A chipmunk sitting atop this rock on Black Mountain. Elevation of just under 8,000 feet.  

California Mountain Kingsnake versus a lizard. Well at least the lizard got one last bite in before becoming a meal. It was all over in less than 5 minutes. This particular snake only eats small lizards, such as this sideblotched. Other mountain kings will take some rodents as they grow older...hopefully this one will too.This snake was found near Mt. Baldy in the San Gabriel mountains of Los Angeles County.  

Have you ever seen snake eggs? Well, a female gravid gopher snake laid these 5 eggs yesterday. The snake was only about 3 feet long and slender, but these eggs are huge for its size. About 2 inches long each and nearly twice as thick as the snake that laid them. They are now incubating in moistened vermiculite.