Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Over the last few weeks I've seen:

6 Masticophis lateralis (This is officially the 'year of the racer' in southern Santa Clara County--I've never seen so many in so short a time and with such little effort.)
TMTC Pittuophis catenifer, 2 DOR
TMTC Crotalus virdis
2 Thamnophis atratus
2 Thamnophis sirtalis, both DOR
TMTC Diadophis punctatus
TMTC Contia tenius
2 Coluber constrictor, 1 DOR
3 Charina bottae
1 Lampropeltis zonata, DOR
TMTC Lampropeltis getulus, 2 DOR
TMTC elgaria (southern and northern), sceloperus, uta, eumeces, ensatina, aniedes, taricha, rana, etc...

Interestingly, a lot of the animals were found right along-side roads in likely-looking rock/debris, adding emphasis to the idea that you don't need to trek into remote territory to find a lot of cool stuff.

jd:
There are two species of Sharp-tailed Snakes in the Santa Cruz mountains. If your searches and finds were in the vicinity of highway 35 (Skyline), they could have been either species. If you were generally west of the crest of the mountains and highway 35, the species most likely found would be the new species of Contia, the Forest Sharp-tailed Snake.

The Forest Sharptail (long-tailed form of Contia) has been documented from Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties.
The Common Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis, short tailed form)
in that region has been documented from Santa Clara, San Mateo and Monterey Counties but yet to be verified as occuring in Santa Cruz County. If you have been finding this latter species in Santa Cruz County (west side of highway 35), if you do not have objections with having specimens preserved, it would be nice to have just one specimen donated to the Calif. Academy of
Science as a voucher specimen from that county.

Richard F. Hoyer

jd:
Another interesting aspect of your post concerns your noting that a fair number of snakes (and your list alluded to quite a few) were found near or adjacent to roads. There is the 'feeling' in some quarters that road kill of snake negatively impacts snake populations to a serious degree. Your observations plus many more by others including myself seem not add support to that assumption or speculation.

It is my position that in most cases, if roads were such a serious threat to snake populations, one would have a devil of a time ever finding a snake near a road these days. That snakes continue to be killed on roads many decades after such road were established does not mean that snake populations may not be affected to some degree but certainly does not support the contention that population are negatively impacted in a serious manner.

Richard F. Hoyer