Natural History Wanderings

Doug Bell, wildlife program manager for the California East Bay Regional Park District, reports that it is  “a spectacular snake year.”

This year’s plentiful rains have created  habitat and food that has supported significant  growth in  much of the wildlife population including snakes.   There is an abundance of ground squirrels, mice, gophers, rabbits and lizards which are prime food for rattlesnakes and gopher snakes.

For information on rattlesnake safety check the Fish and Game Departments guidelines:  Advice On Rattlesnake Safety… The Latest on Snakebite First Aid

For more information on the snake population increase and hiking safety read   Laurie Sanders’s Blog and S. F. Chronicle columnist Tom Stienstra  Snakes on a plain: Watch your feet