Reptiles and Amphibians Photography courtesy of Bob Dyer, Urszula Dziri Western Fence LizardSceloporus occidentalis bocourtii. Many people call this a blue belly lizard. Fence and alligator lizards are a favorite food of snakes and birds, so they have a detachable tale to distract the preditor.Coast Garter SnakeThamnophis elegans terrestris. The coast garter snake eats a wide variety of small animals including fish, mice, worms, and slugs, and has a slightly venomous bite that is poisonous to its prey, but not considered dangerous to humans.Gopher snakePituophis catenifer catenifer. The Pacific gopher snake helps keep the populations of pocket gophers and lizards in check and are good for the ecosystem. Pacific gopher snakes may look like rattlesnakes to some but do not have triangular heads or vertical eye irises and are nonvenemous.Southern alligator lizardElgaria multicarinata. Alligator lizards, long and slender, are generally secretive, tending to hide in brush or under rocks, and are common in yards and garages. Moves with a snake-like undulating motion, often tucking the rear legs up against the side of the body and pulling itself along on its belly with the front feet. Good swimmers. Can loose tail to escape from predator and regrow it later. Northern and Southern species occur in this area, differentiated by underside morphology, eye color, and reproduction. Southern has black stripes on scales on underbelly, yellow eyes, and lays eggs in burrows. Northern (E. coerulea) has vertical stripes between scales on underbelly, darker eyes, and young laid in white membrane.California KingsnakeLampropeltis californiae. The California king snake is a nonvenomous, powerful constrictor, immune to rattlesnake venom, and eats small animals and other snakes, including rattlers. 2) When you see 2 kingsnakes in vigorous embrace, it could be 2 males fighting for dominance or male-female courtship.Western Fence Lizard, maleSceloporus occidentalis. Male Western fence lizards (blue bellies) defend their territory by perching and displaying their blue bellies with pushups.Western Pond TurtleActinemys marmorata. The Western Pond Turtle is in decline throughout 75 - 80% of its range and is nearly extinct in Washington and British Columbia due to loss of wetland habitat, competition from the nonnative red=eared slider and predation by the nonnative American bullfrog. Western pond turtles are omnivores and can live up to 50 years.American BullfrogLithobates catesbeianus. The American bullfrog was imported from east coast to the west coast as a food source (frog legs) and escaped captivity in the early 1900s and is now found in many places around the world creating havoc with the local native frogs and turtles. This nonnative American bullfrog eats the young of the native pond turtle, a major reason that species is in decline.Red-eared SliderTrachemys scripta elegans. The red-eared slider turtle is the most popular pet turtle and can live over 20 years in captivity, so many have been released by owners all over the world, creating stress to the local native species, particularly our native, the Western pond turtle.
