Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up this pair of gophers a few months back and I'm trying to nail down what they are.... The founding animal was a gravid female collected in the Modjeska / Santiago Canyon area of the Santa Ana mountains. She was described to me as a Pacific gopher.... From what I know, the Pacific's range stops pretty far north of this area....
To me, these guys look like they could be a Great Basin X San Diego cross. Or even have some Sonoran influence in them. I did hear about two Sonorans collected in the Santa Ana mountains about 13 years ago, but dont know how valid that story is...

Let me know what you guys think is going on here..

These are '07's and are getting more yellow with each shed.

Thanks gang!
byron.d

The bottom one I definitely see evidence of Great Basin, and the top one I'd say looks like a deserticola X annectens. I do believe those are the two ranges that are overlapping in that area! Great looking snakes, man.

reako45

that is exactly what I was thinking about this pair..

byron.d

Byron, I don't think that the deserticola spill's over the san gabrials. I don't believe that they have any great basin in them at all.Just my theory but they are pretty solid san diagos if you ask me.

L8r Shannon

GB range not being that far south. The area these originated from is all SD gophers, but the saddle or blotch size and count have me thinking there's something else going on here....
Whatever they are, I really dig 'em!

Thanks Bro!

byron.d

I've herped that area as well as areas 360 degrees around it and I'd be REALLY surprised if it was anything but annectans.
Sonorans generally don't come anywhere near that far west and GB's generally don't come anywhere near that far south.

I agree with you that it's a curious looking animal, but based on the area it was found and the ranges of the possible subspecies, I'd say you have a really nice annectans, or your founding female was a released pet or something.

Here's one frm the Verdugo Hills:

And one from the San Gabes:

-John

That second pic from the San Gabes is one of the most killer field pics I have seen! Wow!!!
Thanks for sharing!
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Genesis 1:1

As we bring animales in from the wild it is most important to keep the locals intact. Some day in the near futcher we may not have much left in the big old world. nice pis and the San Gabes pic is killer .
good luck finding out what you have next to imposable! Unles you went and picked up your own. But then again that is just my 0.02 worth

Hey, John,
Great looking annectens. I remember meeting you @ the Anaheim NARBC. That second pic looks like the San Diegos we have here in Chatsworth. Here's a pic of a female I found spring '07.

reako45

Chatsworth annectens from 4-30-07;

reako45