The middle Tuolumne system proved to be a decent locale for observing reptiles and amphibians. During our three trips to the watershed, one in late April and two in late June, we observed a total of 13 species. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, given that our field focus lay on the aquatic, rather than the terrestrial, system.
Ali proved to be a godsend when it came to finding serpents. She single-handedly boosted our count by not one, not two, but three snake species (kingsnake, gopher snake and ring-neck snake). They seemed to be inextricably drawn to her. Ali sighted her gopher snake, the only one of the trip, on—of all places—the floating raft upon which she had slept at the Clavey. What a pleasant (or, depending on your perspective, a nightmarish) morning experience.
Of particular note was the abundance of Sierra garter snakes in the lower Clavey. Observations from a single day indicate that at least 6 different individuals (and almost certainly more) reside in the lower ½ mile of the river. On our third trip, I became familiar with one juvenile individual that could be consistently found in an algae-rich side pool. It was the great abundance of Pacific tadpoles in this system that helps to explain this serpentine abundance. Where food exists, so too will predators…
Perhaps the best herp of the trip was a stunning young Northern Pacific rattlesnake that Teejay spotted at Indian Bar. Quietly coiled up on an exposed log right in the middle of camp, this snake posed gracefully as our party marveled. This particular snake is indicative of one of the best aspects about reptiles and amphibians—one does not have to journey far to find them. Occasionally, as with this rattler, it is they that appear to find you!