Bay Area Herpetology

Reptiles & Amphibians of the

San Francisco Bay Area
 Reptiles
• Crocodilians (0)
• Lizards (10)
• Snakes (20) + 1 non-native
• Turtles (1) + multiple introductions

– 31 Total Natives
– *rare or difficult to find
– + listed, protected, or endangered
 Californiaherps.com

http://mvz.berkeley.edu
http://research.calacademy.org/herp

Range maps by Gary Naris

Part II

SNAKES OF THE BAY AREA

 Colubridae
• Family is difficult to characterize and may
be more than one family.
• Live-bearing and egg laying forms.
• Venomous and non-venous forms.
• All have large head scales.
• Name means “snake”.
California Red-sided Garter Snake*
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis
California Red-sided Garter Snake*
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis
Sunol; Abbott’s Lagoon;
Mavericks

Habitat: Lives near water.

Where to look: streams, sloughs and
ponds. Under logs; sunning in open.
Food: fish, frogs and tadpoles,
salamanders, birds, small mammals.
reptiles, earthworms, slugs, leeches.
And insects.
Color variation: Red varies in
populations.
Additional Comments. Large eyes;
Alert. Males have knobby keels above
vent. Live bearing.
California Red-sided Garter Snake*
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis
San Francisco Garter Snake!+
Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia
San Francisco Garter Snake +

Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia

Ano Nuevo; Pescadero

Habitat: Lives near water.

Where to look: streams, sloughs and
ponds. Under logs; sunning in open.
Food: fish, frogs and tadpoles,
salamanders, birds, small mammals.
reptiles, earthworms, slugs, leeches.
Maybe insects.
Color variation: Similar in all
populations.
Additional Comments. Large eyes;
Alert. Males have knobby keels above
vent. May hybridize. Live bearing.
San Francisco Garter Snake !+

Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia

 Coast Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans terrestris
 Coast Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans terrestris
 Coast Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans terrestris
Mt. Diablo, Borges Ranch,
Redwood Regional Park,
Pescadero Marsh
Habitat: Grasslands, woodlands, near
streams, wet areas but can be far from
water.
Where to look: Under logs and rocks,
sunning on trails, in water.
Food: slugs, fish, frogs and tadpoles,
salamanders, birds, small mammals.
reptiles, earthworms, leeches, insects
and sometimes carrion.
Color variation: Very variable. Red
morphs, dark and olive morphs.
Additional Comments. Live bearing. Our
most common garter snake.
 Coast Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans terrestris
Diablo Range Garter Snake
Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus
Diablo Range Garter Snake
Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus
Mt. Diablo, Borges Ranch,
Redwood Regional Park

Habitat: Ponds and creeks,

occasionally far from water.
Where to look: In water near
cattails
Food: frigs, toads, fish, fish
eggs, salamanders, earthworms,
leeches.
Color variation: Fairly inform
with bold yellow stripes.
Additional Comments: Most
common garter snake seen in
water in our area. Live-bearing.
Diablo Range Garter Snake
Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus
Santa Cruz Garter
Snake
Thamnophis atratus atratus
Santa Cruz Garter Snake
Thamnophis atratus atratus
Big Basin; Gazos Creek

Habitat: Ponds, sloughs and

creeks.
Where to look: In water or near
streams.
Food: frigs, toads, fish, fish
eggs, salamanders,
earthworms, leeches.
Color variation: Yellow chin,
lateral stripes often obscured
in our area .
Additional Comments: Live
bearing.
 Santa Cruz Garter Snake
Thamnophis atratus atratus
 Garter Snake Chin Shield Comparison
from A Field Guide to Snakes of California by Philip R. Brown

T. sirtalis
T. atratus

T. elegans
 Night Snake*
Hypsiglena ochororhynchus nuchalata

Photo: Bida Mansouri

 California Night Snake*
Hypsiglena ochororhynchus nuchalata
Corral Hollow, Del Puerto Canyon

• Habitat: Chaparral,
grasslands, moist meadows.
• Where to look: night drives,
under rocks and logs,
occasionally sunning in open.
• Food: lizards, small snakes,
frogs, salamanders,
• Color variation: fairly uniform.
• Additional Comments.
Reared fanged. Eyes cat-like,
crepuscular to nocturnal.
Occipital region with large
dark saddle.
 California Night Snake*
Hypsiglena ochororhynchus nuchalata
Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
 Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
La Fayette Reservoir

• Habitat: Lakes and rivers.

• Where to look: Under rocks I
water, or sunning in our out of
water.
▪ • Food: crayfish, frogs, insects,
fish, young turtles, tadpoles,
salamanders,
• Color variation: fairly uniform.
• Additional Comments.
Introduced to Lafayette
Reservoir. Live bearing. Males
with knobbed keel near anal
vent.
Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
 Viperidae
• Subfamily Crotalinae
• Large hollow movable fangs that swing
forward in strike.
• All venomous.
• Temperature sensitive pits between eye
and nostril: “loreal pits”
• True vipers live in the old world.
• Name means “viper”.
 Head Scales
from A Field Guide to Snakes of California by Philip R. Brown
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
Crotalis oreganus oreganus
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
Crotalis oreganus oreganus
Mt. Diablo, Lime Ridge, Del
Puerto Canyon, Corral Hollow

Habitat: coastal scrub, chaparral,

grassland, oak woodlands and conifer
forests.
Where to look: Under rocks and logs,
sunning on trails, night drives.
Food: adults eat mammals including
rodents, rabbits, moles and shrews;
young eat lizards.
Color variation: pale and dark forms;
young often with yellow tail.
Additional Comments: The only
venomous snake in our area; live
bearing. Young venom more toxic.
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
Crotalis oreganus oreganus
 Key features of Herps
• Range
• Habitat
• Season
• Reproductive strategies
• Variations
• Distinguishing features
• Similar species
• Status