California
Reptiles & Amphibians

Short Videos






These are links to all the short videos of reptiles and amphibians available on this site.
The lists are in alphabetical order using the Latin names.
Some videos include sound, many do not.

These simple videos are intended to show how a species moves or to show it in its habitat, but some of them show interesting behavior. They are kept short, and often without sound, to conserve bandwidth use. Most of them were shot quickly at the time and place where the animal was found before it ran or crawled away. In many cases this was at night with poor artificial lighting, and in many cases the animals were uncooperative. Because many herps quickly run away and hide and others only move for a few seconds then remain motionless even when prodded, it is often hard to film herps in motion without capturing and staging them. Consequently, many of these videos use a few short segments to avoid showing only motionless animals.


Click on the camera icon to watch a video. Click on a link to visit the home page for an animal.


Snakes
Arizona elegans eburnata - Desert Glossy Snake Several views of a Desert Glossy Snake crawling around at night in the San Diego County desert.
Charina bottae - Northern Rubber Boa It was 55 degrees F.around 8 PM at about 8,000 ft. elevation on a mountain pass in Alpine County when I saw this rubber boa crossing the road. It eventually dropped down a huge tree stump to get away from me and curled up under some tree bark.
Charina bottae - Northern Rubber Boa As you can see in this video, when they feel threatened, rubber boas curl into a ball with their head hidden in the middle and their head-like tail on the outside, hoping that a predator will attack their tail instead of their more vulnerable head.
Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis - Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake Two views of a Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake crawling.
Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis - Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake A Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake strikes repeatedly.
Crotalus atrox - Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake Several views of a Cochise County, Arizona Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake rattling and taking a defensive pose with its head and tail elevated.
Crotalus atrox - Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake A Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake rattles in a defensive pose in Sierra County, New Mexico.
Crotalus cerastes cerastes - Mohave Desert Sidewinder A sidewinder crawls slowly then very quickly over the sand with its unique sideways locomotion.
Crotalus cerastes laterorepens - Colorado Desert Sidewinder A Colorado Desert sidewinder crawls with its unique sideways locomotion.
Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus - Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake A coiled Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake rattles, uncoils, and crawls into a bush. (The sound has been deleted in the middle due to excess background noise.)
Crotalus molossus - Black-tailed Rattlesnake Views of a Black-tailed Rattlesnake in the Pajarito Mountains of Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Crotalus oreganus oreganus - Northern Pacific Rattlesnake A Northern Pacific Rattlesnake in Contra Costa County coils defensively and rattles sensing the air with its tongue.
Crotalus oreganus oreganus - Northern Pacific Rattlesnake A juvenile rattlesnake rattles and crawls off a road in the foothills of Fresno County in early Fall.
Crotalus oreganus oreganus - Northern Pacific Rattlesnake A Northern Pacific Rattlesnake rattle.
Crotalus ruber - Red Diamond Rattlesnake A large old Red Diamond Rattlesnake rattles on top of a boulder in coastal San Diego County.
Crotalus ruber - Red Diamond Rattlesnake A close view of a rattling Red Diamond Rattlesnake's tail.
Crotalus ruber - Red Diamond Rattlesnake A large adult Red Diamond Rattlesnake crawls on the rocks at the edge of a desert wash in San Diego County. Despite the bright lights, it did not appear to notice me and continued its nocturnal wandering.
Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus - Northern Mohave Rattlesnake Several views of a Northern Mohave Rattlesnake rattling and taking a defensive posture.
Lampropeltis getula californiae - California Kingsnake A striped California Kingsnake crawls across a dirt road.
Lampropeltis getula californiae - California Kingsnake A distressed California Kingsnake vibrates its tail.
Lampropeltis getula californiae - California Kingsnake A disgruntled aberrant kingsnake rears up in a partially-coiled defensive posture, strikes repeatedly at the photographer, then leaps off a rock to freedom.
Leptotyphlops humilis humilis - Southwestern Threadsnake A Southwestern Threadsnake discovered on a cool spring morning races across it's coastal San Diego County habitat with amazing speed.
Lichanura trivirgata gracia - Desert Rosy Boa A rosy boa discovered at night on a sand bar in the middle of a creek prepares to swim back to the shore.
Masticophis flagellum piceus - Red Coachwhip I saw this Red Coachwhip foraging in the desert in San Diego County before it saw me. After turning around in my direction, it became aware of me, raised its head off the ground in a state of alert, wiggled its neck back and forth while holding its head still, then turned around and raced away over the rocks into a bush.
