Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF...UPDATED

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF...UPDATED

Post by Zach_Lim »

Sorry for this quick, relatively pointless post, but I just need to vent. I have lived in San Francisco my entire life, near Golden Gate Park for that matter, and never have seen any herps aside from slender salamanders, various turtles, and once an arboreal salamander. In the last week or so, we got a new member, Mr.Talltree, blowing us away with snakes and lizards in SF. Went out with him and BOOM, snakes and lizards in San Francisco.

Today, I was out on a long run with a pal of mine. After looping around Lands End and the Presidio we run through GG Park. I spot a red-tailed hawk not more then ten feet away from me on a fence. It is eating something shiny. Not having my camera, I decide just to watch and see if I can ID the kill. 5 minutes past and it flies off. I walk over to the area it was perced and find this:

Image

A lizard's leg. More specifically, what I believe to be a San Francisco (Northern) Alligator lizard's leg.

Although the hawk could have brought the lizard from anywhere in the city (Presidio where Elgaria reside, etc), the kill was quite fresh and the leg was bleeding when I found it. Must have been from somewhere kind of close to Golden Gate Park...

My mind has been turned to mush this week. I can't believe how ignorant I was to herps in my hometown.


UPDATE- 4/4/2012

Visited an area in which the habitat is one of the last remaining pockets of Coastal dune/Scrub in San Francisco today. This "island" habitat is surrounded on all sides with homes. Within a few minutes of searching around native plants and fallen trees, I managed my first SF Elgaria in the county!
Image
Image
User avatar
SurfinHerp
Posts: 653
Joined: October 18th, 2010, 8:55 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by SurfinHerp »

Guess you ought to spread some AC around Golden Gate Park Zach :P


But seriously, a lot of herps require only a small patch of decent territory. Alligator lizards and kingsnakes in particular seem to do well in close proximity to people. You've seen some of the "Urban Herping" posts that have been shared, right? My tightly packed suburban neighborhood has a strong population of gator lizards, plus a few fence lizards. Haven't found any kingsnakes yet though.
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Zach_Lim »

Porter-
SF garter spot as in SFGS or just garters in SF?

If SFGS, doesn't their range spot in San Mateo county? Per comms. with Hubbs via phone, the spot where I frequently (20 minutes outside of SF) find SF Alligators and Red Legged Frogs is possibly SFGS northen most range...
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Zach_Lim »

Porter-
Did you just delete your post?

Edit: I think you were saying you were "ticked" off about us herping SF heavily this season and that we will find your SF garter spot...don't know if that was a joke or total misinformation... :?
User avatar
JAMAUGHN
Posts: 1131
Joined: May 15th, 2011, 12:16 am
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Contact:

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by JAMAUGHN »

Zach,

SF is 46.9 square miles, and has a population of 805,235 people. I'm equally agog at what Mr. Talltree has managed to turn up in that space, because if I were in your position, I'd have made the same assumptions you did. And frankly, I'm impressed you can do a lizard ID from a torn-off leg.

JimM
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Ross Padilla »

Porter couldn't have deleted his post like that unless it was the very last post on the thread. One of the mods did it.
User avatar
FunkyRes
Posts: 1994
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:19 am
Location: Redding, CA
Contact:

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by FunkyRes »

I can guarantee it's not a Northern Alligator Lizard egg. They are live bearing.

EDIT - nevermind, I read egg, not leg - doh! :lol:
User avatar
El Garia
Posts: 722
Joined: October 20th, 2011, 4:39 pm
Location: Santa Clara Co. , CA

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by El Garia »

FunkyRes wrote:I can guarantee it's not a Northern Alligator Lizard egg. They are live bearing.

EDIT - nevermind, I read egg, not leg - doh! :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
User avatar
Owen
Posts: 1924
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 12:35 am
Location: San Jose', Northern Catcrapistan

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Owen »

What is it about 'Zach' and 'Limb' that always seem to go together :mrgreen:
devlin
Posts: 155
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 12:46 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by devlin »

I feel ya Zach! I lived across the street from GG park, for years. Never saw anything but some turtles (many) and slenders. I always knew there were plenty of areas in SF that had to have plenty of snakes. I just never put in the time to go look. I would always LEAVE the city to herp. Funny how we were talking about finding some snakes in SF, and not two days later, Luke posts his first SF snake! We missed you today Zach! Nice day in the city! ;) ...Luke's a great guyd! :beer:
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by hellihooks »

devlin wrote:great guyd!
TOP NOTCH word play... :thumb: :lol: :lol: jim
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Porter »

Zach_Lim wrote:Porter-
Did you just delete your post?

Edit: I think you were saying you were "ticked" off about us herping SF heavily this season and that we will find your SF garter spot...don't know if that was a joke or total misinformation... :?
How you caught that is beyond me... it was literally up for seconds... :lol: April fools joke posted early... but not pulled early ...early enough. :roll: However, I'm still not going to share my SF gater spot with ya ;)
hellihooks wrote:
devlin wrote:great guyd!
TOP NOTCH word play... :thumb: :lol: :lol: jim
I'll "second" that :thumb: (worked yesterday :roll: )
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Zach_Lim »

Porter wrote:
Zach_Lim wrote:Porter-
Did you just delete your post?

Edit: I think you were saying you were "ticked" off about us herping SF heavily this season and that we will find your SF garter spot...don't know if that was a joke or total misinformation... :?
How you caught that is beyond me... it was literally up for seconds... :lol: April fools joke posted early... but not pulled early ...early enough. :roll: However, I'm still not going to share my SF gater spot with ya ;)

Got my "own" SFGS spot, don't need yours 8-)
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by Porter »

Zach_Lim wrote:
Porter wrote:
Zach_Lim wrote:Porter-
Did you just delete your post?

Edit: I think you were saying you were "ticked" off about us herping SF heavily this season and that we will find your SF garter spot...don't know if that was a joke or total misinformation... :?
How you caught that is beyond me... it was literally up for seconds... :lol: April fools joke posted early... but not pulled early ...early enough. :roll: However, I'm still not going to share my SF gater spot with ya ;)

Got my "own" SFGS spot, don't need yours 8-)
HEY, you didn't say that! Stop trying to take credit for my April fools joke!
Zach_Lim wrote:Porter-
SF garter spot as in SFGS or just garters in SF?

If SFGS, doesn't their range spot in San Mateo county? Per comms. with Hubbs via phone, the spot where I frequently ( ____edited by Porter so Zach can remove it___ minutes outside of SF) find SF Alligators and Red Legged Frogs is possibly SFGS northen most range...

You look like the kinda kid that drives the speed limit... thanks for the clue 8-) Maybe I'll see you there sometime :lol: :beer:
devlin
Posts: 155
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 12:46 pm

Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.

Post by devlin »

hellihooks wrote:
devlin wrote:great guyd!
TOP NOTCH word play... :thumb: :lol: :lol: jim
Hahaha...Thanks Jim. :thumb:
Post Reply