www.nps.gov/ cabr and philosophy. philosophy. and inflating its head. head. its inflating lizards, and large invertebrates. invertebrates. large and lizards, For more information: information: more For is vital to advising park management management park advising to vital is shaking its tail, hissing, and and hissing, tail, its shaking (including rattlesnakes), birds, birds, rattlesnakes), (including systems they protect. This information information This protect. they systems Name _____________________________ _____________________________ Name similar coloration, and also by by also and coloration, similar that include rodents, snakes snakes rodents, include that status and trends of the species and and species the of trends and status as a defensive tactic, by its its by tactic, defensive a as a wide variety of prey items items prey of variety wide a research to try to understand the the understand to try to research and fauna. Scientists conduct conduct Scientists fauna. and snake will mimic a rattlesnake rattlesnake a mimic will snake striped varieties. This snake eats eats snake This varieties. striped Herpetology Guide Guide Herpetology document their observations of flora flora of observations their document invertebrates. Often this this Often invertebrates. coming in both banded and and banded both in coming play out. Park Rangers and Volunteers Volunteers and Rangers Park out. play Cabrillo National Monument Monument National Cabrillo eggs, lizards, and and lizards, eggs, brown and white and yellow yellow and white and brown ecosystems and let natural processes processes natural let and ecosystems mammals, birds and their their and birds mammals, morphs including black or or black including morphs and restore when necessary, native native necessary, when restore and snake. Its diet consists of small small of consists diet Its snake. variety of color and pattern pattern and color of variety manage. Our philosophy is protect, protect, is philosophy Our manage. and values of the parks they they parks the of values and undoubtedly our largest largest our undoubtedly southwest, and comes in a a in comes and southwest, natural resources, processes, systems, systems, processes, resources, natural 9’ long, the gopher snake is is snake gopher the long, 9’ throughout much of the the of much throughout Service is to protect and preserve preserve and protect to is Service A snake that can reach up to to up reach can that snake A This species is found found is species This The core mission of the National Park Park National the of mission core The ) ) annectens catenifer Pituophis ( ) ) californiae Lampropeltis ( Our Role Role Our San Diego Gopher Snake Snake Gopher Diego San Kingsnake California Reptiles & Amphibians cut off by development), and due to Southern Pacific Rattlesnake San Diego Night Snake their limited home ranges, (Crotalus oreganus helleri) (Hypsiglena orchrorhyncha klauberi) Cabrillo National Monument is home to these animals are extremely susceptible 12 species of herptiles – 6 species of to population decline and extirpation snakes, 5 species of lizards, and one (no longer existing in a particular area amphibian, the garden slender where they historically were found). In salamander. fact, eight reptile species have already been extirpated from the peninsula: Coronado island skink, red diamond rattlesnake, yellow-bellied racer, coast horned lizard, red coachwhip, two- striped gartersnake, California glossy These only rattlesnake species snake, and the Western long-nosed The night snake is a small, snake. found at Cabrillo. They have a rear-fanged snake. It uses short, stout body with a large these fangs to inject venom triangle-shaped head and a tail into prey, but is harmless to with segments that “rattle” when Long-term monitoring of these species most humans. It feeds on began in 1995 by Dr. Robert Fisher (SDSU, the snake shakes its tail. lizards and their eggs. then USGS), as part of a larger scale Rattlesnakes must rely on their study of herptile species in Southern cryptic coloration and remain California. The NPS took over monitoring quiet and still to avoid detection. If at Cabrillo in 2002 to continue assessments of possible decline in that doesn’t work, a rattlesnake will species’ numbers. Because Point Loma then rattle its tail as a warning. The peninsula is island-like (surrounded on last line of defense is to flee or, if three sides by ocean, and to the north, cornered, defend itself with a bite. very fast! fast! very a racer because this snake is is snake this because racer a .” And it’s called called it’s And .” periscoping “ sometimes referred to as as to referred sometimes survey the area for prey – – prey for area the survey underside. underside. shrub and elevate its head to to head its elevate and shrub tail and exposes its bright bright its exposes and tail strategies is to climb into a a into climb to is strategies causes Lyme disease. disease. Lyme causes threatened, this species coils its its coils species this threatened, locate prey. One of its its of One prey. locate the bacterium in ticks that that ticks in bacterium the (not harmful to humans). When When humans). to harmful (not fold. fold. gular a have eyes and excellent vision to to vision excellent and eyes a protein in its blood that kills kills that blood its in protein a it is rear fanged and venomous venomous and fanged rear is it lizard, adults are smaller, and and smaller, are adults lizard, This snake relies on its large large its on relies snake This benefit to humans because of of because humans to benefit underside. Like the night snake, snake, night the Like underside. looking to the western fence fence western the to looking yellow stripe on each side. side. each on stripe yellow particular species is a huge huge a is species particular very bright yellow to orange orange to yellow bright very small invertebrates. Similar Similar invertebrates. small mostly black with a single single a with black mostly small invertebrates. This This invertebrates. small dull, gray to black back, and and back, black to gray dull, A common lizard that eats eats that lizard common A A long, thin snake that is is that snake thin long, A A common lizard that eats eats that lizard common A A small, thin snake that has a a has that snake thin small, A ) ) elegans stansburiana Uta ( ) ) longipes occidentalis Sceloporus ( ) lateralis lateralis Coluber ( ) ) similis punctatus Diadophis ( Western Side-blotched Lizard Lizard Side-blotched Western Great Basin Fence Lizard Lizard Fence Basin Great Racer Striped California San Diego Ring-necked Snake Snake Ring-necked Diego San Belding’s Orange-throated Whiptail San Diego Alligator Lizard S. California Legless Lizard Garden Slender Salamander (Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi) (Elgaria multicarinata webbii) (Anniella stebbinsi) (Batrachoseps major major) A species of special concern, A somewhat common and Not a snake! It’s a legless lizard This species of salamander does but does very well at Cabrillo very large lizard with short because it has eyelids and can not breathe through a lung; rather National Monument. Because limbs and a long tail. The drop its tail to help it escape a they respire through their skin and of habitat fragmentation and alligator lizard can be predator. This species spends a mouth tissues. They must live in habitat loss, this species now mistaken for a snake at times lot of its time underground, so it damp environments and they will only inhabits approximately because of its long tail and can be difficult to find. It feeds only move about on land during 25% of its historic range. It eats snake-like locomotion. This on insects in larvae form, wet weather – usually the winter small invertebrates and is species will eat small beetles, termites, and spiders. months. Upon inspection, the common at the park. Look for invertebrates, small lizards garden slender salamander looks a lizard with a bright orange and small mammals. It will more like a small, slimy worm. It is throat and a long tail. sometimes feed on bird eggs about 2-3 inches long with very and young birds. short limbs. .