Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · 18d

A baby sidewinder's tracks tell the story of the last few minutes.

First, an elegant change in direction and in sidewinding handedness, like the jibe of a sailboat. Then a startled squiggle as it realizes it's being followed.

Mojave Desert Sidewinder - Crotalus cerastes cerastes

#herps

The elegant track of a baby sidewinder zigs and zags up a sand dune. The sidewinder is visible at the end of the track at the top.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · 24d

Banded Rock Lizard - Petrosaurus mearnsi

Making it look easy.

This lizard was found in the peninsular ranges of Southern California. Geologically and ecologically, these ranges can be thought of as the northernmost part of Baja California.

#herps

A closeup of a slender lizard with a distinct black collar and gray banding under an overhanging granite rock. The rock is a yellowish granite.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Jul 26

The western fence lizard hatchlings are out! First thing on the agenda? Eat some bugs! This one found a line of ants crawling on the branch of our palo verde and was happily snapping them up. Keep an eye out for little lizards!

Western Fence Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis

July 2025

#herps 🦎 🐜

A hatchling western fence lizard hunts on the branch of a palo verde. The branches, not just the leaves, of the palo verde are green, and that is the overwhelming tint of this photo. The fence lizard is no more than 2 cm snout-to-vent.

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Reposted by Phil Ngo

Mike Pingleton @somuchpingle.bsky.social · Jul 16

#SnakeWeek: This is Lampropeltis herrerae from Isla Santa Todos off the west coast of Baja Norte, Mexico. Essentially a Mountain Kingsnake, it was isolated from mainland populations by rising ocean levels, and now survives as a desert island kingsnake. #herps #snakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

Side view of a small tricolored snake stretched out in a series of loose curves, head facing right. The snake is stretched out on a flat rock surface covered with rusty orange lichen, and behind the snake is a view of some green-and-brown rocky desert scrub, with the blue Pacific Ocean visible behind, and finally on the horizon are the faint purple hills and mountains of mainland Mexico. The front half of the snake is tricolored, with alternating rings of this pattern: black-white-black-lavender-black-white-black-lavender. The lavender rings disappear about halfway down the body, leaving a simple black-white-black-white ring pattern. The head is mostly black, as are the eyes, with a white ring at the neck.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Jul 3

Oops, P. cadaverina!

Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Jul 1

Nearly every riparian canyon near my home in Southern California has some of these these pretty chorus frogs (aka treefrogs), often sympatric with their cousins, the Pacific chorus frog, which have a much wider range.

California chorus frog - Pseudacris californiae

May 2025

#herps

A light-colored california tree frog, with its characteristic mottled stony appearance, peers into the camera from its vantage point on a nearby granite rock.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Jun 20

Here’s a special toad. The Arroyo toad is a federally listed endangered species. Do yourself a favor and listen to its mating call. It’s both beautiful and eerie, a reminder of a sound far more common in the not-so-distant past.

Arroyo toad - Anaxyrus californicus

#herps #FrogFriday

A small toad is seen centered on a sandy substrate. This toad has a white base color with yellow and dark gray splotches. We’re looking at the toad at a slight angle from the head on.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Jun 5

Sounds plausible! I have a book recommendation from a trusted source that covers this topic, and I just haven’t sat down to read it yet. “The Mojave Rattlesnake - and how it became an urban legend” by Mike Cardwell.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Jun 4

The mojave rattlesnake has strikingly large scales on the top of its head - an identifying feature. For some reason it has an undeserved reputation for being particularly fearsome. I wouldn’t pet it, but like all rattlesnakes, it just wants to be left alone.

#herps 🐍

A small mojave rattlesnake with muted olive gray coloration and a dorsal pattern with ovals of darker scales surrounded by white. The rattlesnake is pictured from top down coiled in ambush position on yellowish sands.

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Reposted by Phil Ngo

The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · May 30

Kiley captured some footage of Barred Owls hunting Wood Frogs on one of his game trail cams in mid-April. Volume on for additional info.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 25

Thank you, Charles!

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 24

Unbothered by hikers and hitchhikers, this juvenile rattlesnake basked peacefully by the side of a busy trail. Contrary to popular belief, baby rattlesnakes have full control of their venom delivery and deliver less venom than adults.

Southern pacific rattlesnake - Crotalus helleri

#herps

A close-up view of the head and neck of a light tan and brown juvenile southern pacific rattlesnake, viewed from the side. The rattlesnake is on a sandy trail with sparse green vegetation - a bit of grass and clover. Most notably, a hitchhiker seed is nestled up against the neck of the snake. It does not look comfortable, but it does not seem bothered.

