Author: Chance Stevens

Sierra de la Laguna, Part 2: When I got to camp, it was nearly empty, and I realized that my dad and the guide were not there yet. After an hour or so, they arrived. At this point, I was starving, and was super excited to cook my freeze-dried pasta primavera, but sadly realized that the fire would be occupied by the camp guides for the next three hours. This was disheartening, to say the least. That evening, I did finally get to indulge in my pasta, though I realized I had been majorly over-excited about it, since it really wasn’t that great.

Early the next morning, my friends and I left early. Our guide said we could go, but cautioned us not to explore the valley, as it was huge and we could get lost. We made good time. The first part of the hike was extremely steep, but it soon leveled out and we hiked among beautiful high-elevation pine forests full of small Black-Tailed Brush Lizards. Around midday, we arrived at the valley, a sizable meadow with meandering streams criss-crossing it. I could tell immediately that I would love it there. 

The valley was surrounded by tall trees and rock piles, and these rocks continued onto the edge of the valley, which seemed not quite as large as I had expected. I walked around the edge for a while, flipping rocks, and then, under a large rock, I found my first-ever San Lucan Alligator Lizard, which would prove to be the first of many up in the valley. They are fascinating lizards that sometimes move in a snake-like way, wiggling through the grass, with very long tails. They live primarily up in the mountains of Baja. After that first one, my friends and I found probably 10 more.

I then reached the opposite side of the valley, where a narrow strip of meadow connected us to a HUGE meadow. We had merely experienced the pinky toe of the valley, and this Blew My Mind! I headed out into this new meadow, saw a very good flat, large rock, flipped it, then saw another one, flipped it, and so on. After about half an hour of this, I turned around and started heading back. After a minute of walking, it dawned on me that I didn’t recognize anything. Wait, which way was camp? – If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

Sierra de la Laguna: Part 1. In early March, some friends, my dad and I had an adventure hiking the highest mountain in BCS in search of rare reptiles.

This mountain in the Sierra de la Laguna Mountain Range is known as the Cima de la Sierra, although you can’t even see the Cima until you are already high in the mountains. This four-day backpacking trip ended up being an incredible experience, despite the many ups and downs (ha ha, literally). Anyway, this will be a three-part series describing that adventure and what we found on it.

The day before it all started was a scramble to get on the road, as usual. However, unlike usual, we were able to depart only about an hour behind schedule. By evening we had made it to Rancho San Dionisio, which is essentially on the trailhead. We spent the night there and made it onto the trail by mid-morning. The first hour was quite pleasant, and we were in good spirits.

I was very excited, as our first camp was going to be at a beautiful swimming hole. I was also excited because I was going to have a freeze-dried pasta primavera for lunch, among our freeze-dried food assortment. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, our cookstove was left in the truck. Our guide insisted we would have fires to cook on and we already had way too much stuff, so it was left behind. That would prove to be a grave mistake. 

The trail then changed, and we were now trekking up a steep hill. After about five hours of hiking up a mountain in 85-degree weather, we finally arrived at the beautiful swimming hole surrounded by stunning rock lizards. After freezing half to death in the tropical desert ice water, I headed up to camp to have lunch but, when I got there… 

To be continued next week in All Things Reptile! If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

This week, for All Things Reptile, I will be leaving you on a cliffhanger. I just returned from a major trip and need time to recover. (Next week! I promise.) For now, here is a link to the video that I submitted to the Baja Film Festival, in case you missed it. Congratulations, Prof. Bird! If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

It is now late winter, and the weather patterns are starting to shift. As it warms up, the reptiles wake. It is a magical (for me) time of year, because the spring snake emergence will soon be upon us. 

Snakes are mysterious and elusive creatures. Throughout the winter, they are typically very hard to find, mostly because they are cold blooded and need heat to operate properly. In many parts of the USA and all of Canada, snakes have to find deep holes in the earth to get below the frost line. In contrast, here in Baja it never gets that cold, and snakes can spend the winter in rodent burrows, root systems and under rocks. They will even occasionally come out to bask in the sun rays throughout the winter.

