California 2016

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

California 2016

Postby Sebastian Holzki » Sun Jul 17, 2016 4:37 pm

Hello.

In June we made a roundtrip through California.
We started in San Francisco. After San Francisco we were going to the Yosemite Nationalpark. Beautiful landscape but no reptiles :)
Then we went to Death Valley and the surrounding. It was hot but nevertheless we saw a few lizards.
Here a few pictures of the landscape.

DSC_8233.JPG
The Landscape

DSC_8251.JPG

DSC_8393.JPG


During the daytime I saw one Cnemidophorus tigris tigris and one Uta stansburiana elegans. But with Uta stansburiana I am not completely sure.

Cnemidophorus tigris tigris.JPG

DSC_8242 Uta stansburiana elegans.JPG


A not very shy coyote stood beside the street.

Canis latrans (16).JPG


Under wood and stones near Olancha I saw scorpions (maybe Hadrurus arizonensis).

DSC_8383 Hadrurus arizonensis.JPG


At night I was cruising a street up and down. I saw many rabbits. I Had luck and also saw Crotalus cerastes cerastes.

Crotalus cerastes cerastes (43).JPG

Crotalus cerastes cerastes (40).JPG

Crotalus cerastes cerastes (26).JPG

Crotalus cerastes cerastes (24).JPG


The next day we were going to Los Angeles.
In the Griffith Park I also saw a few lizards. I am not sure but I think it was Sceloporus occidentalis longipes. Maybe one of you can confirm it.

DSC_8663 Sceloporus occidentalis longipes.JPG

DSC_8696 Sceloporus occidentalis longipes.JPG

DSC_8699 Sceloporus occidentalis longipes.JPG

DSC_8724 Sceloporus occidentalis longipes.JPG


Here a photo from the park.

DSC_8721.JPG


I saw often warning signs because of rattlesnakes.

DSC_8711.JPG


Arround Los Angeles have been fires.

DSC_8771.JPG


Our next destination was San Diego. On the way we stayed one night in San Clemente. In the evening I was going to Caspers Wilderness Park on my own.

DSC_8782.JPG

DSC_8784.JPG


In the Park were many squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi).

Otospermophilus beecheyi (11).JPG


I also saw Uta stansburiana elegans...

Uta stansburiana elegans (9).JPG

Uta stansburiana elegans (6).JPG


...and I think Sceloporus occidentalis longipes.

DSC_8816 Sceloporus occidentalis longipes.JPG


Here I am not sure. Is this also Uta stansburiana elegans?

DSC_8834 Uta stansburiana elegans.JPG


Beside the way it rustled. I looked what there is but didn´t see anything. So I thought the unknown animal disappeared in a mouse hole. I went back to the way an there I saw a huge Pituophis catenifer annectens.

Pituophis catenifer annectens.JPG

Pituophis catenifer annectens (5).JPG


Next day we went to San Diego and then to the Hoover Dam. Her I saw two lizards I can´t identify. Maybe someone can help me.

DSC_9320.JPG

DSC_9340.JPG


Next and last stop was Las Vegas. It was a nice holiday trip.
If I identified something wrong I would be happy if you tell me.

Basti
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Re: California 2016

Postby Jeroen Speybroeck » Mon Jul 18, 2016 10:51 am

Ah, the Wild West...!

Remarkably (or maybe not?), had an unshy coyote like that in Death Valley too in 2014.
Image
That trip => http://www.hylawerkgroep.be/jeroen/index.php?id=75

The lizard IDs. My US lizard knowledge is a bit rusty, I'll admit, but here we go.

* First "Uta?" is Uta indeed, I'd say.

* "Here I am not sure. Is this also Uta stansburiana elegans?" - Sceloporus, I think.

* The first of the Hoover dam lizzies reminded me of Holbrookia for a second, but those don't occur there. It's not Urosaurus, so that brings us to Uta again, I'm afraid (as it's definitely in the same family, and Uma, Callisaurus(?), Cophosaurus, ... are also all off the table). It's such a variable species...

* I'd never bet on none of those Sceloporus not being S. graciosus, but given the places your photos stem from, probably not. I actually found mine in Yosemite, together with occidentalis, at a random parking stop.
Image
That trip => https://plus.google.com/photos/10956940 ... 4241?hl=en

* P.S.: Cnemidophorus => Aspidosceles
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Re: California 2016

Postby Mario Schweiger » Mon Jul 18, 2016 11:25 am

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:Ah, the Wild West...!

* "Here I am not sure. Is this also Uta stansburiana elegans?" - Sceloporus, I think.


although not the slightest experience with WWW (wild wild west) I agree with Jeroen
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Re: California 2016

Postby Sebastian Holzki » Mon Jul 18, 2016 4:56 pm

Hello Jeroen and Mario. Thanks for your help.
The Uta is really very variable.

Jeroen, your trip report is great. You´ve seen so much :shock:
Your coyote is also nice :D

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Re: California 2016

Postby Carl Corbidge » Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:29 pm

Those spiny lizards caused me some headaches especially the sub-adults, but I think yours are all either side blotched (least spiny) or western fence (most spiny) what I noticed about sagebrush which isn't as spiny as western fence is a black zigzag in front of the foreleg, seen in Jeroen's pic although not that black. Pics below western first (coastal California) and 3 different sagebrush from Yosemite and Utah.

west fence copy.jpg


sagebrush copy.jpg


sagebrush 3 copy.jpg


sagebrush 2 copy.jpg
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Re: California 2016

Postby Sebastian Holzki » Thu Jul 21, 2016 7:43 pm

Carl, thanks for your comments.
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Re: California 2016

Postby Martin Ertner » Tue Jul 26, 2016 7:47 am

One of the most atractive places for me. Nice report!
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Re: California 2016

Postby Sebastian Holzki » Tue Jul 26, 2016 7:16 pm

Thank you Martin.
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