Phil Ngo
Field herping in SoCal since Sept 2024 😆. Occasionally posting about science, ecology, conservation, and the natural world when I encounter something new and interesting. Photos and thoughts are my own. Creatures stay in the wild.
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- A baby sidewinder's tracks tell the story of the last few minutes. First, an elegant change in direction and in sidewinding handedness, like the jibe of a sailboat. Then a startled squiggle as it realizes it's being followed. Mojave Desert Sidewinder - Crotalus cerastes cerastes #herps
- Banded Rock Lizard - Petrosaurus mearnsi Making it look easy. This lizard was found in the peninsular ranges of Southern California. Geologically and ecologically, these ranges can be thought of as the northernmost part of Baja California. #herps
- The western fence lizard hatchlings are out! First thing on the agenda? Eat some bugs! This one found a line of ants crawling on the branch of our palo verde and was happily snapping them up. Keep an eye out for little lizards! Western Fence Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis July 2025 #herps 🦎 🐜
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- Nearly every riparian canyon near my home in Southern California has some of these these pretty chorus frogs (aka treefrogs), often sympatric with their cousins, the Pacific chorus frog, which have a much wider range. California chorus frog - Pseudacris californiae May 2025 #herps
- Here’s a special toad. The Arroyo toad is a federally listed endangered species. Do yourself a favor and listen to its mating call. It’s both beautiful and eerie, a reminder of a sound far more common in the not-so-distant past. Arroyo toad - Anaxyrus californicus #herps #FrogFriday
- The mojave rattlesnake has strikingly large scales on the top of its head - an identifying feature. For some reason it has an undeserved reputation for being particularly fearsome. I wouldn’t pet it, but like all rattlesnakes, it just wants to be left alone. #herps 🐍
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- Unbothered by hikers and hitchhikers, this juvenile rattlesnake basked peacefully by the side of a busy trail. Contrary to popular belief, baby rattlesnakes have full control of their venom delivery and deliver less venom than adults. Southern pacific rattlesnake - Crotalus helleri #herps
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- The LA Zoo has a great reptile house with a whole room dedicated to local reptiles. Last weekend I took my kids to the zoo to see it (again). Then, an hour later and a mile or two away, we went and found one of these local species in Griffith Park, fulfilling a long time fancy of mine. 🐍 🐍 🐍
- Most people in the US live within the range of the Ring-necked Snake. It’s harmless, but tries its best to appear otherwise. The result is beauty. Ring-necked Snake - Diadophis punctatus 🐍
- Who can blame this horned lizard for frowning when its favorite native ants are being replaced by highly invasive argentine ants? They just aren’t as tasty. Coast Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma blainvillii #herps
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- Take a few moments to stare into the soul of this frog. Imagine yourself surrounded by the deafening calls of dozens of other frogs, each fighting for survival in a fragment of untouched habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains. Pacific Chorus Frog - Pseudacris regilla Happy #FrogFriday. 🐸
- Here is a little legless lizard from LA County. People often ask, how come it’s a lizard and not a snake? It really comes down to genetics, but there are some big hints in its morphology: eyelids that blink, a tail that can detach. Southern California Legless Lizard - Anniella stebbinsi #herps 🦎
- Spot the snake and name the species! Answer key in alt text #herps 🐍
- I can see why they call it a red-spotted toad. And I’m a little surprised they could see it at all. Red-spotted Toad - Anaxyrus punctatus #herps #frogfriday
- Red Diamond Rattlesnakes are a CA Species of Special Concern due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and other pressures. They like using the same spaces we do. They also bask out in the open, like this one I saw last week, making them easy targets. Red Diamond Rattlesnake - Crotalus ruber #herps
- It is uniquely awe-inspiring to witness simple acts of living in the wild, such as this slender salamander I observed recently munching on springtails in the San Gabriel Mts near LA. ♥️🌎 Black-bellied Slender Salander (Batrachoseps nigriventris) Springtail sp., likely Ptenothrix maculosa #herps
- I lived in SoCal for years before I learned we have these adorable little newts in the area. Up north they are especially toxic, locked in an evolutionary arms race with garter snakes that have enough resistance to their tetrodotoxin to prey upon them. California newt - Taricha torosa #herps
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- Slender salamander from SoCal showing off its lonnnnnnnnnng tail. Black-bellied Slender Salamander - Batrachoseps nigriventris #herps
- We have been chosen! Excited to be watching this process unfold on our front porch. Mourning Cloak - Nymphalis antiopa
- Yesterday we were admiring the bright breeding colors on this male Skilton’s skink. Skilton’s skink, Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus #herps
- Big ol’ fence lizard. Always a satisfying catch. Western Fence Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis #herps 🦎
- It’s nice when one of the most common snakes in the area is also one of the prettiest. Red-spotted garter snake- Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus Multnomah County, Oregon #herps 🐍
- A fine looking toad for my toad lovers out there. California Toad - Anaxyrus boreas halophilus #FrogFriday 🐸
- I have seen a lot of Pacific chorus frogs and the range of colors and patterns they have never ceases to amaze. The deep bronze on this one is particularly striking. The jaws of dead Western velvety tree ant are locked on its lip. I wonder how long it will stay there. #herps 🐸 🐜 #frogfriday
- Time for a little shout out to the BEST FIELD GUIDE EVER!! I have spent a lot of time with field guides of all kinds and California Amphibians and Reptiles is easily tops the list. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. Skip bezos and go local or order direct from the publisher. Details in comments.
- This diminutive frog seemed quite comfortable in its refuge among the duckweed in this small pond on a recent rainy evening, never more than a moment away from a quick retreat, surrounded by the deafening calls of its hopeful neighbors. Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) #herps 🐸 #FrogFriday
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- The salamanders were moving the other night after heavy rainfall in CA. And so were the snails, in such vast quantities that they were crawling over the salamanders. I saw this happen more than once. This Southern California Slender Salamander was completely unfazed. Batrachoseps major #herps 🐌🐸🦎
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- Rain in SoCal is bringing out the herps. Of the 17 lovely toads I saw out in the rain yesterday, this one stood out. As I passed, it froze in its tracks, letting me get a good long look at its unusually snazzy colors. Southern California Toad (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus) #herps #frogfriday 🐸
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- It’s hard not to love toads. Southern California Toad, Anaxyrus boreas halophilus #herps #ToadallyTuesday
- Did you know brown anoles live in Orange County, CA? Anolis sagrei (introduced), sitting on a sago palm. 🦎
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- Hatchling granite spiny lizard, Riverside Co. 🦎
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- Dewy in situ ringneck from last year. The dew evaporated in seconds when exposed to dry air and sunlight. Gotta be careful when flipping not to steal moisture from the animal or the cover. 💦🐍 🪨
- Today I watched this osprey drag this huge fish up out of the ocean and start right in on it, seemingly unfazed by a growing crowd of gulls and people. I was worried it would abandon its quarry when an oblivious beachcomber got waaay too close but incredibly it managed to take off with fish in tow.
- Can you see the slender salamander here?? Neither can I, because it got away! #herps
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- Batrachoseps, when you identify it correctly: high four! 🦎