Masticophis flagellum ruddocki - San Joaquin Coachwhip This slender and very fast-moving snake races across a dirt road.
Masticophis lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer A San Diego County California Striped Racer sits on the ground, then races off into the chaparral.
Phyllorhynchus decurtatus - Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake As shown here, this snake is typically found on a paved desert road at night. Using a serpentine motion, it is capable of moving quickly over the asphalt.
Pituophis catenifer affinis - Sonoran Gopher Snake Gopher snakes in the wild often take a defensive stance when threatened; they hiss, rear up, and sometimes even strike at the threat in order to protect themselves from harm. In this video, a newly-hatched juvenile Sonoran Gopher Snake trying to cross a road at night is threatened by the bright light and the video camera stuck in its face so it hisses loudly and strikes at the camera before crawling away.
Pituophis catenifer affinis - Sonoran Gopher Snake A Sonoran Gophersnake curls up in the crotch of a large tree where it climbed after being discovered crossing a dirt road in the Chiricahua Mountains of Southeast Arizona.
Pituophis catenifer affinis - Sonoran Gopher Snake A Sonoran Gophersnake races across a road just after sunset.
Pituophis catenifer annectens -
San Diego Gopher Snake
A San Diego Gopher Snake flicks its tongue and crawls across a dirt road.
Pituophis catenifer catenifer - Pacific Gopher Snake A Pacific Gophersnake, not happy to be picked up off the road by a crazy human, curls up in a defensive stance, investigates the camera, then crawls away. This movie contains no sound.
Pituophis catenifer catenifer - Pacific Gopher Snake The same Pacific Gopher snake as the one above shows its defensive arsenal, which includes coiling, puffing up, and elevating the body, flattening the head into a triangular shape, hissing loudly, shaking the tail, and striking repeatedly. When its tormentor gives up, the snake crawls away, keeping its head and neck defensively arched, ready to quickly coil and strike if needed.
Pituophis catenifer catenifer - Pacific Gopher Snake A distressed Pacific Gopher Snake shakes its tail rapidly. Part of a gopher snake's defensive strategy is rapidly shaking the tail to create a buzzing sound. This behavior may be a mimic of a rattlesnake's rattlng, or it might just be a similar behavior that helps to warn off danger.
Pituophis catenifer deserticola - Great Basin Gophersnake A Great Basin Gophersnake crawls across a road and into the grass in the Owens Valley.
Pituophis catenifer deserticola - Great Basin Gophersnake A Great Basin Gophersnake crawls across a dirt road in Okanagan County, Washington.
Rhinocheilus lecontei - Long-nosed Snake The snake moves away quickly into the brush. You can sort of see how the banded pattern merges into a blur as the snakes moves away.
Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis - Desert Patch-nosed Snake A cold and sluggish Desert Patch-nosed Snake is gently prodded with a stick to encourage it to move for the camera, but the snake retaliates by racing away in a blur in typical patch-nosed snake fashion.
Sonora semiannulata - Variable Ground Snake A tiny juvenile Variable Ground Snake is found under a rock in Imperial County
Tantilla hobartsmithi - Smith's Black-headed Snake A tiny Smith's Black-headed Snake crawls across a paved road at night.
Tantilla nigriceps - Plains Black-headed Snake A tiny Plains Black-headed Snake moves in typical serpentine motion across desert blacktop on a summer night in New Mexico.
Tantilla planiceps - Western Black-headed Snake A tiny Western Black-headed Snake crawls around in San Diego County.
Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus - Oregon Gartersnake An Oregon Gartersnake basks on a rock in a
River in Mendocino County, and swims away.
Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus - Diablo Range Gartersnake Diablo Range Gartersnakes in and around a small cattle pond in Contra Costa County.
Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis - Western Black-necked Gartersnake A Western Black-necked Gartersnake is discovered in the middle of swallowing a Chiricahua Leopard Frog, back legs first, at the edge of a slow creek in the Pajarito Mountains of Arizona. The snake swims across the creek to finish eating, then swims into some roots to hide.
Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis - Western Black-necked Gartersnake A brief look at a snake resting in a cattle-trampled Arizona pond (which was full of Chiricahua Leopard Frogs.)
Thamnophis elegans terrestris - Coast Gartersnake A couple of snakes from the coast of Marin County, doing what snakes
do - trying to get away from those annoying humans.
Thamnophis elegans vagrans - Wandering Gartersnake Wandering Gartersnakes found beside a creek in the mountains of Arizona.
Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi - Valley Gartersnake A Valley Gartersnake is discovered resting in the sun near the edge of a mountain pond which is still half-surrounded by snow. When I get too close, the snake races off, showing the speed with which this gartersnake can crawl and swim to safety.
Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi - Valley Gartersnake Valley Gartersnakes race over land and in water at a high-elevation pond in Siskiyou County.
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis - Red-sided Gartersnake A huge feisty Red-sided Gartersnake from Santa Barbara County strikes out a few times at its captor. © Vince Semonsen

