© Robert Siegel
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Snakes

Infraorder Alethinophidia: around 19 families

Families - 5 depicted

+ Colubridae
+ Garters
+ Gopher snakes
+ King snakes
+ False water cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas)
+ Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
+ North American racer (Coluber constrictor)

+ Dipsadidae - ring-necked - separate page
+ Boidae - boas and anacandas - separate page
+ Viperidae
+ Elapidae
+ Misc
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Family: Colubridae

Año Nuevo

Garter

Garters of the environnment

sf garter

San Francisco garter snake
Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia

There are an estimated 1000 to 2000 of this endangered subspecies. On this outing, we spotted four of them in two groups of two.

Etymology: the genus name is derived from the Greek roots thamnos for bush and ophio for snake.
"Sirtalis" is derived from the Latin for garter and apparently refers to the dorsal stripe(s).
The subspecies name is derived from the Greek roots tetra for four and taenia for ribbon.
The latter is also a genus of tapeworm including several human pathogens.

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Another view

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Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer)

Etymology: Pituophis - Greek: Pitys - pine, ophios - serpent
Catenifer - chain bearing

Young gopher snake

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)

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The Stanford Dish

On the road again.

gopher snake

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
Canon 7Dmark2

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I just can't wait to get on the road again.

gopher snake

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
Canon 7Dmark2

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I got forked at the dish

gopher snake

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
Canon 7Dmark2

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stanford dish 2020

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
September , 2020
Canon 7Dmark2

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stanford dish 2020

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
September , 2020
Canon 7Dmark2

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Touching the snake

bioblitz2015

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Lake Lagunita
Stanford Bioblitz 2015
April 18, 2015

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emily renzel wetlands

Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer )
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Emily Renzel Wetlands
May 21, 2021
Canon R5

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California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)

Serpentine royalty

king snake

California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
The Stanford Dish
Canon 50D,
December 31, 2011

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King snake - zoomed

king snake

California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
The Stanford Dish
Canon 50D,
December 31, 2011

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King snake

king snake

California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
The Stanford Dish
Canon 50D,
December 31, 2011

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Baby king snake

stanford dish 2019

California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
May 31, 2019
Canon 7Dmark2

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The king

jasper ridge 2024

California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Jasper Ridge
With Joel Simon's photography class
April 27, 2024
Canon 7Dmark2

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King snake

stanford dish 2019

King snake
Stanford Dish
May 31, 2019
Canon 7Dmark2

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King snake

stanford dish 2019

California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Stanford Dish
May 31, 2019
Canon 7Dmark2

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North American racer (Coluber constrictor)


emily renzel wetlands

North American racer (Coluber constrictor)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes) Emily Renzel Wetlands
May 27, 2020
Canon 7Dmark2

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False water cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas)

False water cobra

pantanal
False water cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
The Pantanal
July 21, 2019
Canon EOS 7Dmark II

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Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)

Sharp-tail

alum rock state park

Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Alum Rock State Park
January 12, 2020
Canon 7dmark2

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sam mcdonald 2020
Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Sam McDonald Park - 2020
June 10, 2020
Canon 7D markII

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sam mcdonald 2020
Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Sam McDonald Park - 2020
June 10, 2020
Canon 7D markII

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sam mcdonald 2020
Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Sam McDonald Park - 2020
June 10, 2020
Canon 7D markII

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sam mcdonald 2020
Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
Family: Colubridae (colubrid snakes)
Sam McDonald Park - 2020
June 10, 2020
Canon 7D markII

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Family: Dipsadidae

Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)

Ring necked snake

ring necked snake

Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
Family: Dipsadidae
The Stanford Dish
Canon 50D,
December 31, 2011

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Ring necked snake tail - defensive posture

ring necked snake

Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
Family: Dipsadidae
The Stanford Dish
Canon 50D,
December 31, 2011

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Ring-necked snake abdomen

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus
With crane's bill geranium
Along Campus Drive, near the dish
Stanford
April 8, 2014

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Ring-necked snake

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
The Stanford Dish
September 23, 2015
with Amelia Dreyer

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A handy little snake

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
The Stanford Dish
September 23, 2015
with Amelia Dreyer

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Defense posture

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
The Stanford Dish
September 23, 2015
Canon 5Dmark2 with 100 mm macro lens

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Defense posture II

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
The Stanford Dish
September 23, 2015
Olympus Tough - macro setting

This is a somewhat interesting comparison between a point and shoot and a DSLR.
A more precise test would control for focal point, lighting, and camera angle.
In any event, the Olympus Tough fared well.

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Amelia with RNS

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
with Amelia Dreyer
The Stanford Dish
September 23, 2015

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Bob with RNS

ring-necked snake
Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
The Stanford Dish
September 23, 2015

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Family: Viperidae - 2 species in 1 genus depicted out of 224 species in 32 genera

Crotalus

Rattled

jasper
Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus )
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
April 23, 2011
Tilden Park docents walk

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Poison pattern

jasper
Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus )
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
April 23, 2011
Tilden Park docents walk

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Lingual sensor

jasper
Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus )
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
April 23, 2011
Tilden Park docents walk

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Bi-lingual

rattlesnake
Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus )
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
April 23, 2011
Tilden Park docents walk

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Close enough to determine pupil shape

rattlesnake
Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus )
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
April 23, 2011
Tilden Park docents walk

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Diamonds are not a girl's best friend

rattlesnake

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)
Royal Palm, Everglades National Park, Florida
December 1, 2012

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Snake, rattle, roll

rattlesnake
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)
Royal Palm, Everglades National Park, Florida
December 1, 2012

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Rattlesnake at the Dish

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Briza maxima - Rattlesnake grass
The Stanford Dish

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Family: Boidae - 1 species in 1 genus depicted out of 49 species in 12 genera

Boa pattern

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Madagascar 2007
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Boa

boa
Daraina, Madagascar
July 13, 2016
Canon 7Dmark2

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When snakes are fady

boa
Daraina, Madagascar
July 13, 2016
Canon 7Dmark2

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Family: Elapidae - 3 species in 3 genera depicted, out of 325 species in 61 genera

Indian cobra (Naja naja)

Charming

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Indian cobra (Naja naja)
India

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Charmed

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Indian cobra (Naja naja)
India

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Black tiger snake (Notechis scutatus)

Black tiger snake

black tiger snake
Notechis scutatus
Family: Elapidae
Venomous elpid snake
Tasmania
April 3, 2012

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Lowland copperhead snake (Austrelaps superbus)

Onboard the superbus

snake
Lowland copperhead snake (Austrelaps superbus)
Family: Elapidae
Narantapu, Tasmania
September 9, 2015
Canon 7DMark2
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Misc

galapagos

Galápagos snake
Galápagos
July 6, 2017
Canon 7Dmarkii

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galapagos


Galápagos
July 6, 2017
Canon 7Dmarkii

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Snake eye

snakeeye

Tanzania
2002

Notice the photographer in the snake's eye!

snakeeye

Tanzania
2002

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Hippocrates' snake

ucsf
Snake
UCSF
December 10, 2015
Olympus Tough T-4

cf: Sculpture

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Hippocrates

ucsf
Snake
UCSF
December 10, 2015
Olympus Tough T-4

cf: Sculpture

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Last modified: September 12, 2024
Renamed: May 16, 2019 (from snakes.html)
Created: November 25, 2006
Contact: siegelr@stanford.edu
All pictures are protected by copyright. Do not use without permission.