New Additions in 2023

These are some of the new pictures, sounds, and video that I have added to the site in 2023.
Most of these were generously contributed by photographers other than myself. I'm too lazy to list every new or improved thing that I add myself. The pictures and videos are listed under the month when I added them to the site, not necessarily when they were taken or donated.

The links lead to pages which include thumbnails and other links to the new content. You will have to search the page to find them, but most of them are usually put at the bottom of the gallery of thumbnails of the featured animal.
The most recent additions to the site are on top of the list below.
A list of some of the new additions to the site in 2022 can be seen here.




December


Mark Gary contributed another series of pictures of a juvenile Diablo Range Gartersnake eating a toxic juvenile California Newt from the same location where he photographed and adult snake eating an adult newt in October.




November


Andre Giraldi contributed pictures of a California Tiger Salamander from the small isolated Sonoma County population, a Northwestern Salamander from Sonoma County, a very "warty" California Giant Salamander with what looks like a potential trematode infection, a Pacific Ring-necked Snake eating a California Slender Salamander, and an intergrade Common Gartersnake from Solano County with characteristics of a Valley Gartersnake and a California Red-sided Gartersnake.

Ryan Sikola contribued a picture of a Two-striped Gartersnake with a pale stripe similar to a Queen Snake.




October


Daniel Koury contributed pictures of a juvenile Long-nosed Snake from Santa Barbara County, a rare location, and an even rarer aberrant adult Long-nosed Snake with extra red and reduced black pigments. He also contributed pictures of two unusual Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes, one with a lot of red and another that's partially-striped, and a series of pictures of a male Rosy Boa pursuing a female and attempting to mate with her in the wild in Kern County.

Jeffrey Finder contributed a picture of a melanistic Northern Pacific Rattlesnake.

Cory Walker contributed a picture of a Forest (California) Alligator Lizard with an usual amount of red coloring.

Mark Gary contributed a series of pictures of an adult Diablo Range Gartersnake eating a toxic adult California Newt.

Michael Flory contributed a picture of a juvenile Moorish Gecko.

Michael G. contributed pictures of a tiny hatchling San Diego Nightsnake.

Yuval Helfman contributed a picture of a juvenile Pacific Ring-necked Snake.




September


B. Kraus contributed a picture of a very yellow San Diego Gophersnake.

Faris K contributed several pictures of northern California snakes - California Mountain Kingsnake, Alameda Striped Racer, California Glossy Snakes, Two-striped Gartersnake, and Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes

Zachary Vegso contributed pictures of a very unusual leucistic or amelanistic Northwestern Salamander.

Ed Osterhoudt contributed pictures of a Mountain Gartersnake found at about 11,645 feet, which is most likely a new elevation record for the subspecies.

Pouya Kazemi contributed pictures of a huge Northwestern Salamander that could be a size record.

Marcus Rehrman contributed pictures of Cascades Frog, Oregon Spotted Frog, Granite Night Lizard, Colorado Desert Sidewinder, Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, California Kingsnake, Coast Mountain Kingsnake, and videos of Pygmy Horned Lizards.

Mel Smith and Linda Bostwick contributed a picture of a mother Ensatina and her hatchlings. This is the same Ensatina shown in pictures guarding her eggs last month.

Ryan Sikola contributed pictures of a Two-striped Gartersnake in Santa Barbara County, and another one eating a fish in San Luis Obispo County, a baby Long-nosed Snake, and California Treefrogs from Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, and a pale gray California Striped Racer.

Yuval Helfman contributed pictures of juvenile and adult Forest Alligator Lizards and a juvenile Pacific Gophersnake.

An anonymous contributer sent in a picture of a Western Black-headed Snake his wife found on a sidewalk after tropical storm Hilary passed by.

Dennis Rudloff contributed a picture of a red-shouldered hawk with a Red Racer in its talons.

Roy John contributed pictures of Western Side-blotched Lizards he photographed in the Islas San Benito off the west coast of Baja California.



August


Mel Smith and Linda Bostwick contributed pictures of an adult Ensatina guarding her eggs on the North Coast.

Ryan Sikola took advantage of the rain from hurricane Hilary to photograph some desert anurans - a Red-spotted Toad, Couch's Spadefoots, and Woodhouse's Toads from eastern Riverside County, including some psychedelic UV shots.

