More snakes: Striped Racer, Gopher

The Striped Racer Masticophis lateralis lateralis is HARMLESS to humans but there is no way you could catch one! You can sneak up on these guys hiding in the bush but with the flash they will dart into the chaparral and never be seen again.

They are one of the most common snakes in San Diego County. I am working on getting a video of these little bastards.

CALIFORNIAHERPS.COM writes:

Appearance
A fast-moving snake with a long thin body and tail, a broad elongated head, large eyes, a slender neck, and smooth scales. Dark brown to black with a pale yellow or cream solid stripe on each side which extends from the back of the eye to or beyond the vent. The stripes are relatively narrow - "2 half-scale rows wide."(Stebbins) The underside is cream or pale yellow tapering to pink toward the tail.
Behavior
Dirunal, often seen actively foraging in the daytime with head and forward part of the body held up off the ground searching for prey with its acute vision. Climbs vegetation and seeks shelter in burrows, rocks, or woody debris. Very fast-moving and alert, quickly fleeing when threatened, this snake is difficult to get close to. Like most Masticophis this snake will strike repeatedly and bite viciously when threatened or handled.
Diet
Eats lizards, small rodents, small birds, frogs, salamanders, small snakes. Juveniles will consume large insects.-

The San Diego Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer annectens is also HARMLESS to humans but will scare the hell out of you anyway! I have a video of one but since we know it is just like little bunny froo froo I decided not to upload it. Pic courtesy of californiaherps.com:


CALIFORNIAHERPS.COM writes:

Appearance
A large snake with heavily keeled scales, a narrow head that is slightly wider than the neck, and a protruding rostral scale on the tip of the snout. Ground color is tan, light brown or yellowish, with large brown or blackish blotches along the back and smaller markings on the sides. The dorsal blotches can fuse together producing a very dark color. The underside is cream to yellow with dark spots. The back of the neck is often a dull orange.
Behavior
Active in the daytime, and at night in hot weather, and especially at dusk and dawn. One of the most commonly seen snakes on roads and trails, especially in the spring when males are actively seeking a mate, and in the fall when hatchlings emerge. A good burrower, climber, and swimmer. A powerful constrictor; kills prey by suffocating them in body coils or by pressing the animal against the walls of their underground burrows. When threatened, a gophersnake willl sometimes inflate its body, flatten its head and produce a loud hiss, often while moving its tail back and forth quickly which may sound like a rattle if this is done in dry vegetation.

Diet
Small mammals, especially pocket gophers, birds and their eggs, and occasionally lizards and insects.

Rattlesnake encounter blah blah blah...

May 13 2007. Rattlesnake again crosses my path. I wave it off and go seek shelter under a mulberry bush. This snake was actually at Torrey Pines State Reserve.

Another snake is seen at The Knoll just south of the reserve (see video below).

The Scripps Coastal Reserve a.k.a. "The Knoll" or "The Cliffs"

If your square e.g. old, you say

"Hello kind sir. May I have the privilege
of accompanying you on your afternoon stroll
down to the Knoll?"

and if your down you say:

"Hay baby wha's crak'n'?
Wanna go chill down at The Cliffs?"

just noted which version I use. Darn.

Rattlesnake encounter II Crotalus sp.

Yes another encounter with my old friend.
This time he looked well fed. They seem to be most active along the coast primarily in the spring. I took this photo in March 2007.

Rattlesnake encounter I Crotalus sp.

Back in June o' 07 oh, (june-oh-ohseven0) I was strolling along contemplating abstract things like how many eggs you could fit into your mouth without breaking them when I came upon this little fellow. His beady little eye struck me as odd so I had to get closer to see if it was elliptical or not as mentioned in the sdnhm.org herpetology web page.SDNHM.ORG WRITES:
How do I recognize a rattlesnake?
The main features of rattlesnakes include:
a broad, triangular head on a narrow neck , CHECK...
folding fangs , CHECK...
cat's-eye or elliptical pupils instead of round ones , LET ME SEE....
usually a rattle at the end of the tail (though this may be missing or broken) CHECK...
As you can see, picking out most of these characteristics requires being close to the snake. This is why we suggest that you leave any strange snake alone.
http://www.sdnhm.org/research/herpetology/resources4b.html

-oops! I didn't read that last part.

Western Blind Snake

In July, we found a blind snake (with vestigial eyes) roaming around on the ground at night. They live mainly underground and seek out ant colonies to eat. It had never been found before in the nature reserve. You can see a Crematogaster californica nest nearby that it quickly slithered down once we were done molesting it. Its scales were shiny silver like armor plating. The ants would attack but could not penetrate the scales! Magnificent! They are suprisingly small....see video below.

The following information is provided courtesy of digital-desert.com

Family: Leptotyphlopidae Order: Squamata Class: Reptilia DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND SEASONALITY
The western blind snake is widely distributed in southern California from the coast to the eastern border at elevations up to 1515 m (5000 ft). It seldom occurs in strictly sandy areas, alluvial flats or dry lakes. Little is known about abundance. A wide variety of habitats at lower elevations is occupied where conditions are suitable for burrowing, or hiding under surface objects and in crevices (Klauber 1940, Brattstrom 1953, Brattstrom and Schwenkmeyer 1951, Stebbins 1954, 1972). SPECIFIC HABITAT REQUIREMENTS Feeding: This snake eats ants, termites, their eggs, larvae and other soft-bodied insects (Stebbins 1954). Cover: This snake burrows, spending most of its time underground. It has also been taken under objects such as logs, rocks and among the roots of shrubs. They have also been taken under granite flakes (Stebbins 1954). Reproduction: No data. Water: The western blind snake seems to prefer moister habitats but is found in very arid environments, so permanent water is probably not required (Stebbins 1954). Pattern: This species prefers moist areas. In canyons, stony and sandy deserts, rocky slopes and boulder piles, and scrub. SPECIES LIFE HISTORY Activity Patterns: This snake appears on the surface at night but may be active underground at other times. Greatest seasonal activity occurs from April to August (Stebbins 1954). Seasonal Movements/Migration: No data. Home Range: No data. Territory: No data. Reproduction: Little is known about reproduction. An average of 4 eggs (range 2-6) is laid in late summer (Klauber 1940, Stebbins 1954). Niche: There is one record of this snake preyed upon by a coyote (Stebbins 1954). It is probably eaten by most avian and mammalian predators when encountered. Nothing is available about diseases parasites or competitors.

That night we ran into Camponotus dumetorium one of the largest California native ant species. You can see the size of a single soldier in the mans hand. They come out at night to forage for food etc.