Lizards
Anniella pulchra - California Legless Lizard A California Legless lizard crawls like a snake, then quickly burrows into loose soil.
Aspidoscelis flagellicauda - Gila Spotted Whiptail An adult Gila Spotted Whiptail crawls along the ground in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.
Aspidoscelis gypsi - Little White Whiptail A LIttle Whiptail hunts for red ants in the white sands.
Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi - Belding's Orange-throated Whiptail On a cold morning in early Spring, several woozy Orange-throated Whiptails, recently removed from overnight traps during a study in San Diego County coastal sage habitat, awkwardly crawl across the ground to freedom.
Aspidoscelis tigris munda - California Whiptail A California Whiptail forages on the slopes of a mountain in Contra Costa County.
Aspidoscelis tigris tigris - Great Basin Whiptail Two Great Basin Whiptails forage along the ground and on a rock outcrop with their characteristic slow and jerky movement.
Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus - Western Zebra-tailed Lizard Several views of zebra-tailed lizards waving their striped tails to divert attention away from their main body, running off quickly, and doing the territorial push-up display.
Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus - Western Zebra-tailed Lizard One early afternoon during a summer cold front in the Mohave Desert, I was able to get close to several zebra-tailed lizards and follow them around as they moved relatively slowly for these speed demons.
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti - San Diego Banded Gecko A gecko crawls up the side of a boulder and slips into a crack. Note the slow and deliberate way this lizard walks.
Coleonyx variegatus bogerti - Tucson Banded Gecko A Tucson Banded Gecko crawls up a rock cut on a summer night in Tucson, Arizona.
Coleonyx variegatus variegatus - Desert Banded Gecko A night shot of a gecko crawling slowly and waving its tail.
Cophosaurus texanus scitulus - Chihuahuan Greater Earless Lizard A couple of lizards run around on a paved trail in Pima County, Arizona, waving their striped tails.
Crotaphytus bicinctores - Great Basin Collared Lizard
Two juvenile Great Basin Collared Lizards in the Mohave Desert.
Crotaphytus vestigium - Baja California Collared Lizard A Baja California Collared Lizard sits on a rock above a palm oasis.
Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis - Northern Desert Iguana Several Northern Desert Iguanas in the Colorado Desert.
Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis - Northern Desert Iguana A desert iguana darts around on the sand and does a territorial push-up display.
Elgaria coerulea shastensis - Shasta Alligator Lizard Juvenile Alligator Lizards look and move like a little skink. Here, a tiny recently-born Shasta Alligator Lizard races around on sandy ground then ducks back into the piece of driftwood it was hiding under.
Elgaria kingii nobilis- Madrean Alligator Lizard A Madrean Alligator Lizard moves with typical serpentine motion, flicks its tongue, and breathes using the fold along the lower sides of the body.
Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata - California Alligator Lizard A California Alligator Lizard is discovered under a board on a sunny spring afternoon. It tries to bite, crawls across the ground in snake-like fashion, tries to climb over the camera, sticking out its tongue, then ducks back under its board.
Gambelia sila - Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard A Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard rests at the mouth of its burrow then runs off into its sparseley-vegetated habitat.
Gambelia wislizenii - Long-nosed Leopard Lizard One morning I saw about a dozen leopard lizards basking on asphalt roads in Inyo County. These are a few of them.
Heloderma suspectum suspectum - Reticulate Gila Monster A Gila Monster crawls around in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.
Holbrookia elegans thermophila - Sonoran Earless Lizard A gravid female from the Pajarito Mountains does a little dance on her belly, and male from the Santa Rita Mountains basks on a rock.
Holbrookia maculata approximans - Speckled Earless Lizard A Speckled Earless lizard runs around on the ground.
Petrosaurus mearnsi - Mearns' Rock Lizard An adult rock lizard shows its rock climbing and jumping acrobatics, finally doing a defensive push-up display, then a juvenile lizard crawls around the face of a massive rock.
Phrynosoma cornutum - Texas Horned Lizard A Texas Horned Lizard sits, eats an ant, and runs around in Douglas County, New Mexico.
Phrynosoma blainvillii - Blainville's (Coast) Horned Lizard Two different horned lizards are shown running quickly for a short distance then stopping to hide by blending in with the background, typical behavior for this type of lizard.
Phrynosoma mcallii - Flat-tailed Horned Lizard A Flat-tailed Horned Lizard runs rapidly across fine wind-blown sand and quickly buries itself with a final shake of its tail.
Phrynosoma modestum - Round-tailed Horned Lizard A round-tailed horned lizard is discovered sitting still, relying on its cryptic shape and color to blend in with the rocks. Then it quickly runs away.
Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum - Southern Desert Horned Lizard I found this horned lizard basking on a rock on a cool morning in the Mohave Desert. It only had two speeds - sit still and hide, and run away as fast as you can.
Phrynosoma solare - Regal Horned Lizard A sedentary Regal Horned Lizard in the Arizona desert is encouraged to move for the video camera but refuses until it suddenly races away out of sight. Be careful what you wish for.