M. Shin contributed pictures of a cool little leucistic Western Fence Lizard found in a backyard that is missing all of the usual pigments except for its dark eyes.

Leyna Stemle contributed more pictures of a Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander and habitat from her study area.

Benjamin German contributed pictures his brother Mike took of a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake coiled up under a water bowl for dogs in a park in the Carmel Valley. This is a good reminder of the need to remain vigilant when you're in rattlesnake country.

Mario Ramos contributed pictures of Common Gartersnakes from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, which is a large intergrade zone, and some beautiful stripe-less Northwestern Gartersnakes from the same area.

Ryan Sikola contributed several pics from east of the Sierra Nevada - Mt. Lyell Salamanders, Rubber Boa, Great Basin Rattlesnake, and an intergrade Western Terrestrial Gartersnake. And some pictures from the mountains north of Los Angels - Desert Banded Gecko, and California Lyresnake. And a Santa Cruz Black Salamander. This month he also contributed pictures of a juvenile American Bullfrog from the Colorado River, a San Diego Gophersnake from Monterey County with no pattern on the first part of its body, and a Southwestern Pond Turtle.

Yuval Helfman contributed a very cool picture of a Pacific Gophersnake poking its head out of a cliff swallow nest under the eaves of a house in Santa Clara County, and pictures of a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake with a green tint.



June & July


Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg has contributed a collection of pictures of herps - Desert Tortoise, Arroyo Toad, juvenile California Toads, Yellow-eyed Ensatina, San Gabriel Slender Salamanders, Great Basin Collared Lizards, Zebra-tailed Lizard, Desert Night Lizards, gravid female Long-nosed Leopard Lizard, juvenile Chuckwalla, Desert phase California Kingsnake, San Bernardino Ring-necked Snake, Mohave Glossy Snake, an interesting intergrade zone Gopher Snake and a hypomelanistic Great Basin Gophersnake, Southern Rubber Boa, a Rosy Boa in a crack, Panamint Rattlesnakes with blue faces, Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes, including one with no rattle, a Mohave Sidewinder, and a rare picture of a South Coast Gartersnake.

Noah Morales contributed pictures of some unusual Shasta Salamanders.

Ryan Sikola contributed pictures of three lovely coastal San Luis Obispo County Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes, one typical in appearance and two with very unusual brown and straw coloring, a beautiful shot of a Monterey County Coast Mountain Kingsnake with an ocean view, a very dark Two-striped Gartersnake from SLO County, a Greenhorn Mountains California Mountain Kingsnake, a very colorful brown Great Basin Rattlesnake form Mono County, a Great Basin Spadefoot from Inyo County, and a very dark-snouted Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake from black lava habitat.

Benjamin German contributed a picture of a Monterey County record for California Glossy Snake, along with a California Mountain Kingsnake and a California Kingsnake.

Emile Bado contributed pictures of Long-nosed snakes from Tuolumne County, which appears to be a new range extension, and a mostly black California Mountain Kingsnake.

Paul Pecoraro contributed pictures of one of the introduced Moorish Geckos that are spreading around San Diego County.

Aidan O'Brien contributed pictures of larval Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander and Rough-skinned Newt.

Leyna Stemle, a salamander researcher, contributed several pictures of some of her study animals, the Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander, including larvae and habitat, and a picture of an unusual unspotted California Tiger Salamander metamorph.

Daphne Kapolka contributed a picture of a California Kingsnake swimming in a pond where it was harassed by red-winged blackbirds.

Jon Berge contributed pictures of some dark Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes from Yuba County, one with a nice green tint.

Christine Frei contributed a picture of two Blainville's Horned Lizards locked together in some kind of breeding behavior.

Mark Hilands contributed pictures of a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake with an unusual tail pattern.

Kenny Elliott contributed pictures of Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake, Mojave Rattlesnake, and juvenile Western Yellow-bellied Racer.

Yuval Helfman contributed a nice shot of a male Coast Fence Lizard on its back playing dead, a nice wide shot of a California Whiptail. and a Forest Alligator Lizard.

