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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Endangered Reptiles


There are a number of different endangered animals in the state of California. These species are identified at both a federal and state level. Identifying endangered animals focuses efforts to maintain the integrity of the natural world. To this end, the federal and state governments have instituted a number of laws enforced throughout California. The state has a particular challenge beyond many others in that it must maintain a strong balance within its diverse ecosystems.

Endangered animals are those species that are in danger of going extinct. Their reproductive rates are lower than their mortality rates over long periods of time, so their numbers are diminishing. The reasons for this are varied, but lately, very often involves a loss of habitat as people encroach on their living areas. When a species is listed as endangered or threatened, it is not a death sentence.
The Sanfrancisco garter snake is the rarest and most beautiful snake in California Many animals, like the bald eagle and the American alligator, were on the brink of extinction and are now recovering. Many species, however, will not recover, and could be lost forever. Throughout time, animal species have been going extinct (long before people evolved); paleontologists estimate that well over 90 percent of all plant and animal species that ever existed have gone extinct.

California has 309 different species listed as endangered animals, the most of any state next to Hawaii. 303 of these species are found within the state, while six listed animals are not. Three species, such as the Canadian lynx, are considered endangered by other states, but not California. Examples of endangered California animals include the short-tailed albatross, the Mount Hermon June beetle, the Shasta crayfish, the Fresno kangaroo rat, the blunt-nose leopard lizard, the northern spotted owl, the chinook California coastal salmon, the leatherback sea turtle, the San Francisco garter snake and the humpback whale. There are currently 13 species and subspecies of reptiles listed as either threatened or endangered by the State of California or the federal government.
The San Francisco garter snake has been dubbed “the most beautiful serpent in North America,” and it’s arguably one of the most endangered species, too. All known populations of this fantastically colored snake occur in scarce coastal and bayside wetlands in San Mateo County. The snake’s preferred habitats have been hit hard by agricultural, residential, commercial, and even recreational development.

The San Francisco garter snake has been official designated as "Endangered" on State lists since 1966, and was on the first Federal Endangered Species List established in 1973. Once common in stock ponds and small marshes in San Mateo County on the San Francisco Peninsula, it has been reduced to a mere handful due to urbanization, the draining and pollution of wetlands, and because its beauty makes it popular with illegal collectors. A recent population estimate was only 1500.
leatherback sea turtles are endangered but can be seen in California when the jellyfish come to shore The Leatherback turtle swims great distances at sea. This turtles eggs are prized in some places as food, but its flesh is not eaten. The leatherback eats jellyfish in very large quantities, but jellyfish are low in calories and much of the nourishment may come from the macro plankton trapped in the jelly fishes tentacles. Leatherbacks are the largest of all living turtles with adults exceeding six feet in length. Nesting females are usually under 1,000 pounds, but male Leatherbacks that stay at sea can reach 3,000 pounds. This sea turtles upper shell is long and triangular and is generally black with light blue flecks. The Leatherback has long and powerful flippers.

In the last 25 years, more than 90% of the leatherback population has vanished. According to Michael Milne of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, an environmental group based in Marin County, the abrupt decrease stems from a variety of reasons: egg-hunters raiding their nests, commercial long-line fisheries whose hooks can ensnare the turtles as "bycatch," and, most recently, the erosion of many nesting beaches because of small rises in the sea level caused by global warming.
Barefoot geckos occur in rocky areas at the heads of canyons, which makes them very difficult to study. As a result, not much is known about their life history. They are nocturnal and are probably most active in spring and summer. It is not known if they are active during the winter months. Barefoot geckos feed on insects. No information has been determined regarding reproduction. Barefoot banded geckos are probably preyed upon by lizards, snakes, and birds. These geckos are also sold illegally as pets, and they are among the most expensive and popular of the illegal exotic pets. This has made it difficult for scientists to study them.

This lizard has a soft, thin, gray brown skin that is composed of fine, granular scales interspersed with larger, smooth, rounded tuercles. On its head the geko bares a sprinkling of light-colored flecks. Along its neck, the flecks begin to form sparse rows. The rows become distinct, light-colored bands, interspersed with darker bands down the length of its body, which is about 5-7.5 cm long.
 
 
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