Plestiodon callicephalus - Mountain Skink Views of a juvenile Mountain Skink in the Pajarito Mountains of Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus - Skilton's Skink A skink is found under a rock. It bites hard, refusing to let go, then finally runs through dry grass with typical serpentine motion.
Sauromalus ater - Common Chuckwalla A large old male chuckwalla gets some sun, does some pushups, eats some bushes, then poops. An Oscar-worthy performance.
Sauromalus ater - Common Chuckwalla A Chuckwalla emerges from its crack and does a territorial push-up display.
Sauromalus ater - Common Chuckwalla Where's Waldo? From a wide view of its habtat, we zoom in on a Chuckwalla high on top of a rock.
Sceloporus clarkii clarkii - Sonoran (Clark's) Spiny Lizard Views of several Sonoran Spiny lizards in Arizona.
Sceloporus graciosus gracilis - Western Sagebrush Lizard This movie starts just after a male Western Sagebrush Lizard ran up the face of a large a rock outcrop and tackled a female, huge and full of eggs and showing her orange breeding color. He continues to harass her and she moves slowly with her body and her tail elevated defensively. Then he settles in on a ledge above her while she rests. (She occasionally leaped after flying insects which landed nearby, but I could not get that on video.)
Sceloporus graciosus gracilis - Western Sagebrush Lizard A male Western Sagebrush Lizard in Contra Costa County runs between rocks, stopping to do his push-up display. This is the same male just before he ran up the rock and chased the female in the previous video.
Sceloporus graciosus graciosus - Northern Sagebrush Lizard Several lizards from Mono and Inyo Counties, including a dual push-up display.
Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus -
Southern Sagebrush Lizard		 A Southern Sagebrush lizard runs over the rocks and does territorial push-up displays.
Sceloporus jarrovii - Yarrow's Spiny Lizard Yarrow's Spiny Lizards from the Santa Rita and Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.
Sceloporus jarrovii - Yarrow's Spiny Lizard Yarrow's Spiny Lizards from the Huachuca Mountains of Arizona.
Sceloporus magister uniformis - Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard A male and a female Yellow-backed Spiny lizard meet up a tree and greet each other with push-up displays, nuzzling, and other interactions.
Sceloporus magister uniformis - Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard Yellow-backed Spiny Lizards pose and do territorial push-up displays in Southwest Utah.
Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii -
Coast Range Fence Lizard		 A male, approaches a female, chases her, then does a push-up display after she rejects him.
Sceloporus occidentalis taylori - Sierra Fence Lizard Sierra Fence lizards run around a rocky area in the woods high in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Sceloporus tristichus - Plateau Fence Lizard Two male plateau lizards battle for territory in Washington County, Utah. The victor returns to his tree branch and does a few puch-ups.
Sceloporus virgatus - Striped Plateau Lizard Striped Plateau Lizards in the Chiricahua Mountains.
Uma notata - Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard A fringe-toed lizard runs slowly, then very quickly over the hot sand.
Uma scoparia - Mohave Fringe-toed Lizard A fringe-toed lizard buries itself in the sand to hide. This lizard was captive and sluggish and buries itself slowly and incompletely. In the wild a lizard runs quickly then dissapears in a flash as it dives into the sand.
Uma scoparia - Mohave Fringe-toed Lizard The llizard runs quickly over the sand. So quickly I almost missed it.
Urosaurus graciosus - Long-tailed Brush Lizard We slowly move up to and into the middle of a Creosote bush to find a Long-tailed Brush Lizard on a branch resting motionless and relying on its camouflage to stay hidden.
Urosaurus graciosus - Long-tailed Brush Lizard A Long-tailed Brush Lizard moves along a branch.
Urosaurus nigricaudus - Baja California Brush Lizard Some good looks at a camera-tolerant female brush lizard before she bolts, with some impressive tail wagging.
Urosaurus nigricaudus - Baja California Brush Lizard A female brush lizard does a few push-up displays and some tail wagging.
Urosaurus ornatus schottii - Schott's Tree Lizard Tree Lizards beside a creek in Coconino County, Arizona
Uta stansburiana elegans - Western Side-blotched Lizard A male side-blotched lizard tries to pursuade a female, chasing her and displaying. She is not interested, so she runs off the rock into the San Diego County desert.
Uta stansburiana elegans - Western Side-blotched Lizard Common Side-blotched lizards in the Mohave Desert in San Bernardino County bask on rocks, do territorial push-ups and move around in the desert.
Uta stansburiana elegans - Western Side-blotched Lizard Walking through the San Bernardino County Mohave desert we discover several of these common lizards basking in the sun.
Uta stansburiana elegans - Western Side-blotched Lizard A female side-blotched lizard in the San Diego County desert repeatedly goes in and out of a small hole under an exposed root, digging out the sand with her feet and pushing it lower with her body. It's the middle of the May breeding season, so maybe she is digging out a place to lay her eggs.
Uta stansburiana nevadensis - Nevada Side-blotched Lizard Side-blotched Lizards from the sagebrush desert of northern Inyo County.
Xantusia henshawi henshawi - Granite Night Lizard A tiny night lizard, disturbed from its daytime hiding place, runs up the side of a boulder. Notice the wiggling, almost serpentine running motion of this lizard.
Xantusia vigilis vigilis - Desert Night Lizard A view of some Desert Night Lizards, discovered underneath dead Joshua Tree branches in the desert, close up and in motion.
Xantusia vigilis vigilis - Desert Night Lizard The detached tail of a Desert Night Lizard wriggles on the ground. (It kept wriggling for almost 4 minutes.)

