California Snakes and How to Find Them

by Emily Taylor

Overview

A herpetologist introduces budding snake enthusiasts to the wonders of California snakes.

"I've loved snakes since childhood and am thrilled to now have this gorgeous book as my companion to finding snakes wherever a walk on the wild side takes me." —Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Backyard Bird Chronicles

Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias in the world, yet step into any local zoo and you'll find the snake pit to be among these menageries' greatest attractions. In this entrancing ode to the charms of California's legless reptiles, rattlesnake wrangler Emily Taylor shares her knowledge, enthusiasm, and advice for getting to know our slithering neighbors, dispelling the usual misapprehensions that surround them and celebrating their striking biological traits along the way.

Featuring profiles of the nearly 50 fork-tongued species that burrow and coil in California's diverse habitats, and containing tips for serpent seekers—including identification guides and handling advice—California Snakes and How to Find Them delves into the longstanding myths and latest natural history research on our ophidian friends of the West. Taylor showcases the biodiversity of California's snakes, from the Common Garter to the fetchingly pink Rosy Boa to the elusive Alameda Striped Racer, illustrated with more than 100 detailed photographs. Supported with critical insights—such as what to do during a venomous encounter, and an exploration of the seemingly simple question, What is a snake?—this guide is the perfect companion for both the seasoned naturalist and the budding snake enthusiast.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597146340
Publisher:	Heyday
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Series:	California Herping Guides
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Emily Taylor is a professor of biological sciences at California Polytechnic State Universityin San Luis Obispo, where she conducts research on the physiology, ecology, and conservation biology of lizards and snakes. A staunch advocate for improving the public image of snakes, especially rattlesnakes, Dr. Taylor is founder of the community science initiative Project RattleCam (rattlecam.org), where members of the public help her and other scientists learn about rattlesnakes by analyzing photos and livestream footage from snake dens. She is owner of Central Coast Snake Services (centralcoastsnakeservices.com), which helps people and snakes in California coexist safely and peacefully. She lives in Atascadero with her husband, Steve, and their menagerie of rescue animals, including Pax the dog, Baby the boa constrictor, Aperol Spritz the bearded dragon, and rattlesnakes Buzz and Snakeholio. Follow her on X @snakeymama.

Read an Excerpt

PREFACE

This book is for snake lovers and snake lovers-to-be. Few animals capture our imaginations like snakes do, but their reputation is as forked as their tongues. For many people, snakes are scary, gross, and even considered bad omens. For others, like me, snakes represent grace, beauty, and resilience—they are just as fantastic as any beasts that Harry Potter encountered in the wizarding world. I may be just about as Slytherin as they come, but there will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this book: Learning about California snakes and how to find them requires practice, persistence, and luck. In this book, I coach you on what you need to develop snake-hunting skills and cheerlead you on being persistent enough to find the snakes you seek. But ultimately, we will have to leave luck up to the “herping gods . . . ,” which my students and I jokingly credit on our successful field trips (and blame for less successful trips).

My love affair with snakes began twenty-five years ago on a class field trip in college when my herpetology professor handed me a California Kingsnake he had found under a log. My vision went dark around the edges as I stared, mesmerized, at the shiny black and white coils of muscle writhing in my hands. From then on, it was a rare log, rock, or piece of tin I passed without looking underneath it. I was hooked. I now spend much of my time spreading the good word about California snakes in every way I can by teaching my own herpetology students, unlocking the secrets of snakes in my research at Cal Poly, promoting ways to live safely in areas with rattlesnakes, and sharing snake stories everywhere I go.

While my goal for you, reader, is to help you find, identify, and observe California snakes out in the field, notably, this book is not a true field guide in the sense that I do not provide detailed information like scale counts, nor do I show range maps. In some cases, I merge closely related species into a single species account. You can find detailed technical information about each snake species in various field guides and websites, including the wonderfully comprehensive and convenient website www.CaliforniaHerps.com, and I have the full list of scientific references I drew from archived at my website as well.

In addition to helping you learn how to find, observe, and identify the snakes around you, I want you, the budding snake enthusiast, to learn how to interact with wildlife in a responsible manner. Snakes have been unfairly portrayed in the media and persecuted mercilessly for ages. Even people who love snakes can sometimes harm them by destroying their habitat in an effort to catch them or by handling them roughly in pursuit of the perfect photograph. In this book, you will not just learn how to find snakes in the wild, but how to leave no trace behind in your search for these majestic beasts. Rattlesnakes should always be left alone, and standing back and watching even harmless snakes is the key to seeing once-in-a-lifetime behaviors like snakes catching prey or fighting with one another over a mate. That said, part of the joy of herping is approaching snakes with knowledge and caution in order to hold these striking creatures in your hands and observe them up close. As herpetologist Sam Sweet wrote, “Field herpetology cannot be (and should not be) reduced to birdwatching.”