Now that it is warming up, many snakes will come out to find food and soak up the sun. If you are scared of snakes, you need not worry, since the vast majority here are completely harmless. 

The main place you will notice this snake emergence is on hiking and biking trails. You may worry about the snakes hurting you yet, realistically, you are a Far Bigger Danger to the snakes. All I ask — particularly in this season — is to please be careful when driving through the desert, or even mountain biking. Snakes are very vulnerable to cars and, unfortunately, they like sitting on roads.

Next week I will bring to you… drumroll please… the tale of my reptile-inspired trip to the summit of the Sierra de La Laguna! If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

Today’s reptile spotlight features the San Lucan Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus thalassinus), a beautiful and skittish lizard that always seems to keep a distance from humans, posing with a superior aura, somewhat like many celebrities. 

San Lucan Rock Lizards are some of the most striking lizards in Baja, without a doubt, with their beautiful blue collars and vibrant splotches. They love hanging out on large rocks and boulders in arroyos and along hillsides. Although they mostly inhabit higher elevations, they can be found in the hills above La Ventana on occasion. They are very fast and, though some are a bit more laid back, most usually never let you get within 10 feet of them; again, like some celebrities.

These fascinating lizards primarily eat bugs, although sometimes leaves, fruits, seeds and even smaller lizards are eaten. In my experience, if you want to see a a rock lizard, they are very abundant along the riverbanks of the active arroyos near Santiago BCS, and that is where I took this photo. If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

Today’s column features one of the most venomous reptiles inhabiting Baja. Besides the rattlesnakes, the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake (Hydrophis platurus) is the only dangerous snake in our region. Although they are not considered to live here, these curious, interesting and uncommon snakes do swim into the gulf from time to time. In the La Ventana area, though extremely rare, they can sometimes be seen around the reefs and even washed up onto the beach. I guess even sea snakes want to vacation here.

Most likely, if you have seen a long, snake-like creature in the water, it was an eel, which is a kind of fish. Many eels look so much like snakes that they get mis-identified frequently. To further complicate matters, some eels are called “snake eels” or even just “snakes.” For example, “tiger reef snakes” are actually eels. 

Actual sea snakes are black and yellow, and eat eels. They are usually very non-aggressive, and quite reluctant to bite, although they are highly venomous and so should be treated with caution. In most cases, you will see them sitting on the beach, which indicates that they may be sick or weak, and not in their best state. Recently my friend Julie sent a photo of just one such unfortunate fellow on South Beach. Here is that photo. When sea snakes are in the water, however, they tend to be far more active and healthy. If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

It is now mid February, and we have just passed All Things Reptile’s one-year anniversary. On this special occasion, I have decided to write a poem reflecting on my first ten reptile columns. 

The First Ten

Our adventures started with a speedy friend,
The Baja California Coachwhip
With his tail a vibrant orange on the end.

Then came the race-car lizard of Baja,
The Orange-Throated Whiptail
With a throat the color of a Naranja.

After this came number three,
The Sand Snake
Living wild and free.

Then the night snake followed suit, 
I got some good pictures
Before he hid under my boot.

After that came another creature of the night
As the Asian House Gecko 
Got its spot in the light.

Next came the Cape Spiny-Tailed Iguana
Becoming common in the spring
As Baja became a sauna.

This column has been fun to write from the get-go,
Especially now as we move on 
To the Western Banded Gecko.

Then came a personal favorite of yours truly,
The Cape Gopher Snake,
Though they are a bit unruly.

Almost there with number nine
The Zebra Tailed Lizard 
Burrowing under the sand line.

Finally we have reached number 10 and the end, 
Featuring Black-Tailed Brush Lizards,
I am ready to push send.

