Field Herp Forum

Earlier this year we spent a couple days out in the Eastern Mojave desert, mostly San Bernardino and Inyo counties, looking for desert lizards (and snakes of course!) and exploring some incredible desert. It's always an incredible joy to get out to what I consider to be my second home. Such a profoundly beautiful, meaningful and rich place.

We saw cool wildlife, had incredible meals, met with friends old and new, and got to lend a helping hand with some science activities, too!

It was a very successful trip, and we found almost every lizard species out there (except for Gilas... ), some snakes, and a bunch of other wildlife.

We first met up with Dr. Emily Taylor's herpetology class where they were collecting data from some dune-dwelling lizards, on a hot spring morning for Savannah Weaver's study.
Dr. Taylor's herp class by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

The class checking out a desert iguana in Dr. Taylor's hand
Dr. Taylor's herp class by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

The desert iguana in question, looking none-too-pleased at how their day is going.
Iggy in hand by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This zebra-tail was keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.
Zebratail by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This Mojave Fringe toed lizard was the only one I could get a shot of all weekend.
Uma by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

In-situ long-nosed leopard lizard that let us get real close to him.
Leopard in situ by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

When I say he let us get close, I mean he let us walk right up and pick him up. What survival instincts?
Leopard in hand by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Next up was this Long-tailed brush lizard from one of the Lava flow areas in San Bernardino county, not the one everyone goes to, though. We spent some time here seeing a bunch of other lizards too.
Long tailed brush lizard by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Really other-worldly habitat to herp in.
Lava habitat by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This stunning Chuckwalla was probably the nicest one we saw all weekend. This large male was hanging around Savannah Weaver's study area, evading all attempts to capture him.
Handsome chuck by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

The same male taunting us from another rock nearby.
Chuckwalla by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

My wife Elly with one of the study chucks. Gotta love these large, chunky desert lizards.
Lizards that were part of Savannah's study were all handled under permit.
Chuck in hand by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

We headed out to cruise a mountain range a little north of us, counting on the cloudy skies and Blood Moon eclipse to give us some cover from the full moon and bring the snakes out.
Sunset by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

First up was this Longnosed snake
Longnosed by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Really pretty individual!
Rhino by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

The only other snake that night was this Mojave Sidewinder, sadly.
Winder by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

We also saw a few of these little guys as always. Desert Banded geckos.
Gecko by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Even though it wasn't a very snakey night, who cares when this is what you're surrounded by?
Mojave sunset by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Next morning, we happened upon this longnosed snake basking in the open, which one doesn't see very often.
Daytime rhino by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Really really pretty, almost speckled individual, digesting a nice meal.
Daytime rhino by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Such cool snakes!
Daytime rhino by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

We cruised this subadult desert tortoise a few minutes later on the same road. This is always a big goal when we're out there, so it was great to find this little guy!
Tort by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Elly and Aaron checking out the tortoise from a distance (The angle makes them look pretty close, but we give any wild tortoises a wide berth at all times.)
Tort stop by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

We ended up at a spot with a lot of wood and debris to flip through, and quickly turned up this adorable little desert night lizard with a regenerating tail.
Baby night lizard by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Nice little Side-blotched lizard turned up as well.
Uta by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Flipped this gorgeous coachwhip under a large board. Unfortunately she wouldn't sit still, so all I have is this in-hand shot before she was released.
'Whip by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

That afternoon we walked up on this stunning little Southern Desert Horned Lizard.
Phryno by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

As you an see by Sean's tattoo and Elly's hat, we like horned lizards.
Phryno Tat by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr
Phryno hat by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Next stop was a secret little area of mine that's only a square mile or two, but is just absolutely loaded with herps, mostly lizards. This desert iguana greeted us on the long dirt road in.
Desert iggy by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Not only herps, but we got to watch a battle between a raven and this horned owl. They eventually called a truce and went their own ways.
Bird battle by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr
Bird battle by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr
Bird battle by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr
Bird battle by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Another desert iguana, this one with some striking reds. Mini-dinosaurs!
Desert iggy by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Vibrant, stunning Great Basin Collared lizard that let us pull the truck up alongside him to photograph him, but the moment we opened the doors he took off on us.
Collared by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Luckily he simply dived down under the nearest rock, and we were able to lift it and take a closer look at this beauty.
Collared lizard by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This big male chuckwalla was foraging in this bush and also let us pull up alongside him.
Foraging chuck by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Same chuck
Big ol chuck by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Another horned lizard was next. I love these perfect little pancakes.
Phryno by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr
Phryno by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This juvenile chuckwalla was hanging out in these rocks. We walked up from the truck to check him out, unknowingly walking past what would be one of our favorite finds of the trip, until Elly spotted something from the car a few minutes later.
Baby chuck by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This little speck was hanging out outside in the middle of the day, when the air temp was hovering around 98*, can't imagine what the rocks were!
Speck by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Stunning little specimen that wanted nothing to do with us. One of our favorite species to find out here, and an excellent way to wrap up the trip!
Speck by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

This other juvenile chuckwalla was in shed as we drove out. We'll never get enough of these guys.
Baby chuck in shed by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

A couple of other non-herp shots:

This maniac out here handling scorpions like it's nothing. Not a one off experience that weekend, either.
Sean and Scorp by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

Again. This small, dark, unknown species was found in the lava field while we were searching for specks.
Unknwn scorp by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

The remnants of an old mining camp; hundreds of cans surrounding the Joshua trees.
Joshua tree cans by Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg, on Flickr

All in all a successful weekend considering how dry and hot it was out there!

Species found:

Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater)
Long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii)
Desert night lizard (Xantusia vigilis)
Great Basin whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris tigris)
Western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus)
Desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis)
Zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides)
Desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)
Desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister)
Mojave fringe-toed lizard (Uma scoparia)
Side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana)
Long-tailed brush lizard (Urosaurus graciosus)
Great Basin Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores)
Great Basin Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes)
Gilbert's skink (Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus)

Longnosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei)
Great Basin Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola)
Coachwhip (Coluber/Masticophis flagellum)
Mojave Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes cerastes)
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus pyrrhus)

And so so many incredible birds, mammals, invertebrates, plants, and nature in general.

Here's to lots of great herping the rest of the year, and a long, wet winter!

Happy Herping!

Great post Zeev.

I will always have a soft spot for the desert lizards! They were my original obsession and introduction into field herping here in CA. I especially enjoyed all the Chuckwalla action and beautiful GB Collared. Also finding the Long nosed snake out cruising in the daytime... very cool!

Wow, your Mojave desert herping adventure sounds like an absolute blast, zeevng! Exploring the San Bernardino and Inyo counties must have been incredible, especially with all the diverse wildlife you encountered. And lending a hand with scientific activities sounds like a rewarding experience too!

JimmyLoyes wrote: ↑April 3rd, 2024, 8:12 am Wow, your Mojave desert herping adventure sounds like an absolute blast, zeevng! Exploring the San Bernardino and Inyo counties must have been incredible, especially with all the diverse wildlife you encountered. And lending a hand with scientific activities sounds like a rewarding experience too!

If you ever plan another trip, consider checking out the Deep Creek Hot Springs. It's a serene oasis that's perfect for unwinding after a day of desert exploration.