Reptile & Amphibian Forums

California has been experiencing some superb weather the last few days, so I decided to take a trip to Santa Cruz Island. I was fortunate to find all, but one of my target species. I was unable to locate the endemic Santa Cruz Island Gopher Snake. Biologists on the on island informed me that there is another snake inhabiting the island, the Racer (Coluber constrictor). Although several biologists mentioned this to me, the only documented species is from 1950’s at Prisoners Harbor. Question; anyone have information to support the Racer existing on the Island? According to Stebbins 2003, it appears from his range map that the Western Rattlesnake frequents the island, but biologists I spoke with strongly oppose the idea of Crotalus on the island. Additionally, Stebbins (2003) questions whether Night Snake exist on the island, but island biologists could not confirm, nor reject this theory. As for my research on the island, I came across the following six species:

View of Santa Cruz Island from vicinity of Del Norte Camp (Santa Barbara Co.)

Channel Islands Slender Salamander

Black-bellied Slender Salamander

Common Side-blotched Lizard

Island Fence Lizard

California Alligator Lizard from Del Norte Camp

This pond and others along Del Norte Trail were full of tadpoles and scattered calling Pacific Treefrogs.

Finally, another Alligator Lizard from Prisoners Harbor

I’m considering a trip to Hemet and Whitewater area of Riverside County this week to look for snakes. I’m hoping to locate a Black-headed Snake, however I usually turn up other snake. It would be interesting to get a group together for the ultimate snake search… just an idea. Anyways if people want to tag along, email me at Fieldnotes@hotmail.com. All I ask is split gas 50/50.

Will

Field Observations of California Amphibians and Reptiles

I have been wondering about the reptiles there. I think I got more information from your post that the books I found. I think it would be a blast to head over there to kayak, snorkel, and find some reptiles.

Nice work - Thank you

Jake

William,
Nice post and photos.

We have been experiencing the most unusual late winter weather here in Oregon. Went over to Central Oregon today to donate a small male Harris' Hawk to the Oregon High Desert Museum south of Bend for an educational / demonstration hawk then proceeded SE to my only Rubber Boa site in E. Oregon.

Observed 2 adult W. Fence Lizards, 2 juvenile Side-blotched Lizards, 5 W. Skinks, and 6 male Rubber Boas. This site is at between 4400 and 4600 ft. elevation and there were patches of snow about 2 miles away. Yet temperatures have been in the 60 degree range for a few days and up to over 70 in Bend yesterday.

Richard F. Hoyer

Hello Richard,

Sounds as though you have been busy lately and Oregon is experiencing some great weather. I Bought a new camping trailer in October. It’s not quite as nice and big as your home away from home, but it will due. So, I'm making plans to head to Northern California later this month for a 2-week expedition. I had to sell my 4-wheel-drive 4runner, for a larger Chevy truck to tow the trailer. With all this rain and muddy conditions down here is SoCal its been tough getting use to not having the ability to drive anywhere. Any updates on the new Contia species?

Will

William,
The manuscript and all of the data is in the hands of Chris Feldman at Utah State U. When he finds time to crunch numbers, insert that data were needed in the draft, and revise my original version is where it stands as of now. I have another Contia manuscript in at the publishers for review. My original draft on updating locality sightings of Contia here in Oregon along with my 1998 field efforts was revised by one of Dr. Robert Mason's grad students and the three of us will be authors on that paper.

In a sense, the paper deals with the misconception or myth about rarity of species. Contia is Oregon is a classical example in which individuals, including professionals, considered the species to be rare when in fact, it was only the observation of the species that was rare.

Richard F. Hoyer

Your old professer Schoenherr wrote a book on the natural history of the Channel Islands and I think he goes over all of the herps on Santa Cruz Island. A National Parks ranger I met out on there who led a walk into the Nature Conservancy property insisted that there were Xantusia on the island. When I told him that they were not known from the island and there were no records for them from there he insisted that he had seen one. I still believe that he was mistaken.

I think that ranger is thinking of Xantusia riversiana which occurs on the Channel Islands, just not Santa Cruz Island.
Dr. Schoenherr would mention his developing book about the Channel Islands often, but it was near the time I was moving forward from that school so I didn’t hear about it in detail. Unfortunately, I was unable to discuss the herpetology of the islands.