Category: All Things Reptile

We are now approaching winter! Due to the recent cold weather here in LV/ES, most of the reptiles have retired into their winter abodes, like many of the human residents. One difference, however, is that the majority of the reptiles are underground. Today, we will dive deeper into the subterranean world where reptiles spend so much of their time, and shine a spotlight where the sun rarely reaches. The first questions we should ask ourselves are: where do all the tunnels come from, and who makes them? These questions have many answers, as there are a variety of interesting fauna giving rise to this underground kingdom.

Around here, many of the tunnels belong to the Desert Iguanas, not the big ones living on rooftops, but rather the smaller, sand-colored iguanas that prefer life on the ground. In the winter months, these characters are completely absent; come spring, however, they will emerge and become one of the most common lizards in the area!

Another set of important burrowers are the mammals, digging larger burrows. Once the squirrel, rabbit, mouse, skunk, etc. leave their burrows, those spaces become good hideouts for other creatures.

A third, often overlooked group of burrowers are the insects! Ant colonies create huge nests that become part of the tunnel web after the ants move on. Termites do this job as well, along with many other insects.

Now we know who made the tunnels, but who lives there? And what about the creatures that rarely leave the soil? To be continued next week! Chance Stevens chancestevens123@icloud.com

The Five-Toed Worm Lizard is a strange, unique and seldom found creature that spends most of its time underground. This species is native to the Baja California Peninsula. There is a good-sized population just outside of La Ventana, though not much research has been done on these two-legged lizards.

If you were to see one of these crazy creatures out in their natural habitat — which is Very Difficult — you would probably be confused. At first glance, you would think that it was a worm because it is pink and looks like it has segments, but then you would see its little two front legs and teeny tiny black eyes. Upon further inspection, you would see that it more closely resembles some sort of invertebrate over a lizard. 

Mexican Mole Lizards (another name for the same species) are not widespread, and seem to prefer loamy cactus forests. These lizards are so introverted that many people who live here their whole lives never see one! I was able to find one because of patience, perseverance and a very helpful shove in the right direction by my amazing friend, Prof. Bradford Hollingsworth, Curator of Herpetology at the San Diego Natural History Museum. 

Above the surface, mole lizards are a bit scattered and spend their time trying to dig back into the dirt; underground, however, they are fearsome bug hunters perfectly suited for their specialized life. If you do come across one of these enigmas of nature, photograph it and let me know where you found it, since it could be a new population! – chancestevens123@icloud.com

This week I am featuring La Ventana’s five most common snakes. There are around 15 snake species in our town, so many of the less common snakes are not covered in this column, but the snakes below account for about 80% of the questions I receive!

1. Baja California Coachwhip: These large, day-active snakes reach lengths of over six feet! They are extremely fast and come in an array of colors; around here, they are typically black. They are semi-arboreal, meaning they spend a good bit of time up in trees. They are completely harmless. Here are two photos of different colored coachwhips.

2. Cape Gopher Snake: Cape Gopher Snakes are large and beautiful snakes. They are particularly active during the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) and have incredible patterns. They are completely harmless.

3. Coast Night Snake: Coast Night Snakes are small, nocturnal snakes commonly found slithering around yards or underneath surface debris. These snakes are usually gray, and are commonly confused with rattlesnakes because they have vertical pupils. They, too, are harmless.

4. Western Patch-Nosed Snake: Western Patch-Nosed Snakes are quick, agile snakes that specialize in hunting whiptail lizards. These snakes have large eyes and crème and brown-ish black stripes. They spend a good bit of time with their heads down holes, as this is one of their best hunting methods. Once again, they are harmless.

5. Red Diamond Rattlesnake: Red Diamond Rattlesnakes are large, impressive and easily-identifiable snakes. They will usually support a large rattle, and often use it! These snakes are not really present in town anymore, but can be found just a bit up in the hills, including on mountain bike trails. They are dangerously venomous, and it is best to leave them their space.

We are now in early November and, recently, I have noticed a major spike in baby snakes and lizards. This means there are more reptiles than usual at this time, and we need to be very careful driving at night, because they are crossing the roads in abundance.

A few days ago, around 9pm, I heard a sudden exclamation outside, followed by “SNAKE! Snake!” Rushing out of my camper into our outdoor living area, I saw a small Cape Thread Snake (Rena boettgeri) slithering across the rug. I picked it up and started photographing it, then headed out to release it in a nearby bush. On the way to the bush, I noticed another small serpent on the ground, right in front of me!