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Reposted by Phil Ngo

The One True Kat @theonetruekat.bsky.social · May 23

It’s still amphibian season if you look in the right places. The tiny legs get me every time. California slender salamander. #herps

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 12

The LA Zoo has a great reptile house with a whole room dedicated to local reptiles. Last weekend I took my kids to the zoo to see it (again). Then, an hour later and a mile or two away, we went and found one of these local species in Griffith Park, fulfilling a long time fancy of mine.
🐍 🐍 🐍

A placard at the LA Zoo showing an english and spanish translation of a description of the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake which reads:

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake
Cascabel del Pacifico Sur

Crotalus oreganus helleri

Meet Your Neighbor
This rattler is a California native.
In fact, it's the only rattlesnake found here in Griffith Park.
Sometimes it's even seen on
Zoo grounds!

Te Presento a Tu Vecina
Esta cascabel es oriunda de California.
De hecho, es la única serpiente de cascabel que habita en Griffith Park.
A veces se las ve hasta por los terrenos del zoológico!

The placard also has a range map showing its local distribution in Southern California and Baja California.

A small Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus helleri, in situ (as found) in habitat with woody debris and fresh newly grown green leaves and stalks of plants nearby. The habitat is shaded and the light is from a cloudy overcast sky.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 8

Nope rope with more yep!

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 7

Most people in the US live within the range of the Ring-necked Snake. It’s harmless, but tries its best to appear otherwise. The result is beauty.

Ring-necked Snake - Diadophis punctatus

🐍

A close up shot of the bright orange-red ventral scales on the tail of a ring-necked snake, which is curled into a tight double loop. The tip of the tail, visible in the middle of the loop, is black, as are the edges of the surrounding dorsal scales, giving the red tail colors an almost gear-toothed look. The tail rests on a roughly textured, darkly colored rock.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 3

Who can blame this horned lizard for frowning when its favorite native ants are being replaced by highly invasive argentine ants? They just aren’t as tasty.

Coast Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma blainvillii

#herps

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · May 1

Decent answer here: photo.stackexchange.com/a/50165 Does your camera have that microvibrating sensor cleaning function? If so, you could try putting that on a shortcut button and hitting it after you change lenses. I only have one lens so this is not a problem for me… yet!

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Apr 19

You did indeed find a breeding male rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa)! Despite the name, which does apply most of the time, males will develop smooth skin during the breeding season. Enlarged cloaca also indicates it’s breeding. T. granulosa is the only member of its genus in the area.

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Reposted by Phil Ngo

The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · Apr 19

Dr. Jenkins sits down for part two of his conversation with Dr. James Emerson of Texas State University, exploring his research on Crotalus ornatus, a recently reclassified, and relatively understudied, #rattlesnake species from the Trans-Pecos region.

Listen in: www.oriannesociety.org/snake-talk/

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Apr 18

Take a few moments to stare into the soul of this frog.

Imagine yourself surrounded by the deafening calls of dozens of other frogs, each fighting for survival in a fragment of untouched habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Pacific Chorus Frog - Pseudacris regilla

Happy #FrogFriday. 🐸

A closeup image of a brown and tan pacific chorus frog sitting on a rock at night with a black background. The image centers on the eye of the frog, which is reddish brownish with golden flecks and a black horizontal oval pupil. The image has a strong bokeh, with all but the eye and face of the frog blurred. The frog is light tan colored underneath and, like all pacific chorus frogs, has a dark stripe across its eye starting at its nose and going back to its shoulder.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Apr 17

Amazing! He’s a legend.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Apr 16

Here is a little legless lizard from LA County.

People often ask, how come it’s a lizard and not a snake? It really comes down to genetics, but there are some big hints in its morphology: eyelids that blink, a tail that can detach.

Southern California Legless Lizard - Anniella stebbinsi

#herps 🦎

A golden, worm-sized, snake-like, limbless lizard rests on an outstretched palm, with a little of the sandy substrate and a few bits of dead leaves beneath the lizard. The lizard has a very thin black line down the center of its back and its body is curved in a s-shape.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Apr 9

It may help to know this is in SoCal.

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Phil Ngo @squamate.bsky.social · Apr 9

Spot the snake and name the species!

Answer key in alt text

#herps 🐍

This image is a wide angle view of a mixture of dry (almost grey) and newly grown vegetation. At roughly 35% from the right of the image and 25% from the bottom, a juvenile Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus helleri) is just visible basking, partially obscured by the new spring growth of a small herbaceous plant.

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