Turtles
Chrysemys picta bellii - Western Painted Turtle Painted turtles on a pond in Okanagan County, Washington.
Gopherus agasizii - Desert Tortoise A young tortoise walks along a rocky wash in the Mohave desert.
Gopherus agasizii - Desert Tortoise Kicking dirt out behind it, an adult Desert Tortoise crawls back into its summer burrow.
Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense - Sonoran Mud Turtle A Sonoran Mud Turtle, found wandering overland in the mountains outside of Tucson Arizona, slowly pokes its head out of its shell and looks around for several minutes before quickly returning back into the shell. (It never did come out...)
Lepidochelys olivacea - Olive Ridley Sea Turtle An Olive Ridley swims around in a large aquarium.
Trachemys scripta elegans - Red-eared Slider Red-eared Sliders basking, swimming, and sliding into a pond.

Frogs & Toads
Bufo alvarius - Sonoran Desert Toad Several Sonoran Desert Toads out at night in Arizona, hopping and running quickly across desert roads.
Bufo boreas boreas - Boreal Toad A toad gives a release call after he is picked up and gently grasped across the back. (It may sound like this toad is suffering, but it is not being harmed. This is a warning call, the same one he makes when another male toad comes into his territory or climbs onto his back and grabs him tightly with his legs.)
Bufo boreas boreas - Boreal Toad An adult Boreal Toad hops around a coastal plain in Humboldt County.
Bufo boreas halophilus - California Toad This toad moves across the wet ground both by crawling and by hopping
Bufo californicus - Arroyo Toad A male Arroyo Toad calls three times at night from the edge of a creek. The video has been edited - the original calls were about a minute apart.
Bufo canorus - Yosemite Toad This male was calling on a cold afternoon from a high-altitude snow-melt pool in a wet meadow. The video has been edited in order to cut out the couple of minutes of silence between his calls.
Bufo canorus - Yosemite Toad A female toad hops around with a male on her back (called amplexus). You can hear the female making the release call begging for the male to release her.
© Julie Nelson
Bufo canorus - Yosemite Toad A male Yosemite Toad calling to attract a mate.
© Julie Nelson
Bufo cognatus - Great Plains Toad Two male toads call at night from shallow pools at the edge of an irrigated agricultural field in Riverside County. Other calling toads can be heard in the background.
Bufo debilis - Western Green Toad Male Green Toads call at night from a shallow pool.
Bufo exsul - Black Toad Black Toads crawling around in the water at night. It doesn't get more exciting than that...
Bufo exsul - Black Toad A Black Toad lunges with its sticky tongue extended, trying to catch something to eat.
Bufo microscaphus - Arizona Toad Several male Arizona Toads calling and interacting at night at the edge of a small creek next to a river in Washington County, Utah, including two examples of a male attempting amplexus with another male who then makes release calls. Canyon Treefrogs can be heard in the background.
Bufo microscaphus - Arizona Toad Several Arizona Toads seen hanging around the edge of a small creek in Washington County, Utah. Most are males who stopped calling once I stuck a camera and bright lights in their faces. They usually resumed calling once I left.
Bufo microscaphus - Arizona Toad A short example of a male calling at night.
Bufo nelsoni - Amargosa Toad A bunch of Amargosa Toads sit, hop, crawl, and swim around a small creek on a May night in Nye County, Nevada.
Bufo punctatus - Red-spotted Toad A male Red-spotted Toad calls at night from several different angles in San Diego County. California Treefrogs are heard in the background.
Bufo punctatus - Red-spotted Toad A male Red-spotted Toad calls at night one time in San Diego County.
Bufo punctatus - Red-spotted Toad Red-spotted Toad tadpoles in a small desert pond.
Bufo punctatus - Red-spotted Toad Tiny toadlets still transforming from tadpoles crawl around on a mat of algae in a desert pond in San Diego County.
Bufo retiformis - Sonoran Green Toad A male Sonoran Green Toad calls at night from dry ground about three feet above a flooded ditch.
Bufo retiformis - Sonoran Green Toad A male Sonoran Green Toad stops calling and leaps after a flying insect attracted to my video lights. Catching it with his tongue, he backs up and swallows it.
Bufo woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad 360 degrees of toad sitting on a road at night. It wouldn't move, so the camera had to.
Gastrophryne olivacea - Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad A Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad hops around a small creekbed in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Hyla arenicolor - Canyon Treefrog Several male Canyon Treefrogs call at night from the edge of a rocky creek in Arizona.
At the end are several examples of a two-part high-pitched encounter call.
Hyla arenicolor - Canyon Treefrog Canyon Treefrogs rest on large rocks at the edge of a creek in the mountains of Arizona. At first glance, the frogs are not easy to see thanks to their color and pattern which lets them blend in with the rock.
Hyla arenicolor - Canyon Treefrog A large adult Canyon Treefrog crawls across the face of a large rock and settles in to rest, using its color and pattern to disappear into the rock. Another hops into a creek to escape from danger.
Hyla arenicolor - Canyon Treefrog Canyon Treefrogs in their habitat in Washington County, Utah.
Pseudacris cadaverina - California Treefrog A male treefrog calling on a windy night from the edge of a small pond in San Diego County. He makes three distinct sounds - a low call, then several higher-pitched calls followed by some ratcheting notes, ending with another high-pitched call.
Pseudacris cadaverina - California Treefrog At night at a small pond in San Diego County, after I make an imitation of his call, a male frog repeatedly makes what appears to be his encounter call while aggressively moving towards the camera until he finally hops away. A Red-spotted Toad and other CA Treefrogs are heard in the background.
Pseudacris cadaverina - California Treefrog A male treefrog calls from the edge of a small pond.
Pseudacris regilla - Northern Pacific Treefrog
A male treefrog calls while floating on a pond in the Cascades Mountains of Washington on a sunny Summer day. This is the two-part advertisement call.
Pseudacris sierra - Sierran Treefrog A male treefrog makes the one-part or enhanced call from the edge of a small temporary snow-melt pond at 8,600 feet elevation in Alpine County.
