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:
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!
Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF...UPDATED
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- SurfinHerp
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Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
Guess you ought to spread some AC around Golden Gate Park Zach
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.
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.
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
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...
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...
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
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...
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...
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
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
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
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Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
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.
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
I can guarantee it's not a Northern Alligator Lizard egg. They are live bearing.
EDIT - nevermind, I read egg, not leg - doh!
EDIT - nevermind, I read egg, not leg - doh!
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
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!
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
What is it about 'Zach' and 'Limb' that always seem to go together
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
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!
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Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
TOP NOTCH word play... jimdevlin wrote:great guyd!
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
How you caught that is beyond me... it was literally up for seconds... April fools joke posted early... but not pulled early ...early enough. However, I'm still not going to share my SF gater spot with yaZach_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...
I'll "second" that (worked yesterday )hellihooks wrote:TOP NOTCH word play... jimdevlin wrote:great guyd!
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
How you caught that is beyond me... it was literally up for seconds... April fools joke posted early... but not pulled early ...early enough. However, I'm still not going to share my SF gater spot with yaPorter 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...
Got my "own" SFGS spot, don't need yours
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
HEY, you didn't say that! Stop trying to take credit for my April fools joke!Zach_Lim wrote:How you caught that is beyond me... it was literally up for seconds... April fools joke posted early... but not pulled early ...early enough. However, I'm still not going to share my SF gater spot with yaPorter 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...
Got my "own" SFGS spot, don't need yours
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 Maybe I'll see you there sometime
Re: Unbelievable...getting schooled about herps in SF again.
Hahaha...Thanks Jim.hellihooks wrote:TOP NOTCH word play... jimdevlin wrote:great guyd!