Anthropogenic non-native species introductions are noted with concern when an animal population becomes established, individuals become numerous, and dire ecological consequences result. Examples are numerous where intentional or unintentional human facilitation of species introductions result in native species loss and extinctions, changes in vegetation composition or structure, loss of ecosystem functioning, introduction of non-native pathogens and parasites, and other consequences, and control/ eradication focus is rightly placed on extant non-native populations. Receiving much less attention are those instances where a population is introduced, grows to attain potential noxious invader status, and winks out, with no remnant of the formerly abundant species. To our knowledge, such an example is heretofore unknown among snakes. Here we report on the historic establishment, proliferation, and extirpation of a population of diamond-backed watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer) in Northern California. Museum records, newspaper accounts, personal interviews and unpublished reports help us reconstruct the history and demise of the population, and we place this knowledge within the context of other documented boom/bust populations for similar vertebrate groups.

Observations on the community science platform iNaturalist often carry more information than what users identify. These “secondary data” often include organisms other than the single organism identified by the community, and sometimes, the interactions between these organisms. By carefully combing through more than ten years of iNaturalist snake observations, we have compiled a growing database of more than 9,400 observations of snake predation. These observations span the globe (146 countries) and include 706 species of snakes, including some for which no previously published diet records exist. Our dataset is richest in the United States. Here, I take a closer look at the scope of this growing dataset, review some of the interesting records we’ve surfaced and compare the diets of a few common US snakes as revealed by previous literature and our community science observations.

Snakes and other ectotherms must select microhabitats that enable them to obtain adequate food resources, confer protection from predators, and enable them to thermoregulate effectively. Therefore, microhabitat characteristics such as vegetation structure and availability of below-ground refuges can play an important role in resource selection and habitat quality for reptiles. We assessed the thermal ecology and microhabitat selection patterns of the Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus lutosus) within a semi-arid montane region of eastern Nevada (Great Basin National Park). We surgically implanted rattlesnakes with radio transmitters and temperature dataloggers (n = 29), and we obtained locations for each snake 1-2x per week during the activity season. In addition, we deployed operative temperature models (n = 63) at a wide range of available above and below-ground microhabitats within our study area. We are using this information to assess how snakes select habitats throughout the activity season. Moreover, by comparing available operative temperatures with field-active body temperatures we will be able to study how snakes use microhabitats for thermoregulation and assess seasonal and diurnal changes in thermal preferences. We hope to learn how a changing climate affects body temperatures of rattlesnakes and how their movement behavior influences resource selection.

Historical subspecies often serve as important units for conservation policy and management when other information is lacking. However, adaptive management of sensitive species is compelled to rely on the best scientific data available, making accurate delineation of lineage diversity an important and enduring task. The California glossy snake, Arizona elegans occidentalis is currently recognized as a Species of Special Concern in California due to rangewide decline and projected effects of anthropogenic development throughout the range. To test whether A. e. occidentalis forms a cohesive group, we used genomic analyses combined with an expanded taxonomic and geographic sampling scheme across the species. We show strong genomic evidence for recognizing a new species, Arizona occidentalis, that encompasses all of the formerly recognized subspecies of the so-called “short-tailed glossy snakes”, and is the sister species to Arizona pacata, the endemic species in Baja California. We retain the name Arizona elegans for the “long-tailed glossy snakes” in the eastern portion of the complex’s range. Within Arizona occidentalis, we show support for regional genetic partitioning into San Joaquin, Mojave and Sonoran Desert groups and discuss whether one or more of these groups merit recognition as Distinct Population Segments as defined in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, given the on-going habitat loss along the western edge of its range.