Pseudacris sierra - Sierran Treefrog Sierran Treefrog tadpoles feed in a pond and a puddle in a creekbed on a sunny spring afternoon in Contra Costa County.
Pseudacris triseriata - Western Chorus Frog A tiny Western Chorus Frog found under a rock near a pond in a forest clearing in the mountains of Coconino County, Arizona.
Rana berlandieri - Rio Grande Leopard Frog A male Rio Grande Leopard Frog calls at night from the edge of an agricultural canal in Imperial County, using his throat sack as well as pouches on the side of the neck to produce a variety of sounds. Another leopard frog joins in and they are both accompanied by an American Bullfrog.
Rana berlandieri - Rio Grande Leopard Frog A male Rio Grande Leopard Frog calls at night in Imperial County, accompanied by insects.
Rana berlandieri - Rio Grande Leopard Frog A male Rio Grande Leopard Frog calls at night from the edge of an agricultural canal in Imperial County, using his repertoire of grunts and chuckles, then he is accompanied by another leopard frog and several American Bullfrogs.
Rana boylii - Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
A Foothill Yellow-legged frog calls at the edge of a small pool in a river with just its head out of the water, producing a call that can be heard in the air and underwater. The underwater sound is recorded with an underwater microphone placed about 3 feet behind the frog.
Rana boylii - Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Scenes from a Foothill Yellow-legged Frog breeding site along a river in Oregon, including calls made in the air and underwater. (The underwater calls were not recorded along with the video, they were added later, however, the frogs depicted underwater are calling male frogs.)
Rana boylii - Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Tadpoles feeding in a rocky creek in Douglas County, Oregon.
Rana cascadae - Cascades Frog Lots of Cascades frogs filmed as they were encountered one summer morning along a creek in the mountains of Siskiyou County.
Rana cascadae - Cascades Frog Views of several Cascades frogs in their habitat, a creek in the mountains of Siskiyou County.
Rana cascadae - Cascades Frog A look at a Cascades Frog breeding pond high in the Cascades, including the pond surrounded by melting snow, male frogs in calling position, two calling males, and two episodes of male frogs attempting to mount other males with sounds of protest.
Rana catesbeiana - American Bullfrog Views of several bullfrogs in ponds and creeks.
Rana catesbeiana - American Bullfrog A large male Bullfrog calls at night from a lake.
Rana catesbeiana - American Bullfrog - Tadpoles Although they are quick to swim to the bottom when first approached, American Bullfrog tadpoles will usually calm down and resuface, where they slowly swim, float, and socialize.
  On a sunny August day in Santa Cruz County Arizona, I watched a bunch of Chiricahua Leopard Frogs go about their business around a nearly evaporated cattle pond. The next day a huge thunderstorm hammered the area, filling the ponds back up, but I was lucky to film the frogs when their foraging grounds were limited. After initially fleeing from me, they eventually tolerated my presence and crept back onto the shore, sometimes only several feet from where I was standing, and began feeding. Below are five short videos of these frogs in and around the pond. I estimated there were almost 60 frogs.
Rana chiricahuensis - Chiricahua Leopard Frog After first fleeing me by jumping into the water, the frogs gradually hopped out of the pond and sat and waited to try to catch some of the many flying insects and invertebrates that landed on the mud around the pond.
Rana chiricahuensis - Chiricahua Leopard Frog As the temperature increased, the frogs began to assemble into groups, including some large piles of over a dozen. I could not figure out the reason for this behavior, but it appeared to be some kind of social interaction, since they were not feeding.
Rana chiricahuensis - Chiricahua Leopard Frog The frogs mostly sat and waited for food, but occasionally they crawled or hopped quickly to catch an insect. They jump so quickly to catch their food, that it is almost not visible in real time. This video shows a number of frogs feeding in real time, then repeated at the end in slow motion where you can see their huge mouths and tongues in action.
Rana chiricahuensis - Chiricahua Leopard Frog Not every feeding attempt was successful. In the first segment you see a frog leap after a worm, then spit it out along with some apparently distasteful red ants. The frog had to use its front feet to pull the ants off of its tongue. The ants continued on afterwards a little shaken, but apparently unharmed.
The next segment shows a large flying insect crawling on the shore, with several frogs leaping one by one towards it only to decide it was not edible.
Rana chiricahuensis - Chiricahua Leopard Frog A Chiricahua Leopard Frogs sheds its old skin, using all four legs to pull the skin and push it towards its mouth which is opened and closed to help pull the skin off. Here you can see the skin pulled from the front toes and rear legs. This one minute video was cut down from about four minutes, but the shedding went on for much longer.
Rana chiricahuensis - Chiricahua Leopard Frog Views of another group of Leopard frogs at a different pond covered with some type of red algae, as they hop around, bask, feed, and shed.
Rana draytonii - California Red-legged Frog A bunch of juvenile California Red-legged Frogs sit around in a Contra Costa County pond on a sunny summer afternoon.
Rana luteiventris - Columbia Spotted Frog Views of Columbia Spotted Frogs during the breeding season, including lots of breeding males sitting in the pond, huge egg masses, and a quick look at the breeding habitat. No sound.
Rana luteiventris - Columbia Spotted Frog Male Columbia Spotted Frogs in a breeding pond in call underwater and chase each other around an amplexing pair.
Rana luteiventris - Columbia Spotted Frog Several male Columbia Spotted Frogs in a breeding pond call in the air while floating on the water, followed by a male diving, calling underwater, then surfacing.
Rana luteiventris - Columbia Spotted Frog A male Columbia Spotted Frog in a breeding pond calls in the air. When he is joined by three other frogs, he calls underwater, chases one and grabs on. We hear release calls made underwater, then he lets go and surfaces.
Rana luteiventris - Columbia Spotted Frog A male Columbia Spotted Frog in a breeding pond calls in the air while floating on the water, then dives and calls underwater.
Rana luteiventris - Columbia Spotted Frog A male Columbia Spotted Frog in a breeding pond calls above and below the water as he chases another frog.