Upon closer inspection, I concluded it was a hatchling Coast Night Snake (Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus). I picked it up, though now I was holding a night snake, a large spotlight, a phone for photography purposes, and an extremely squirmy thread snake. Clearly this was not sustainable, so I put the light down, just to discover that this left me in complete darkness. I picked the spotlight back up and, to my dismay, the thread snake squirmed out of my hand and right into a crevice inside the spotlight.

At this point I had no idea what was happening, so I called for backup. The night snake made a break for it, successfully escaped my grasp and slithered off into the brush. A friend arrived and started to assist me but, unfortunately, the thread snake was inside the back of the spotlight, rendering the light useless in finding the escape artist. Eventually we got another light and discovered the thread snake hiding behind the battery case, and it came out easily. I then tracked down the night snake, and eventually everything worked out fine.

This week, I will be covering the Cape Region’s third and final rattlesnake: the beautiful Lower California Rattlesnake (Crotalus enyo).

I was fortunate enough to come across two on my recent trip to Cerralvo. These gorgeous little rattlers are ambush predators, and spend most of their time in wait of prey. In my experience, they are quite docile and will remain still to avoid detection before slithering off into the brush. They are not as large as other rattlesnakes in the area, and typically less common as well. 

Interestingly, these rattlesnakes don’t just eat the typical array of rodents and lizards; they are also well known to eat centipedes! Rattlesnakes have quite a reputation and, although they are dangerous, I am personally much more worried about their venomous centipede prey! 

Unfortunately, upon discovering rattlesnakes, a common reaction is for people to promptly kill them out of fear. Sometimes they are relocated, yet very rarely are they just left to just go about their business. Although relocating a snake is much better than the alternative, rattlesnakes are very important to the ecosystem, and we don’t really have many of them left in LV/ES proper anymore. 

Here are a few reasons rattlesnakes are good neighbors:

1. Pest control: rattlesnakes are especially successful at hunting rodents.
2. Rattlesnakes keep to themselves; it is actually quite difficult to find rattlesnakes even where they are common.
3. They sleep through the winter months; from December to March rattlesnakes are mostly underground.
4. They won’t stop by uninvited or, if they do, you won’t have to worry about serving them beverages and small talk.

November Reptile Walks! Come join us to find reptiles! This Friday, November 3rd, and Sunday, November 12th, from 9-11am we will be hiking Punta Gorda in search of serpentine friends. It will be a fun, educational event, although we are not guaranteed to find anything. Meet at the Punta Gorda Trailhead on the far north end of town. chancestevens123@icloud.com

Dappled in patches throughout LV/ES we have some secretive friends who keep to themselves and act generally like good neighbors. These polite residents are the Couch’s Spadefoot Toads.  They spend much of their time deep underground where they can find moisture, although they do come out on occasion to go on late evening strolls in search of insects. 

These funny amphibians are surprisingly successful throughout dry deserts, living in regions that seem like the last place you would expect to see a frog. Once they reach adulthood, Couch’s Spadefoots can survive without rain for years! They do have one major drawback, however, that keeps them from being widespread across the area, and from being the world’s best neighbor: they are entirely dependent on standing water pools that last at least one week.

When the monsoon rains arrive, this is when the toads truly come alive! Studies have shown that the sounds and vibrations of heavy rain and thunder bring out the toads in force, and they meet at the all-important temporary ponds for massive toad blowout parties! After the rains, the sound of the toads’ calls can be almost deafening. I enjoy the toad orchestra, though it definitely lowers their score as neighbors.

Eggs are laid the first night after the rains and, in just 24 hours, tadpoles will hatch! Most impressively, in as little time as one week, the tadpoles will be fully metamorphosed into tiny toads.

The moral of this story is that toads rely on these temporary pools, so it is very important for us to make sure we don’t block off pools or waterways, and make sure the toads can reach them. The toads will live in our yards, and even in parking lots; all they ask is to get their annual party to ensure that there will be a next generation of 4-star neighbors.

If you have a seasonal pond on your property — or somewhere near you — please keep the toads in mind before you make a wall or berm, and they will thank you! Chance Stevens! chancestevens123@icloud.com

This summer I have had quite the leave of absence, and I am happy to announce that it is over! I have been traveling throughout the United States for the last three months (far too long) and am now finally ready to return to the sweltering desert that I missed so much. This week, I will tell of some of the more interesting events of my summer. 