Most importantly, on the column’s one-year anniversary, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me reach this milestone. Thank you, Chris and Edie, the editors at The Ventana View, for making this column possible. Thank you as well, everyone who has emailed me questions and comments. This has been an extremely supportive group and you all have given me so much inspiration.

If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

Today I am taking a little twist with All Things Reptile; I will be writing about the city-dwelling reptiles of LV/ES. We see most reptiles when we are out on hikes and other excursions, but let’s go over some of the reptiles most well adapted for urban life.

When you think of the night life in La Ventana, you probably think of the parties thrown throughout the winter. However, the true die-hard partiers of La Ventana live on your ceiling and behind your lights. Asian House Geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) are very common in this area, and are particularly successful in urban areas.  

Another common reptile in urban El Sargento and La Ventana is the Black-Tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus nigricauda). These little friends eat small insects and are very good climbers. They inhabit palm trees, brush piles and even palapa roofs, which helps them inhabit even the smallest yards. They are perfect for living in the suburbs. 

Our final guest is also our only serpentine friend. The Variable Sand Snake (the scientific name is kind of complicated, and controversial, but I think it’s Sonora cincta) is a common, small and harmless snake living under the surface of sandy soils. These little guys eat mostly insects, including crickets and cockroaches, and can successfully live in sandy lots and yards without problem. 

Lastly, here is a haiku:

Geckos

Concerts every night
Bugs attracted by the light
The geckos delight.

–Chance Stevens, All Things Reptile 2/7/23.

The next reptile walk has been scheduled for Sunday, Feb 12th. At 9:30 AM on the Punta Gorda Trail. This walk will probably be between two and three hours, and may not be suitable for small children.

If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

Today is a rainy day! Although this wet weather is quite rare here, I think it is worth a rainy day column. On wet days, almost all reptiles are in hiding, but many of the local amphibians come out, such as the two local species of toads, the Red Spotted Toad and the Couch’s Spade Foot Toad. 

In the summer on rainy days, toads start calling from the puddles, and dozens of them appear from cracks and holes in the ground. On rainy winter days, however, it is different because it is not the toads’ breeding season. During wet winter days, a few toads will come to the surface, but they really come out during wet winter nights. I bet tonight we will see thousands of toads emerging throughout LV/ES.

As for the reptiles, there are frequently snakes and lizards flooded out of their holes and burrows, and you may see a wet little gecko or iguana running around in search of a new hiding spot.

I love rainy days here in Baja, and so do the plants. This rain will likely give us a beautiful green spring! If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com

Today I have decided to write about a reptile that, unfortunately, I have not found in the wild yet: an elusive, tiny, burrowing worm. Well, at least that’s what it seems like. This little worm lookalike is actually called a Brahminy Blind Snake (Indotyphlops braminus). These miniature snakes are also called Flower Pot Snakes, as they have traveled worldwide via potted plants, soil bags and a number of other things. In these ways, itty bitty snakes have taken over the world. 

Luckily, these minuscule serpents are completely harmless. In fact, they are very difficult to even see, which would at least partially explain why I have not found one yet. They live below the surface, feeding mostly on very small insect larvae, and spend most of their time down in ant and termite burrows. These pocket-sized snakes are originally from Southeastern Asia, but now can be found in over 30 countries, including Mexico, the USA, many countries in Africa, Australia, Japan and Spain, to name a few.

Despite these microscopic (okay, that was an exaggeration, I am just running out of “tiny” synonyms) snakes covering every continent except Antarctica, they are not too damaging, as they aren’t poisonous or venomous, and they eat ant larvae. So, as far as invasive species go, Brahminy Blind Snakes are not all too bad.

I know you are all dying to know just how small they really are, so here you go: adult Brahminy Blind Snakes can typically grow up to 4 to 6.5 inches long or 11cm to 16.5cm, and their eggs are only around 0.5 inches or 1.5 cm in length.  They are the second smallest snakes in the world! 

If you want to talk or walk reptiles, email ChanceStevens123@icloud.com