoys finding caves full of rattlesnakes. He also gets employed as a snake wrangler for movie productions in the state.

C.J. is a veritable encyclopedia of snake information. I often find myself corrected by him, which is always a welcome thing as it only sharpens my knowledge on the subject.

Tom's terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans), named Stinky. All of these snakes have names, but I only remembered this one's.

A western hog nose snake (Heterodon nasicus). These things are adorable. They are venomous and rear-fanged, but also cute and cuddly and quite friendly. But if you find one in the wild, get ready for one of the greatest bluff shows on Earth.

This is a pueblo milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli), native to Mexico and central America, but not New Mexico.

Another non-native species, a common corn snake (Elaphe guttata guttata).

A great plains rat snake (Elaphe guttata emoryi). This is our native corn snake. It has doubled in size since I saw him last year.

Tom's coachwhip snake (Masticophis flagellum) is the tamest and reddest I've ever seen. Corner one of these in the wild and they'll be all up in your face... literally. I've been jumped by three at once while lifting the board they were under, missing taking a direct strike in the face by millimeters.

The very common gopher, or bull snake (Pituophis catenifer). Often mistaken for a rattlesnake and killed, they are very valuable as rodent controllers in a state where we can contract two very deadly rodent-borne diseases, Hanta virus and Bubonic plague.

Our most common local rattlesnake, the prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis viridis).

Not quite so common locally, but very common in other parts of the state, the western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox).

Tom whips out the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum). His permit to keep it requires him to show it at demonstration events 12 times a year. It's on the endangered species list and will land you in jail if you are caught with one sans permit. By the way, it's very poisonous, but usually not deadly.

C.J. shows us how to identify snake sheds. The key is in the caudal scales, posterior to the cloaca (anal vent). Split caudals indicate a nonvenomous species in New Mexico. Solid caudals, especially on a big shed, mean rattlesnake. There is one exception to this rule here. Garter snakes have solid caudal scales as well.

Volunteer Christian inspects his new snake hook, built and provided by Tom.

A volunteer works with a good-sized western diamondback.

A prairie rattlesnake about to get the hook from a volunteer practicing snake rescue skills.

The prairie rattlesnake cooperating in his "capture."

But not always...

Volunteer Pilar shows us how it's done.

This is what you've got to worry about when handling rattlesnakes. Just ask C.J. He's been bitten four times.

Warming Up To Snake Time

2007-03-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to warm up in northern New Mexico. Soon the rescue calls will come and I'll have more to put up on this blog. In addition, I'll be storm chasing in the southern plains, which should put me in contact with snakes on the long, lonely roads of New Mexico and West Texas.

In the meantime, here's a picture of a big water python (Liasis mackloti) captured by Wildlife Center snake rescue volunteer Jeff Silverman in Northern Queensland, Australia, where he and his wife Megan are obtaining their post-grad degrees.

Cellar Coachwhip

2006-10-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

10/13/2006 @ 4:14:31 PM MDT
This western coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) thought s/he had found the perfect place to winter, in someone's cellar office in the Eldorado subdivision near Santa Fe. We released it in the arroyo behind the house.

All Your Snakes are Belong to Us

2006-09-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Somewhere near the middle of this funny Snakes on a Plane spoof video, you'll see my picture of a Lampropeltis pyromelana on a toy plane that I submitted to Defamer last year.

High Altitude Garter

2006-09-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today I observed a terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) at 10,400 feet on the top of Cerro Rubio in the Valles Calderas National Preserve near Los Alamos. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. I know the temperatures were well below freezing up there last night and are going to get even colder tonight. Also known as wandering garter snakes, this little baby was wandering to an extent where very few snakes dare to go.

Rabbit-Proofed Rattlesnake

2006-09-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

09/05/2006 @ 6:03:16 PM MDT
Tom Wyant of the Wildlife Center snake rescue program had me go out to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter to meet with an animal control officer who had a small prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) she retrieved from some rabbit-proof nylon netting around somebody's garden. They had cut most of the netting away, but there was still some stuck in its mouth and around its head that she wasn't prepared to deal with. You can see where the netting has damaged the snake's skin just to the left of its rattle's shadow. C.J. Carmen, another leader of the snake program, thinks those marks will be gone after a few good sheddings.