Around mid-June we left Baja for Central Oregon, where we would spend the first month or so. When we arrived, we were greeted by an arctic winter: roughly 60 degrees. It took some time to adjust, particularly because it insisted on going full-winter mode and snowed a few days later, coinciding perfectly with my first day counseling at an outdoor nature school. 

Our travels then took us to New England, where I found some incredible creatures, such as my first milk snake and many large grumpy water snakes that had evidently not had their coffee yet.

We then cleverly traveled back across the country to Northern California to finish up some business at a Mexican Consulate and visit friends. Here we had an amazing time discovering an old barn filled with interesting creatures such as racers, gopher snakes, ring neck snakes, alligator lizards, skinks, garter snakes and even a shed from a rubber boa. Unfortunately, getting there involved a steep, long hike up a huge hill, but of course I climbed it as often as I could. 

Finally, on the way back down to Baja, we stopped in San Diego to visit the San Diego Natural History Museum, which deserves a column of its own. – chancestevens123@icloud.com

In the last few weeks, the weather has finally switched and, from now until October, the snake activity occurs chiefly after sunset. For weeks during the spring, I had been going on looking-for-reptile missions after dark many times — almost all complete flops — but recently my dad and I struck gold and found a Desert Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata)!

In Southern Baja, rosy boas are beautiful snakes with cream and black stripes and cute faces. Well, at least that is my opinion. They are completely harmless, slow and relatively small, growing to about 91 centimeters (or 3 feet). These boas are usually nocturnal, although sometimes they will come out in the evening or occasionally in the day. Their diet consists mostly of small rodents, but they will eat small birds and reptiles once in a while. The snake we found was just exiting a hole in the road when we found it, and I believe they spend much of their time underground.

Rosy boas are some of the most laid-back snakes in North America, as they are slow, harmless and would never think of biting. We are very lucky to share our town with them and, if we do our part, hopefully we will be able to coexist with these amazing creatures far into the future. – chancestevens123@icloud.com

This week I am presenting my column a little differently, as I do not have a new species to discuss. Here are a couple things that can be done to help the local fauna when developing property and building houses in LV/ES. 

1. Leave Leaf Litter – A great way to help out our reptilian friends is to leave leaf litter! This is crucial for just about all lizards and small snakes. I see many people leaving bushes and trees to help animals, which is definitely a step in the right direction; however, raking all the leaves out from under the bushes and trees takes away the habitat and, therefore, no habitat, no lizards. My suggestion is to rake your paths and hangout areas, but leave the less-used portions of your property natural and un-raked.
2. Leave Holes in Walls – Leave places for animals to get through your walls. Many people in this area have huge concrete walls surrounding their property and, although these are obstacles, reptiles can manage fine with just a little help. A great way to let reptiles pass through is to leave a small gap on the bottom of the wall along the sand line. It could be just a tiny hole 3 x 3 inches (8 x 8 centimeters). Even an opening this small can be a huge help. And you will likely be rewarded! If you watch the hole for a while, you will hopefully get to see it being used.

If you are worried about holes because you don’t want rattlesnakes coming onto your property, think about it this way: If a snake comes through your gate, it will likely cross to the other side and try to find a way to keep moving. When it hits a wall, it will search for an exit; if it can’t find one, it will have no choice but to backtrack or just hang out. So now you have an uninvited guest, trapped in your space, helping itself to your amenities, and rodents. – If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

San Lucan Alligator Lizards (Elgaria paucicarinata) are striking, sneaky and extremely long-tailed lizards that inhabit many of the mountainous regions throughout the Baja Cape Region. 

Here in LV/ES, alligator lizards are not really present. However, just above us in the hills of Rancho Cacachilas, alligator lizards live their secretive lives. They can be found throughout the Sierra de La Laguna, as well as a few other mountainous regions. They like to live in well-vegetated areas and grassy habitats.

These lizards are typically brown with some red or black markings. They have large mouths and expressions that perfectly mix those of grumpy old men and plotting evil geniuses. They are typically diurnal (active during the day), except for particularly hot days, when they may emerge at dusk or later. They like to tuck their front legs against their bodies and sort of slither through grass. Many individuals have very long tails, sometimes twice as long as the bodies, although they will drop them quite easily. Alligator lizards eat mostly insects, and those of larger carriage may even eat small mammals and birds. 

For people from the West Coast of the USA and Canada, alligator lizards might look familiar since they live throughout much of California, Oregon and Washington, as well as southern British Columbia. Although these West Coasters are different species, they are all quite similar in appearance and behavior. – If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com