Baja California Rat Snake (Bogertophis rosaliae)

Created: September 23rd, 2014 - 03:14 PM
Last Modified: September 23rd, 2014 - 10:03 PM Entered by: Will Flaxington
Record 201871

Country: Mexico		State: Baja California Sur	County: Loreto	Time: 2014-09-20 23:15:00
Qty: 1	Age: Adult	Sex: --	Method: Road cruising	Habitat: Central Gulf Coast Region*
Body Temperature: -----		Air Temperature: 86.00F	Ground Temperature: -----	Humidity: 90%
Sky Conditions: Cloudy		Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous	Elevation: 130.00ft	Barometric Pressure: -----

Notes

This was my target species for the trip to Loreto. After 8-nights of searching and only finding road-killed individuals, I accepted the defeat of not finding a living specimen. With only 2 kilometers of road remaining while returning to my hotel for the last time, BAM! A huge adult was a thrilling surprise. Slammed on the brakes, then raced over to grab this swift moving snake that almost reached the steep cliff side, while an eighteen-wheeler was barreling up the highway... “The joy of night driving.” As a side note, the snake was released the following morning at the place of discover. Also, I'd like to add that, at no time was my son allowed to go night driving with me, not only are there drunk drivers (a warning to me by locals) and overloaded tractor Trailers rushing around, but the roads are washed away at countless locations. Cole is seen pictured here merely because I like the picture.

*For definition of Arid Tropical Region, see GRISMER, L.L., 2002. Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and Islands in the Sea of Cortés. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Vouchers

Comments

Posted by Will Flaxington on Sep 23, 2014 at 09:25 PM

Thanks, it was much tougher night driving the Loreto region than I imagined it would be. I thought snakes would be everywhere, but much fewer were found. I never expected so much traffic. I later discovered that the multitude of eighteen-wheelers that were racing north on Highway 1 was so they and there cargo could escape the wrath of Hurricane Odile, which was about to blow over every semi-truck remaining in Cabo San Lucas.

Posted by Brian Hinds-AKA Fundad on Sep 23, 2014 at 07:37 PM

Way to stick it out congrats.