09/05/2006 @ 6:04:42 PM MDT
I used a pair of hair scissors and some tweezers to remove the rest of the netting. Tomorrow I'll release the snake in the same general area it was found, but hopefully far enough away from any more rabbit-proof netting.

09/05/2006 @ 6:09:32 PM MDT
"Get me out of here!"

R.I.P. Steve Irwin

2006-09-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

04/30/2006 @ 09:58:35 AM MDT
I was into snakes long before the day I first watched the Crocodile Hunter, but I was enchanted and encouraged by Steve Irwin's seemingly crazy antics with reptiles. I learned to tail venomous snakes watching Steve on TV, and my enthusiasm for herpetology was reawakened after watching his show.

I went to work as Steve for Halloween in 1997, wearing the same khaki shorts and shirt with "Irwin" printed across top of one pocket, my African egg-eating snake in the other pocket and my 4-foot Columbian red-tail boa looped around my neck. (The egg-eating snake crapped while it was in that pocket. It ran all the way down the front of the shirt.)

Steve engaged in very risky behavior, and even though he probably knew what he was doing more than just about anyone else in the world, it's not surprising that he died doing what he loved. Today is very sad one in the herpetological world. May Steve find even bigger and more poisonous snakes to play with where he is now.

Dumb Snake Movie, Dumber Prank, Dumbest Response from a Snake Expert

2006-08-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

Someone let two live rattlesnakes go inside a movie theater playing Snakes on a Plane in Arizona. That's pretty dumb. But what's dumber is what the spokesperson for the Phoenix Herpetological Society said:

It's dark. They can't see you, you know that well. If it's scared, boom it strikes.

In fact, a rattlesnake can see rather well in the dark, when it's looking at the ankle of a warm-blooded animal. What the spokesman appeared to forget was that rattlesnakes are pit vipers and have heat vision.

Here's more reasons why SOAP is a dumb movie.

Ranch Rattler Roundup

2006-08-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

04/30/2006 @ 09:57:34 AM MDT
Snake rescue program manager Tom Wyant invited us to a rattlesnake roundup on a ranch in Moriarty, New Mexico this past spring. We were going to round up as many rattlers as we could at the site of a communal den on the ranch, but we got there a few weeks too late and only found a few, including this fine specimen of a western diamondback (Crotalus atrox) which was spotted by my friend Jeff.

04/30/2006 @ 09:58:35 AM MDT
Getting the hook.

04/30/2006 @ 09:58:55 AM MDT
Into the bag.

04/30/2006 @ 11:06:43 AM MDT
C.J. Carman is the undisputed king (as far as I know) of venomous reptiles, domestic and exotic, in all of New Mexico. Here he admires a great plains rat snake (Elaphe gutatta emoryi) that was found by the young scion of the ranch family.

04/30/2006 @ 02:58:50 PM MDT
Toms holds a western coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) that I apparently drove right by as we 4-wheeled around the ranch.

Mountain Garter

2006-07-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

07/31/2006 @ 10:22:54 AM MDT
This western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) was found at about 9000 ft. on the Rio Santa Barbara trail in the Pecos Wilderness section of the Carson National Forest, near Penasco, NM. I'm very lucky to live so close to such incredible wilderness, but unfortunately, the Pecos Wilderness offers very little in the way of herptofauna, so this little snake was an incredibly lucky find.

We Owe It All To (Or Blame) The Snakes

2006-07-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

My friend David Pescovitz sent me a link to this news release which proposes that snakes, or more accurately the avoidance of snakes, are at the root of modern civilization:

Some primate groups less threatened by snakes show fewer signs of evolutionary pressure to evolve better vision. For example, the lemurs of Madagascar do not have any venomous snakes in their environment, and in evolutionary terms "have stayed where they are," Isbell said. In South America, monkeys arrived millions of years before venomous snakes, and show less specialization in their visual system compared with Old World monkeys and apes, which all have good vision, including color.

Having evolved for one purpose, a good eye for color, detail and movement later became useful for other purposes, such as social interactions in groups.

So next time you see a snake, thank it (or curse it) for bringing about just about everything you encounter as a social creature.

