Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Brian Hubbs wrote:

"Firefighters in the San Diego area reported seeing many dead, burned rattlesnakes. So many that they couldn't believe so many existed. Guess they were too stupid to go underground, or maybe, like Fundad said, they don't go under as much as other snakes to hibernate or estivate in SO Cal. I saw two yesterday under boards in Carlsbad. As for the mountain kingsnakes, hopefully most were way underground. Contrary to the opinions of most herpers in CA, the Mtn kings do not hibernate in the rock piles, they hibernate UNDER the rock piles, deep in the ground to avoid freezing. Anyone who believes otherwise is not thinking clearly. I personally don't expect a shortage of zonata next year. But there may be a shortage of their prey. OK, I now await a blast from my good friend Fundad to set me straight. lol"

If anyone said that L. zonata hibernate in the rock piles, it is not me. I wrote: 'Cracks in the outcrops allow snakes such as L. zonata to hibernate because these cracks run deep into the ground. Snakes that can get into these cracks are safe from the fires because they are more than just a few inches underground."

I concur with Brian Hubbs that L. zonata hibernates underground, not under the rock piles. Unlike Brian, I do not think there will be a shortage of prey for L. zonata next year. Most rodents can escape fires by hiding underground. Birds can fly away. Lizards, like snakes, also hide underground in holes during fires, according to Henson and Usner (1993, Natural History of Big Sur).

I do not know where the reports from firefighters come from, therefore I cannot verify their authenticity. I also predict that there will be no shortage of rattlers next year. Rattlers that were burnt are probably a very small subset of those extant; a recently published report by B.K. Sullivan shows that rattlers are the most abundant species found on a road survey in Central California. Perhaps there are more rattlers than anyone has ever imagined. There are simply not often seen because they are cryptic, which shows that crypsis works just as well for a dangerous animal as it does a harmless one. As for L. zonata, it is also cryptic. L. zonata may have contrasty coloration, but so too do coral reef animals. Coral reef animals with bold color patterns such as clown fishes are actually cryptic in their environment. So is L. zonata.

For the record:

I have found L. zonata multicincta in crevices in the month of December. The nighttime lows were well into the low 20's. I have future plans of establishing exact times and temps. Also in the same crevice were Coluber constrictor, T. elegans and Elgaria multicarinata. I was on the phone with Hubbs last night at which time he mentioned this thread. I was more than happy to inform him of his error. However, in all honesty, I do not know what the animals do after dark. I only know that I have found them in the same exact location several days in a row. At this point, I would be surprised if I could go up to this location any time during the winter and not see them. This is a particularly interesting crevice with the ability to be able to view these reptiles throughout it. I know of others that I commonly see zonata along with an assortment of other herps in odd times of the year. Due to its lack of deep visibility I cannot ascertain whether or not the zonata and other herps are hibernating in the crevice above ground but I would be willing to bet that they are. It would not take much to get out of harms way of freezing or even below freezing temps when deep in the crevice of a large boulder or outcrop. So, to say with absolute certainty that zonata hibernate only deep under the rocks would not be possible without more definitive proof. There is still much to learn about our reptilian friends, much of which we will be extremely surprised to discover. For starters, I do not know for sure but I would be willing to bet that many are able to withstand prolonged exposure to extremely low temps. This being particularly true for montane species (or rather, possibly true).

Regards,

Brad Alexander