Snakes native to California have coexisted with California’s Indigenous people for millennia. Rattlesnakes in particular have been significant animals in the daily lives of people in California, both now and in the deep past. Anthropologists have recorded diverse practices and beliefs among Indigenous groups with respect to rattlesnakes; for example, the use of rattlesnake fat to treat “consumption” (possibly tuberculosis) by the Northern Californian Pomo people, and the belief among the Shoshone, Luiseño, and Diegueño that rattlesnake bites are punishments for dereliction of religious duty. I acknowledge and pay homage to the fact that I write this book from the homeland of the Indigenous Te'po'ta'ahl, or "People of the Oaks," named by missionaries as the Antoniano division of the Salinan tribe, a group that is currently seeking official recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

California is famous for many reasons, but chief among these is its diversity. Diversity of cultures, of people, of wildlife, of climates, of crops, of wines . . . you name it. Californian snakes are no different. We have boas, we have vipers, we have blindsnakes, we have a legion of snakes from a large and diverse family called the Colubridae, and in recent years we even have had a few wayward sea snakes find their way to our shores. Fellow snake admirer, I am excited to be your guide on this journey into the wonderful world of Californian snakes.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

What Are Snakes?

California Is a Perfect State for Snakes

People and Snakes—A Complicated Relationship

What’s in a Snake’s Name?

How to Find and Watch Snakes in California

Think Before You Touch

California Rattlesnakes Deserve Our Respect, Not Fear

What Good Are Rattlesnakes? (sidebar or box)

That’s Not a Snake!

Family Boidae

• Rubber Boa (Charina bottae)
• Rosy Boa (Lichanura orcutti)

Family Colubridae

• Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans)
• Baja California Ratsnake (Bogertophis rosaliae)
• Shovel-nosed Snakes (Chionactis annulata and C. occipitalis)
• North American Racer (Coluber constrictor)
• Sharp-tailed Snakes (Contia longicauda and C. tenuis)
• Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
• Nightsnakes (Hypsiglena chlorophaea and H. ochrorhyncha)
• California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae)
• Mountain Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis multifasciata and L. zonata)
• Coachwhips (Masticophis flagellum and M. fuliginosus)
• Striped Racer (Masticophis lateralis)
• Striped Whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus)
• Watersnakes (Nerodia fasciata and N. sipedon)
• Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus)
• Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer)
• Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei)
• Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis)
• Western Ground Snake (Sonora semiannulata)
• Black-headed Snakes (Tantilla hobartsmithi and T. planiceps)
• Aquatic Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus)
• Sierra Garter Snake (Thamnophis couchii)
• Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans)
• Giant Garter Snake (Thamnophis gigas)
• Two-striped Garter Snake (Thamnophis hammondii)
• Checkered Garter Snake (Thamnophis marcianus)
• Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophis ordinoides)
• Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
• Lyresnakes (Trimorphodon lambda and T. lyrophanes)

Family Hydrophiidae

• Yellow-bellied Sea Snake (Hydrophis platurus)

Family Leptotyphlopidae

• Western Threadsnake (Rena humilis)

Family Typhlopidae

• Brahminy Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus)

Family Viperidae

• Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
• Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes)
• Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus)
• Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus pyrrhus)
• Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber)
• Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)
• Panamint Rattlesnake (Crotalus stephensi)

Acknowledgments

Recommended Further Reading

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"If you live in, or a planning to visit to, California and you have an interest in snakes—or would like to develop one—this is a book that should most certainly be on your list for your next visit to your local book shop." —The Well-Read Naturalist

"I've loved snakes since childhood and am thrilled to now have this gorgeous book as my companion to finding snakes wherever a walk on the wild side takes me." —Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Backyard Bird Chronicles

"For anyone who loves snakes, or who wants to love them, Emily Taylor's California Snakes and How to Find Them is packed with facts in reader- friendly prose by one of the world’s leading snake biologists and conservationists. The utility and emotional impact of this book are further enhanced by some of the most evocative photographs of snakes I've ever seen, spanning technically perfect closeups of heads to stunning images of individuals in their species-typical habitats. California Snakes sets a new high bar for nature education, and I look forward to future volumes about other animal groups." —Harry W. Greene, author of Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature and Tracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art

"Emily Taylor's enthusiasm and love for snakes shine through every sentence of California Snakes and How to Find Them. Her engaging personal stories, authoritative information, and spectacular photographs will charm snake-lovers and future snake-lovers alike. See you in the field, armed with persistence, luck, and knowledge. Happy herping!" —Marty Crump, author of Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizard’s Leg: The Lore and Mythology of Amphibians and Reptiles

From the Publisher