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Post by vegasjames on May 20, 2015 2:44:40 GMT -5
Hi Scott, I was out digging some chrysocolla yesterday and ran across this lizard:   And this snake:    He was shaking his tail lie a rattler. I did see a much larger snake with this same black and white striping and rattles when I was a kid visiting the family ranch in Reno. Was always curious as to what kind of snake that was and now I have a photo of one. |
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Post by orrum on May 20, 2015 6:37:39 GMT -5
Interestingn.... Scott?
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Post by Peruano on May 20, 2015 7:17:57 GMT -5
Scot must be busy.
The lizard is a leopard lizard (Crotaphytus wizlizenii) a aggressive predator of other lizards, but beautiful. Its a relative of the mountain boomer or collared lizard, also a lizard and large insect eater.
The snake is a California Kingsnake. (Lampropeltis getulus). These are the guys so famous for occasionally eating a rattlesnake, but like most snakes their pretty catholic (universal) in their diets and eat just about any vertebrate they find. They do not eat Catholics. They are also quite variable in coloration from boldly banded like this one to speckled (salt and pepper) patterns. Tom
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 9:30:38 GMT -5
Tom nailed it.
The species for California Kinganake has been adjusted to Lampropeltis getula to have the genders of latin terms agree.
Good finds James!
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 9:32:37 GMT -5
Scot must be busy. The lizard is a leopard lizard (Crotaphytus wizlizenii) a aggressive predator of other lizards, but beautiful. Did they move leopard lizard from Gambelia without telling me? |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 9:46:51 GMT -5
vegasjamesMany snakes rattle tails like a rattlesnake. It is a form of mimicry. If you saw an actual rattlesnake with similar colors years ago, that was probably a bold colored Prairie Rattler Crotalus viridis.
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Post by johnjsgems on May 20, 2015 12:26:54 GMT -5
Is it the king snakes here in the Mohave that have a red stripe too? Have not seen any in years, just my gopher snake buddy.
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on May 20, 2015 12:50:15 GMT -5
I object. Kingsnakes would eat a "church mouse", possibly a catholic rodent *S*. The kingsnake look alike in California with the red addition is probably a Long Nosed Snake. We used to catch them fairly often on both the Mojave and Colorado desert...Mel
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 13:48:13 GMT -5
Yes, once again Mel nailed it. The Longnose Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei)  |
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Post by drocknut on May 20, 2015 15:51:45 GMT -5
Cool lizard. I'm not a fan of snakes but one that eats rattlers is ok in my book. I just happy that I thought it was a king snake and I was right.
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Mark K
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Post by Mark K on May 20, 2015 20:43:11 GMT -5
I saw a snake in AZ by the big recreational area on the CO River. It was 100 feet long, very thin and it let me get real close to it before it turned around and left breaking the sound barrier.
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Post by vegasjames on May 20, 2015 20:47:55 GMT -5
Thanks everyone.
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Post by Peruano on May 20, 2015 21:08:15 GMT -5
Gambelia vs Crotaphytus. One is a conservative tag and one a more contemporary one. Lumping them with the collared lizards reflects their relationships, and dietary similarities. Good photos.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 21:14:30 GMT -5
Gambelia vs Crotaphytus. One is a conservative tag and one a more contemporary one. Lumping them with the collared lizards reflects their relationships, and dietary similarities. Good photos. Taxonomy is fluid and subject to the whims of the researcher. The only REAL thing is a species. All the rest (family, genus......) Are man made synthetic descriptions that change with the wind. Thanks Tom. You are a gentleman. I look forward to our next meeting. |
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Post by stephan on May 27, 2015 13:13:29 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 15:16:17 GMT -5
Man Kings and Coral snakes never found in same habitat. stephan we have a California version too. |
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Post by stephan on May 28, 2015 15:22:48 GMT -5
Man Kings and Coral snakes never found in same habitat. stephan we have a California version too. Right. Good point. Mainly info for people who see a red, yellow and black snake. I'd forgotten about the California version. Now that you mention it, though, I recall catching one in High School. Haven't seen another one since. I's love to get a picture. They are beautiful creatures. Actually, I haven't even seen many live king snakes lately. Just road-kill. Sadly. |
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