Laura Lee contributed a picture of a San Joaquin Coachwhip from the isolated population in the Sutter Buttes.

Zach Cava contributed lots of great pictures: Foothill Yellow-legged Frog, California Red-legged Frog, Blainville's Horned Lizard, Blunt-nosed Leopard, Mohave Fringe-toed Lizard, Northwestern Salamander, Coastal Giant Salamander, Sierra Newt, California Kingsnakes, Giant Gartersnake, and a couple of Northwestern Pond Turtles.

Regan Sikola contributed a picture of an unusually dark Monterey Ring-necked Snake.




May


Jose Casarez contributed a picture of an unusually pale Bakersfield bullfrog.

Ryan Singer contributed pictures and habitat of a Coast Patch-nosed Snake and its habitat from a location in San Luis Obispo County that extends the range of the species a few miles to the west.

Ryan Sikola contributed some great pictures of a San Joaquin Coachwhip and a California Glossy Snake from Santa Barbara County, and a dwarf rubber boa from the Tehachpi Mountains that the CDFW recognizes as the Southern Rubber Boa, but who knows?

Yuval Helfman contributed pictures of a Great Basin Collared Lizard and a Pacific Gophersnake.

Mark Gary contributed a picture of a California Nightsnake from the Bay Area.




April


Ryan Dugan contributed pictures of Blainville's Horned Lizard from the rare location of Contra Costa County, as well as a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake and a Pacific Ring-necked Snake.

Linda Kaplan conributed pictures of a very cool black and white San Diego Alligtor Lizard.

Regan Sikola contributed pictures of a Coast Gartersnake eating a rodent and a nice close-up of the faces of a Rough-skinned Newt and a California Newt.

Ryan Sikola contributed pictures of a Northern Desert Nightsnake, a Valley Gartersnake, and adult and juvenile Panamint Rattlesnakes.

Yuval Helfman contributed pictures of a light brown Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, a nice bright male Coast Range Fence Lizard, and a plain brown Forest or California Alligator Lizard.

Nick Jones found a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in his yard and sent in a picture.




March


Tobias Felbeck contributed pictures of a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake he found eating a rodent.

Julie Stout contributed pictures of the hard-to-find-in-California spadefoot species - Couch's Spadefoot, along with a Red-spotted Toad and a Blainville's Horned Lizard with a surprising amount of red coloring.

Peter Rohman contributed pictures of lizards from the four corners area of Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico -
Eastern Collared Lizard, Long-nosed Leopard Lizard, Common Lesser Earless Lizard, Desert Spiny Lizard, Northern Tree Lizard, and Plateau Side-blotched Lizard.

Shreyes Chalasani contributed pictures of a naturally golden-colored Eastern Fence Lizard found in North Carolina.

Max Roberts contributed pictures of species from Modoc County, which has not been well represented here:
Northwestern Pond Turtles, Western Yellow-bellied Racers, Intergrade Pacific Gophersnake x Great Basin Gophersnake, Valley Gartersnakes, and Mountain Gartersnakes. He also contributed pictures of various southern California salamanders:
Arboreal Salamanders (and an egg sack) Monterey Ensatina, Intergrade Oregon Ensatina, San Gabriel Mountains Slender Salamander, Black-bellied Slender Salamander, and a Garden Slender Salamander next to a Black-bellied Slender Salamander.

I have finally updated the Herping Regulations page for 2023-2024 effective January 1, 2023. There are no changes from last year.

Ryan Sikola contributed pictures of Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamanders taking advantage of this years abundant rainfall.




February


Riley Frasier contributed lots of pictures of Greater Short-horned Lizards - Phrynosoma hernandesi, from the recently-discovered population in southeastern Oregon, that should be the recently-named subspecies Salt Lake Valley Short-horned Lizard - Phrynosoma hernandesi ornatum.


Mark Gary sent in a picture of a California Toad that was killed and hung up on a barbed wire fence probably by a Shrike.

Nathan Kudla contributed a great picture of a Baja California Treefrog egg mass laid right next to a Western Spadefoot egg mass.




January


Ryan Sikola contributed pictures of San Gabriel Slender Salamanders and one of a comparison of a San Gabriel Slender Salamander and a Black-bellied Slender Salamander.

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