Laguna Rattler

2006-07-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

07/23/2006 @ 02:41:04 PM PDT
While in Southern California visiting friends and relatives this past weekend, I attended a religious festival in Laguna Canyon in south Orange County. Having lived in the Canyon a few years back, I know it's chock full of rattlesnakes, so I expected to come across one at some point. This young western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) was found by a teenaged gal after she moved a small brush pile in an asphalt parking lot. The temperatures in California had been obscene all weekend, hitting 98 degrees at the beach, so all this snake wanted to do was stay out of the sun until it went down. I tried to tail it into a better photo position, but it was hard to reach and not cooperating, as is usually the case with rattlesnakes.

07/23/2006 @ 02:44:22 PM PDT

It's Good To Live Near Arizona

2006-07-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

05/29/2004 @ 06:02:29 PM MDT
In May of 2004 we went to Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains in the Coronado National Forest in southeastern Arizona, one of the "sky islands" in the desert of the American Southwest and an area that supports a diverse array of herptofauna. First up was this pair of canyon tree frogs (Hyla arenicolor).

05/29/2004 @ 06:04:43 PM MDT

05/29/2004 @ 06:27:16 PM MDT
Next, my friend Megan came upon this baby female mottled rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus lepidus.) Its strikingly beautiful markings were stunning against the backdrop of its habitat.

05/29/2004 @ 06:29:08 PM MDT

05/30/2004 @ 11:02:01 AM MDT
The following day we came upon this Yarrow's spiny lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii). We also heard a rock rattlesnake in some rocks on the trail (imagine that!), but we couldn't manage to pull him into daylight.

05/31/2004 @ 11:12:54 AM MDT
On the third day of the trip, my friend Jeff and I hiked further up Cave Creek. As we were exploring a sandstone outcropping next to the creek, we came upon this greenish mottled rock rattlesnake, the hue indicating its sex as male. It was sitting on the rock under a blanket of leaves, buzzing as we looked for it. We had a very difficult time determining exactly where it was as the rattling was bouncing around under the leaves off the irregular rock surfaces. As it turns out, I was standing right next to it wearing river sandals. Much of the time we were looking for it I was within striking range. Fortunately, it didn't strike and I learned to stay out of the leaves while wearing sandals when there are rattlesnakes afoot.

05/31/2004 @ 12:10:41 PM MDT
Another Yarrow's spiny lizard up the creek.

05/31/2004 @ 05:50:48 PM MDT
On the hike out we captured this striped plateau lizard (Sceloporus virgatus). These orange markings indicate this is a mature female in the middle of her breeding season.

05/31/2004 @ 05:52:53 PM MDT

06/01/2004 @ 11:49:58 AM MDT
On our last day in southeast Arizona we visited the Sonoran Desert National Monument outside of Tucson, Arizona. We arrived too late in the day to see anything other than this greater earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus) taking refuge in the 100 degree-plus desert heat.

Kiss of the Coastal Garter Snake

2006-07-05T22:04:00.001-07:00

06/29/2006 @ 06:16:02 AM MDT
My niece gets blessed with a kiss from a California red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis) that was recently found living on the bluffs along the Mendocino County coast in Northern California.

07/01/2006 @ 03:40:37 PM MDT

Treasures of the Gila River

2006-07-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

05/20/2005 @ 09:28:12 AM MDT
In May 2005 I took my younger brother up the west fork of the Gila River into the Gila Wilderness. Right away we came upon this decent-sized gopher snake (Pituophis melanoleucus).

05/20/2005 @ 09:59:49 AM MDT
Next up was this Gila spotted whiptail (Cnemidophorus flagellicaudus). It looked to be close to 9 inches long including the tail, and it was definitely a female. This species has done away with males altogether and reproduces parthenogenically.

05/20/2005 @ 11:13:00 AM MDT
The river is infested with bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana). Not good news for the native species.

05/20/2005 @ 01:44:59 PM MDT
We were sitting on a rock bar in the middle of the river eating lunch when this monster gopher snake pulled up right next to us.

05/20/2005 @ 03:48:04 PM MDT
Huge bullfrog tadpoles in a side pool off the river.

