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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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Another, south of L.A. Bay
I think Sarah has been watching too much Steve Irwin (Crocadile Hunter)!
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David K
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Baja Calif. Rattlesnake, Montevideo
April is THE month for rattlesnake discoveries! We met three on the one trip (4/03).
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David K
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Red Diamonback, Parral Canyon (4/04)
April, the next year...!!!
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ursidae69
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tehag, the first snake is a coachwhip and the second is a bullsnake. Do they call them rat snakes in Baja?
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Skipjack Joe
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ursidae96,
Those are some really great lizard shots. Especially the one of the desert spiny lizard! You didn't take those shots with a point and click camera did
you? Was a zoom lens used for those rattlesnake photos?
Skipjack
[Edited on 9-9-2005 by Skipjack Joe]
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ursidae69
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
ursidae96,
Those are some really great lizard shots. Especially the one of the desert spiny lizard! You didn't take those shots with a point and click camera did
you? Was a zoom lens used for those rattlesnake photos?
Skipjack
[Edited on 9-9-2005 by Skipjack Joe] |
The lizard shots were with my friend's Canon SLR digital. The red diamond rattler's photo was taken with a Sony Mavica CD digital camera and the
southern pacific rattler was taken with my 35 mm SLR and scanned in. No telephotos with the rattlers, just kept a safe distance, just outside strike
range, and I have a buddy standing by with snake tongs to keep me safe for 'in situ' photos.
I love that desert spiny lizard too, he looks so damn cool and the breeding colors are magnificant, the reds, the yellows... 
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Skipjack Joe
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I once came across a large rattler on the highway and tried to photograph him so that he would fill up the entire view field. I had a 50mm lens and I
had to get so close. I figured he had enough coil in him to reach me from that distance. But that red diamond rattler (which was the same species as I
encountered) seems really close. That's why I asked.
Those rattlers are really agressive. Mine was completely stretched out when I encountered him. Well, I figured he couldn't strike at me because he
wasn't coiled. So, I grabbed his tail to see what would happen. Well, he turned around and started after me on the pavement. I had to move fast to
avoid being bitten. Now maybe that move was meant to scare me because he eventually slithered into the brush, coiled up, and rattled. I waited until
the rattles stopped rattling. But every time I moved the camera they'd start up again. Wonderful memory now, 20 years later.
Skipjack
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oladulce
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Spikey, slow learners
It's always fun to find these guys in the yard, especially the little ones.
But haven't had much success at teaching them tricks.
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The squarecircle
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Greetings; >>>>>> Much appreciated all of those herpetological pictures especially the big red rattler. What a beautiful
creature. He seemed to be quite calm and content. Keep 'em coming. Got to love them all. >>>>> Best Regards, sq.
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bufeo
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Location: Santa Fe New Mexico
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Hey Bear, thanks for starting this thread. (flywgn on another channel.)
Those are some great pix and extremely informative. I'll have to be more attentive with my camera around Pta B from now on. The day after you
stopped in on your last visit we found a very green reptile cum rattles over near the east point. It was not in a hurry to leave its lair
and I had plenty of time to get a camera. Couldn't find a suitable photo of anything like it in our reference books.
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gringorio
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Another chuckwalla
I took this on our spring break trip in 2004 on Isla Ventana...
Great topic... Thanks Ursidae!
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gringorio
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Island chuckwallas
Herer's another shot. Given the barren appearance of many Gulf islands I was surprised to see how large the chuckwallas were - what is their primary
food source? Cactus and cactus fruits? This one approached 2' long... 
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vgabndo
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Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
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Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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I posted this a while back, but...
This is such an unusually BAJA thread, I'm going to un-lurk!
I believe it is a Variable, or Banded, Sand Snake. About 7" long. In the arroyo at San Nicolas BCS. Common.
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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Perry, is that the same photo as the one you sent me long ago? I remember a pretty good snake picture in your San Nicolas web page! Do you have the
one of the racoons in the pila still? Great stuff!
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ursidae69
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Location: Youngsville, NM
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bufeo
Hey Bear, thanks for starting this thread. (flywgn on another channel.)
Those are some great pix and extremely informative. I'll have to be more attentive with my camera around Pta B from now on. The day after you
stopped in on your last visit we found a very green reptile cum rattles over near the east point. It was not in a hurry to leave its lair
and I had plenty of time to get a camera. Couldn't find a suitable photo of anything like it in our reference books. |
Hola bufeo, I look forward to the next time we can sit down and chat. We'll have to dig up pictures of this critter you found if you have them! 
Gringorio: I looked up the diet in Grismer et al. and he states the following for the island chuckwallas.
| Quote: | | Sylber (1988) determined that S. hispidus is a strict herbivore that prefers flowers over all other parts of the plants and will seek them
out before eating seeds and leaves. He reports that shrubs and forbs make up the most significant part of its diet. Cacti and grasses are also eaten
but apparently not preferred. |
Regarding your comment on the size from the same text:
| Quote: | | Case (1982) and Petron and Case (1997) believe that the large size of S. varius and S. hispidus is a phenomenon of insular
gigantism selcted for by a lack of predators and a seasonlly abundant food supply. |
vgabndo: Great photo of the sand snake, I've only found roadkill. I'd love to find a live one someday! Very cool!
oladulce: Nice horned lizard, I'll find some of those pics I have too!
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ursidae69
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Location: Youngsville, NM
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Horned lizard near Catavina. Phrynosoma coronatum
A great photo of a banded rock lizard Petrosaurus repens
This shot I love, it was taken with my friend's Canon digital SLR. The lizards tend to hold still like this and let us take nice close-ups after
we've held them for a while. The hard part is noosing them!
Thanks for all the great comments form everyone, this has turned into a hella-fun thread! 
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bajajudy
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Way cool
And he even let you hold his hand
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bajataco
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Wow - excellent thread! Gorgeous photos.
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zforbes
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Ursidae69...I am not a scientist, just an interested lay person, so forgive my rather simple question...do horned lizards come in different types? The
reason I ask is that I used to catch them as a kid in Southern CA, and I'm wondering if they would have been the same kind of horned lizard that you
are showing from near Catavina? (We called them "horny toads" among ourselves, but I can see some folks grinning about that one, so now I know better.
Thanks, Zoe
Edited to add: I like the picture of the horned lizard so much that he is going to be my screen saver for a while. I'll enjoy people's startled
reactions when he flashes up on the screen.
[Edited on 9-13-2005 by zforbes]
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ursidae69
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| Quote: | Originally posted by zforbes
Ursidae69...I am not a scientist, just an interested lay person, so forgive my rather simple question...do horned lizards come in different types? The
reason I ask is that I used to catch them as a kid in Southern CA, and I'm wondering if they would have been the same kind of horned lizard that you
are showing from near Catavina? (We called them "horny toads" among ourselves, but I can see some folks grinning about that one, so now I know better.
Thanks, Zoe
Edited to add: I like the picture of the horned lizard so much that he is going to be my screen saver for a while. I'll enjoy people's startled
reactions when he flashes up on the screen.
[Edited on 9-13-2005 by zforbes] |
I've called them horny toads my whole life too!  As far as my texts go,
there are 14 recognized species of horned lizards in North America. That number may not reflect the newest research, as more work is done into the
genetics of these guys things may change. Some herpetologists break them up further into subspecies based on geographical variation. I'm more of a
lumper not a splitter myself. 
[Edited on 9-13-2005 by ursidae69]
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