Despite unusually dry winter conditions, I decided to take my first trip into California to search for some iconic salamander species. Unsurprisingly the salamander hunting was slow-going, but I still managed to turn up a handful of iconic species.

Southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata)

California 2025

Trip #1

Santa Cruz black salamander (Aneides niger)

California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus)

Batrachoseps attenuatus

Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii)

California newt (Taricha torosa)

Batrachoseps gavilanensis

Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa)

Marching along with determination, newts of the genus Taricha, take advantage of seasonally available groundwater to take their shot at love. A well timed foray into the forest can allow you to see these spectacular caudates in what seems to be perpetual motion. 

My initial love for amphibians began with newts. I developed a particular fascination for the eastern newt (Notophthalamus viridescens), a familiar sight for residents of the northeast. My father and I used to get out early in the morning to observe the regular and busy activity of these diminutive newts. 

Years later, I found myself in a strikingly similar scenario- wandering through a damp forest to observe the activities of newts. But this time, I was far from the east coast woods of my childhood. Watching these newts move confidently through the forest, I was reminded of those early mornings with my father. This experience was filled with both the excitement of discovery and nostalgia.

Batrachoseps luciae

Red-bellied newt (Taricha rivularis)

Limestone salamander (Hydromantes brunus)

Sierra newt (Taricha sierrae)

Limestone salamander (Hydromantes brunus)

Southern pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri)

Batrachoseps major

Trip #2

After taking an underwhelming second trip to California, I knew I needed to return to look for several missed targets. Warm weather and some spring rains ushered Nick and I back. Only this time, we decided to head to the high desert to look for an exciting locale of boas. Nick and I were joined by Steve, a new resident of the area- who was also so kind as to have us stay with him for the weekend. The surrounding scenery of the area was overwhelmingly beautiful. Snow capped peaks loomed in the background of the vibrant chaparrell valleys that we explored.

Trip #3

Views of the mojave desert from 4000 ft elevation

Rock outcrop with a diversity of unique plant forms. Beavertail prickly pear (Opuntia basilaris), Panamint liveforever (Dudleya saxosa) and Engleman’s hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)

To our surprise, the first boa of the day came really easily. We didn’t make it far down into the valley before deciding that the terrain was too demanding for my vehicle. Before turning around to get out of the valley, we jumped out of the car to flip some roadside rocks and within a few short minutes, I flipped the first boa, a vibrantly colored juvenile. Needless to say, energy levels were through the roof and we were all stoked to have struck gold so early in the day. This individual marked my first observation of a boa in the US.

Coastal rosy boa (Lichanura orcutti)

Eastern coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum)

Speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus pyrrhus)

To solidify what was already an amazing day… We found another large adult rosy boa crossing a trail as the sun started to sink behind the mountains. Also, we took a jab at one last target: the red diamond rattlesnake. Steve came up big time and spotted a beautiful red diamond rattlesnake basking on a steep hillside adjacent to what was likely its winter hibernacula. It seemed like we just couldn’t fail this day. For this reason, we decided to attempt some ambitious targets the next day in Arizona.

Desert nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophea)

Coastal rosy boa (Lichanura orcutti)

Flipping rocks proved to be incredibly productive. Our continued success curbed our initial concerns about the cool weather we had for the weekend. The Mojave desert was very kind to us. Nick ended up flipping another large and striking adult rosy boa as well as a very vibrant speckled rattlesnake.

Coastal rosy boa (Lichanura orcutti)

Tha Kemster

Coastal rosy boa (Lichanura orcutti)

Red diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber)