Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus
May 14: Midhills Campground, San Bernardino County
During a Vertebrate Biology trip to the Mojave Desert, we visited this higher elevation montane forest. After we’d been there for about half an hour, one of my students spotted something amazing: this snake that had just caught a pocket mouse and was in the process of swallowing it. Seeing this behavior in the wild is so unusual, especially for a snake that isn’t all that common in this area, which is at the very edge of its range. Super interesting, and such a pretty snake. I suspect that we are among a very small number of people who have ever witnessed this species having a meal.
Let me know what you think!