Targets and Bucket Lists

Southern California Deserts - Snakes

1. Panamint Rattlesnake (Crotalus stephensi). These are the closest rattlesnake species I have yet to find. After that, I'll need to find Great Basin Rattlesnakes!
2. Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) - Despite seeing these a few times while hiking, I'm 0 for 3 on actually getting a voucher or an in-hand experience with one of these.
3. Colorado Desert Shovelnosed Snake (Chionactis annulata) - This species of shovel-nosed snake is the more striking of the two species we have, often seen with bright orange banding.
4. Western Black-headed Snake (Tantilla planiceps) - Have yet to stumble upon one of these diminutive local snakes.

Southern California Deserts - Lizards

1. Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) - I particularly want to see one of these in breeding colors. The females in particular have this really nice red-orange spotting during breeding season, after they breed, to advertise themselves as being off the market.
2. Great Basin Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores) - Another cool lizard I'm missing in Southern California deserts.
3. Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) - Despite having been in range quite often, I haven't seen one of these cool horned lizards!
4. Peninsular Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus nocticolus) - Just a really interesting and unique species that can be found in CA.
5. Switak's banded gecko (Coleonyx switaki) - a.k.a., the magic gecko, this is another dream species, especially to see a juvenile with the bright yellow coloring!
6. Orange-throated Whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythrus) - These are a cool native whiptail species that I have yet to see in person.
7. Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma inornata) - The specific habitat requirements of this species means that its range has been severely restricted by development.
8. Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma notata) - This fringe-toed lizard would round out our three California natives.
9. Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) - These are cool lizards, found a little further south than I can get to easily.
10. Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) - A man can dream, can’t he? Only about 30 observations of Gila monsters in California in recorded history!

Southern California (Coastal/Mountains)

1. California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) - I haven't seen one of these iconic tricolored snakes yet, but not for lack of trying! I'm really hoping to hike one, but I'm not opposed to flipping one.
2. Southern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica) - I have yet to see either the Northern or Southern clades of rubber boa. They seem like fun snakes, and it would be especially fun to see one in So Cal. The ones in the south are smaller and particularly cute.
3. Mountain Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans elegans) - This elegant subspecies of the terrestrial garter snake can be found in nearby mountain ranges. Hope to see one as soon as I can make it out to the relevant habitat.
4. Coast Nightsnake (Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus) - I've only seen the desert variety.
5. Hybrid Monterey x Large-blotched Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii x klauberi) - In places where the range of these two subspecies of ensatina overlap, it's possible to find hybrids, which look quite unique!

California (general)

1. Northern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica) - Rubber boas are just weird, interesting snakes. Would love to see one.
2. California Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) - Having seen their cousins up in Oregon, it would be really fun to see one of these in California.
3. Inyo Mountains Salmander (Batrachoseps campi) - Doesn’t get much cooler than relictual salamanders in the middle of the desert.
4. Tehachapi Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi) - An interesting endemic species within striking distance.
5. California Red-sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis) - A beautiful garter snake in Northern California that gets bluer as it ages.
6. Island Night Lizard (Xantusia riversiana) - Would love to get out to the Channel Islands National Park, where these are found on Santa Barbara Island in great numbers.

Southern California - Non-native/Invasive Reptiles

1. Brahminy Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus) - Introduced by the exotic plant trade, these snakes have found a foothold in a few spots in urban So Cal.
2. Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus) - these were released by some italian dude and have done quite well in a few isolated spots in So Cal. Their range continues to expand.
3. Mediterraean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) - Hanging out on walls of houses, these geckos show up all over the world.

United States (Southwest)

1. Brown Vine Snake (Oxybelis aeneus) - I think it's so cool that these skinny alien-looking snakes make it into the US. Unlike anything else we have.
2. Gray-banded Kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna) - Beautiful and highly variable, decorated with grays, oranges, and blacks, this is a bucket list snake for me.
3. Mexican Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) - Would love to see one of these cool black-striped snakes.
4. Sonoran Coral Snake (Micruroides euryxanthus) - This Arizona native is our geographically-closest coral snake.

United States (General)

1. Indigo Snake (Drymarchon sp.) - Texas or Eastern Indigo snakes are relics of when north america was a little more jungle-y. It's cool that we have big cribo-like species in the US.
2. Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) - These beautiful and impressive rattlesnakes would be worth a dedicated trip to me.
3. Eastern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) - Another iconic US snake.
4. Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) - I find these snakes really beautiful and it would be so fun to see one.

World

1. Mangshan Pit Viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis). Such cool colors. Endangered pit viper endemic to the mountainous regions of Hunan and Guangdong. If I could see any snake in the world, this would be it.
2. Spider-tailed Horned Viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) - One of the most interestingly evolved caudal lures. Hard to imagine getting out to the Zagros Mountains in Iran/Iraq, but this species alone would be a reason to get out there.
3. Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) - It would be really cool to see one of these Australian lizards.
4. Suriname Toad (Pipa pipa) - The attraction for me of this species is their very strange strategy of carrying young inside their backs.
5. Sunda White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus insularis) - What is it about blue snakes? And while we're at it - Komodo Dragon.
6. Rain Frog (Breviceps sp.) - Hilarious and dorky frogs. Why not.
7. Saharan Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes) - Would be fun to see the "other" sidewinder.
8. Peringuey's adder (Bitis peringueyi) - Interested in seeing them bury themselves.
9. Tuatara - (Sphenodon punctatus) - Seeing this not-quite-lizard is the only way to fill out a big chunk of the taxonomic life list!
10. Five-toed Mole Lizard (Bipes biporus) - These are my geographically-closest members of the least-known clade of the squamata order of reptiles. They're just weird and cool, with long phallic bodies and two stubby shovel-like feet up front.

Places I'd like to go

1. Great Smokey Mountains NP- The US has some of the highest salamander species density, and the great smokey mountains are at the center of it.
2. Mexico - Our neighbors to the south have so many cool reptiles.
3. Costa Rica - Central American Jungle.
4. Peruvian Amazon - The Peruvian Amazon has some incredible diversity.
5. Australia - Just a whole different world of reptiles out there.

Natural History Events I'd like to see

• Predation events of any kind! Super interesting to see.
• Snake combat.
• Breeding events.