Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I came in at the very end of a news story during the rain storms. They were saying that the rain storms had washed numerous rattle snakes onto the sand in Laguna Beach. The footage I saw was mostly debris and places snakes COULD hide, but no actual snakes. I am not really familiar with that area, but I was wondering if anyone out there had more information. Has anyone heard of this before? Has anyone tried hanging out at end of a huge runoff during/after a storm and looking for whatever washes down? If there is achance of seeing something, I think it sounds kind of fun.

Jake

I have talked to people that have seen many washed out into the water and on the beach at Ponto Beach in Carlsbad years ago when there was a big storm. They probably washed out of the Batiquitos Lagoon. Also reports of rattlers at Dog Beach in Del Mar.
Ryan

I also heard this report about rattlesnakes being carried as far as Main Beach in Laguna. Sounds pretty crazy, but if you're at all familiar with that area it makes pretty good sense when you think about it. Just about three blocks away from Main Beach starts the Laguna Canyon, where Rattlesnakes are fairly common due to the state of preserve that the county enforces. When the rain comes down moderate to heavy there, the runoff to the beach is like a raging river due to the grade of the canyon hills. With the rains we just experienced, I'm not surprised that the waters picked up unusual content on it's way down the hills. I was already concerned about the state of zonata in that area and to hear this, just worries me more. My girlfriend just moved away from Laguna last October and before she did I spent about 3 days a week there, so there would have been a good chance I could have walked down to the beach to see it for myself while it was happening!! Bad timing!

I still have some friends there so I'll ask around to see if any of them saw any rattlers first hand.

Do you know of any Verified Z's from that canyon? There is none. If you know of any you need to have the findings written up in a herp review. It would be a first. But it wouldn't surprise me much if there was a few in there. That said I wouldnt worry about them to much if they are there, if so they have been for thousands and thousand of years including many other floods.

Fundad

Hey Jake, funny that you brought this up. I actually did some dedicated "beach" herping last week. Checking the debris piles on the sand and in the rocks, near a couple of main runouts. Didn't find anything this time, but I have before. There were Rattlesnakes and a few others in De Mar with the El Nino '98 runoff, and found a couple of zonatas on the beach in Malibu/Zuma ealy 80's. Those aren't stories, it does happen.

that should of been early 90's for the Z's.