Rana muscosa - Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog Juvenile and adult Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs do what frogs do on a summer day in a creek in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Rana pipiens - Northern Leopard Frog Two videos of a Northern Leopard Frog calling on a sunny April afternoon in Grant County, Washington. Redwinged and yellow-headed blackbirds and other birds are heard in the background. Calling was sporadic over a long period of time, so these calls have been assembled from longer videos.
Rana pipiens - Northern Leopard Frog A pond with a few of the last remaining Northern Leopard Frogs in Grant County, Washington.
Rana pipiens - Northern Leopard Frog A Northern Leopard Frog on the rocky shore of a river in Washington County, Utah.



Rana sierrae - Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog These are four videos of three different male frogs calling during an early summer afternoon in Alpine County. Running water, birds, insects, and an occasional Pacific Treefrog are heard in the background.
Rana sierrae - Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Several pairs of male and female frogs in amplexus are seen in this video with attempts by other males to steal the females. They are successfully fought off by the amplexing males, usually by a strong kick, but sometimes a long wrestling match ensues.
Rana sierrae - Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Several groups of male frogs are seen during the breeding season chasing and amplexing each other. You can hear release calls in the first few scenes. This behavior continued for hours, so it did not appear that they were mistaking each other for females they could breed with, but that it was some kind of territorial behavior between males. Or they could have been practicing their pouncing skills for when they encountered females in the future. (This is a long video which might take some time to download.)
Rana sierrae - Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Two males are seen during the breeding season chasing and amplexing each other until one leaves and the other begins calling.
Rana yavapaiensis - Lowland Leopard Frog Leopard frogs around a cattle pond in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Rana yavapaiensis - Lowland Leopard Frog Juvenile leopard frogs hop around a small desert creek in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Scaphiopus couchii - Couch's Spadefoot Male spadefoots call at night from a temporary rain pool.
Scaphiopus couchii - Couch's Spadefoot Male and female spadefoots in amplexus in a temporary rain pool.
Smilisca (Pternohyla) fodiens - Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Two males calling at night while sitting on wet grass at the edge of a shallow rain pool in Pima County, Arizona.
Spea intermontana - Great Basin Spadefoot Male spadefoots call at night from a shallow stagnant pool in central Washington.
Spea intermontana - Great Basin Spadefoot A Great Basin Spadefoot digs into sandy soil and buries itself.
© Julie Nelson
Spea multiplicata - New Mexico Spadefoot A spadefoot calls at night while floating on top of a flooded pool in a wash in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. When another male comes close he makes a different snoring sound and swims around. Other spadefoots and Western Green Toads are heard in the background.