05/20/2005 @ 06:02:59 PM MDT
You are looking at the culmination of my life as a herper. Ever since I saw a picture in my first field guide when I was 8-years-old, I've wanted to find a mountain kingsnake. This particular beauty is a Sonoran mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelana). For me this is the holy grail of North American reptiles. I found the snake just like this, right next to the trail and bright as can be. I was over the moon and practically in tears. They really don't get much more beautiful than this. Definitely the highlight of my herping career.

05/20/2005 @ 06:03:14 PM MDT

05/21/2005 @ 11:51:35 AM MDT
This large crevice spiny lizard (Sceloporus poinsetti) let me get pretty darn close, but not close enough to catch.

05/21/2005 @ 01:09:28 PM MDT
A blackneck garter snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis). They are associated with water like the terrestrial garter snake.

05/22/2005 @ 10:54:45 AM MDT
Another blackneck garter snake fresh from a feeding.

Tuscan Flat Snake

2006-06-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

10/03/2002 @ 3:38:59 PM CEST
I'm very lucky to have successful family members who love me. That's how I got to spend two weeks in Cortona, Tuscany, Italy. It turns out Tuscany has quite a few snakes, minus this western whip snake (Coluber viridiflavus) which I found on the road just after it had been run over.

Skinky Frijoles

2006-06-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

09/28/2005 @ 08:20:47 PM MDT
This many-lined skink (Eumeces multivirgatus) was found in Frijoles Canyon in Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos. This is an example of the stripeless morph, seen more in drier habitats.

An African Monster in NM

2006-06-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

09/28/2005 @ 08:20:47 PM MDT
This is Vader. Or was Vader. He passed away of old age a few weeks ago. Kept by C.J. Carman and Johnathan Ferris of the Wildlife Center snake rescue crew, Vader was an African puff adder (Bitis arietans) rescued from a private collection. When Vader passed away, he was a snake that weighed in excess of 70 pounds.

Vader was named such because when you walked into the room he was kept in, the hissing sounds he made sounded just like Darth Vader's breathing noises from the Star Wars movies. His bite could deliver so much venom (through 2 inch-long fangs) that your only chance for survival would require you to amputate whichever part of your body that took the strike. Either that or you had better be somewhere near Phoenix, Arizona, because that's the only place where you can obtain the anti-venin for this monster.

I was more impressed with Vader than any other snake I've ever encountered, and more impressed with C.J., Johnathan and Tom Wyant than any other snake people I've ever met. I'm thrilled each time I get to go herping with them. It's like being a Lakers fan and getting to play with Kobe.

Fishing Garter Snakes

2006-06-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

06/04/2006 @ 03:44:36 PM MDT
I have a favorite canyon I visit on the east slope of the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. There's a creek that runs through this canyon that has a few nice trout-filled pools. You'll see fish of all sizes, from fry to 14" whoppers, all stuck in these pools with little more than a trickle for a water flow.

You'll also find some fishing terrestrial garter snakes (Thamnophis elegans). They have developed a special behavior that lets them get away with it. As they move underwater through these pools in their attempt to ambush a fish, they sway to and fro and move somewhat jerkily, as if they were fallen branches buffeted by the current, one that just happens to not really exist in the pools they fish in. Obviously, the snakes are smarter than the fish in this instance.

06/04/2006 @ 01:14:15 PM MDT

07/02/2005 @ 01:14:15 PM MDT

Caha Meanie

2006-06-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

06/05/2004 @ 06:13:26 PM MDT
I found this prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) while 4-wheeling in the Caha del Rio section of the Santa Fe National Forest on the east side of the Rio Grande. It was very determined to not be picked up, struggling so much that I decided then and there that rattlesnakes don't need to be handled unless absolutely necessary.

Micro Snake

2006-06-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

11/23/2005 @ 03:05:37 PM MDT
You can't really tell from this photo, but this baby sharptailed snake (Contia tenuis) was less than 3 inches long when photographed. It was found in a backyard in San Anselmo, California, a few days before Thanksgiving.

My Culpability in the Stupid Snake Movie

2006-06-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

09/15/2005 @ 09:13:07 PM MDT
We captured two Sonoran mountain kingsnakes (Lampropeltis pyromelana) on the Labor Day 2005 Gila trip. I gave one to Tom Wyant, head of the Wildlife Center snake rescue program. The other I kept, this small yet very spirited female. Before she escaped (never to be seen again,) I took this picture along with another and submitted them to Defamer.com as artwork for their coverage of the movie Snakes on a Plane. As you may already know or have imagined, it's a horror film where someone releases many snakes on a plane in flight. Mayhem ensues.

As it turns out, New Line Cinema used this very photograph as the basis of their title artwork. Not that it was any great stretch of the imagination for anyone involved:

''The inspiration initially came from the Internet after [fans] did their own art,'' says director David R. Ellis of online designs like Defamer.com's. ''New Line took that and ran with it.''

By the way, New Line; here's my bill (scroll down to the last comment.)

Gila River Blacktails

2006-06-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

05/28/2005 @ 04:04:43 PM MDT
An early September trip to the west fork of the Gila River last year turned up 5 blacktail rattlesnakes (Crotalus molossus). I almost stepped on this one while brushing my teeth. It looks like it's just had a real nice meal.

05/28/2005 @ 04:04:43 PM MDT
Another blacktail rattlesnake along the trail.

05/28/2005 @ 04:04:43 PM MDT
This little guy was caught by a boy scout counselor.

05/28/2005 @ 04:04:43 PM MDT
This snake would not stay still for a photo. I don't think it ever rattled or tried to strike. It just wanted to get out of the way.

05/28/2005 @ 04:04:43 PM MDT
My dog Cisco ran right over this snake without even noticing it.

Mills Canyon/Canadian River

2006-06-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

05/28/2005 @ 4:00:49 PM MDT
Last year around Memorial Day we went to Mills Canyon on the Canadian river in the Kiowa National Grasslands, where there were plenty of critters to keep us busy. On the way to our campsite I peered over a 10 foot bank and spied this monster coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) creeping in the grass next to the river.

05/28/2005 @ 04:04:43 PM MDT
Handsome snake.

05/28/2005 @ 04:10:11 AM MDT
Boss of the grass.

05/29/2005 @ 11:10:45 AM MDT
The next day we found this diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) in the same colors as the local red rock. It tried to hide in the bush until we pulled it out for a portrait.

05/29/2005 @ 11:13:49 AM MDT

05/29/2005 @ 3:08:06 PM MDT
Hiking up a side canyon, we found this ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus).

05/30/2005 @ 10:09:10 AM MDT
We had an hours-long precip event on Sunday night, making the toads quite comfortable. On the left is a red-spotted toad, (Bufo punctatus) with a southwestern toad (Bufo microscaphus) on the right.

05/30/2005 @ 12:54:33 PM MDT
Another diamondback (Crotalus atrox) found quite close to camp.

05/30/2005 @ 3:09:21 PM MDT
On the way out a mountain patchnose (Salvadora grahamiae) graced us with an appearance. Beautiful, gentle and mild.

Short-horned Lizard

2006-06-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

06/04/2005 @ 10:20:51 AM MDT
At the beginning of the same west slope excursion, I found this short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii) on the road leading to the trail head.

Last Year's Green Snake

2006-06-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

06/04/2005 @ 4:23:53 PM MDT
I found this smooth green snake (Liochlorophis vernalis) near a small river on the west slope of the Sangres north of Santa Fe. It was apparently eating some kind of small black beetle which was abundant in the bush over the snake. It bluffed a strike by holding its mouth open, which was dark purple inside.

Eldorado "Rattlesnake" Rescue

2006-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

06/09/2006 @ 7:45:11 PM MDT
This young gopher snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) was mistaken for a rattlesnake by the resident. It jammed itself into this crevice after being hassled by a cat. I worked it back out and let it go in the front yard of the residence.

06/09/2006 @ 7:51:00 PM MDT

Sliding Into Existence

2006-04-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

I am a reptile enthusiast living in Northern New Mexico who performs snake rescues for the Wildlife Center in Arroyo Seco, which is just off U.S. 285, south of Espanola. I'll use this blog to share my experiences as I rescue snakes and go herp hunting in the abundant wilds of New Mexico and neighboring states.