Salamanders
Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum - Southern Long-toed Salamander A larval salamander swims around in an aquarium, using its legs, body and tail to propel itself.
Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum - Southern Long-toed Salamander Larval salamanders swim around in a pond in a forest clearing on a sunny September day in Siskiyou County.
Ambystoma mavortium mavortium - Barred Tiger Salamander A Barred Tiger Salamander crosses a wet road on an August night in the grasslands of Southeast Arizona.
Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum - Arizona Tiger Salamander An Arizona Tiger Salamander crosses a road in the mountains of Arizona on a
rainy summer night, moving away from a breeding pond and back into the woods.
Aneides flavipunctatus flavipunctatus - Speckled Black Salamander A salamander is discovered under a rock on a sunny late November afternoon in Mendocino County. Several adults and a juvenile move slowly and with amazing bursts of speed.
Aneides flavipunctatus flavipunctatus - Speckled Black Salamander Sprinting salamanders from Humboldt County.
Aneides hardii - Sacramento Mountains Salamander A Sacramento Mountains Salamander climbs on a fallen log.
Aneides lugubris - Arboreal Salamander An Arboreal Salamander resting and running.
Aneides vagrans - Wandering Salamander A couple of Wandering Salamanders discovered by a creek in the redwoods.
Batrachoseps attenuatus - California Slender Salamander A few quick looks at several California Slender Salamanders sitting still, coiled up, and quickly wriggling away
Dicamptodon tenebrosus - Coastal Giant Salamander Coastal Giant Salamander larvae shown walking and swimming in shallow water and on streamside stones.
Dicamptodon tenebrosus - Coastal Giant Salamander You can see the gills working on this tiny larva shown underwater in a small aquarium.
Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis - Oregon Ensatina (Intergrades) An adult crawls around on the forest floor. A juvenile shows it can move very fast when it wants to.
Ensatina eschscholtzii picta - Painted Ensatina Adult and juvenile painted Painted Ensatina roam the redwood forest. One climbs up to the edge of a large downed log then jumps way down to the ground showing off its acrobatic skills.
Hydromantes platycephalus - Mount Lyell Salamander An adult salamander is seen crawling down a large granite rock next to a creek in Inyo County.
Plethodon dunni - Dunn's Salamander Dunn's on the run. Like many salamanders when they move quickly, this one seems to hurl itself forward out of control while wriggling its long body from side to side.
Plethodon elongatus - Del Norte Salamander Several Del Norte Salamanders run away and hide in typical salamander style.
Plethodon elongatus - Del Norte Salamander Watch this salamander walk and get an overview of its habitat.
Plethodon larselli - Larch Mountain Salamander A salamander sitting on a rock becomes alarmed and runs while quickly writhing its body back and forth until it rolls itself into a ball and rolls down off the rock where it bounces off another rock and springs and rolls again until it lands safely. This amazing escape behavior, developed as a defense for survival on steep rocky slopes, is shown in real time, then slowed down for a better look.
Rhyacotriton cascadae - Cascade Torrent Salamander A few torrent salamanders found along a rocky creek.
Rhyacotriton olympicus - Olympic Torrent Salamander Olympic Torrent Salamanders move aroud the rocky bank of a forest creek on the Olympic Peninsula.
Rhyacotriton variegatus - Southern Torrent Salamander
Southern Torrent Salamanders next to a creek, showing they are capable of wild bursts of speed.
Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt A few gentle taps on the back of a Rough-skinned Newt causes it to take a passive defensive posture, raising its tail and head to display the bright orange color of its underside which signifies danger. This "unken reflex" shows a would-be predator that the newt is deadly poisonous, while at the same time, the newt releases deadly toxins from its skin.
Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt Rough-skinned newts move around the rocky shallow margins of a river in Douglas County, Oregon, occasionally coming up for air.
Taricha torosa torosa - Coast Range Newt Coast Range Newts on the move in the woods on a Fall morning.
















 

Home | Lists | Maps | Photo Indexes | Sounds | Videos | Identification | More Info | Beyond CA | About Us | Usage | Taxonomy | New Stuff | Thanks | Disclaimers | Contact


Return to the Top

© 2000 - 2009