San Jose and Santa Catalina Islands
As the average daily temperature in the Gulf of California is rising up, we get better chances to encounter a variety of reptile species on the peninsula and adjacent islands. This was the case as we hiked today on the beautiful location known as Punta Colorada, on San Jose Island. Here the narrow and meander-like carved arroyo is walled by strata after strata of sandstone containing tons of fossil shells and, in some parts, fossilized whale ribs and marine turtle shells. The colors of these fantastic walls range from yellow and ochre, to frankly red. At the base of one of these walls we found an impressive three-foot long speckled rattlesnake just curled under the shade. It was resting and digesting a couple of mice, as it was derived from the observation of two noticeable thicker sections of its belly. The speckled rattlesnake really camouflages well with the salt-and-pepper granite rock that is present on most arroyos of this island, but some individuals show a rather pinkish coloration, like the one in the picture.
We didn’t bother the animal and continued hiking and later snorkeling, and conducted some Zodiac cruises around Punta Colorada. We left the island just before lunch to our afternoon destination, Santa Catalina Island, the home of the world famous, but elusive, rattleless rattlesnake. On the way up there, however, we encountered several hammerhead sharks and a small pod of bottlenose dolphins on the quiet waters of the Sea of Cortez. After “playing” a time with them, we moved to Santa Catalina and had a delightful afternoon snorkeling and hiking there. We met the multi-branched cardón cacti, as well as the giant, single-branched barrel cactus, and other endemics or oddities. The orange light of the afternoon covered us as we left Santa Catalina for another exploration.
As the average daily temperature in the Gulf of California is rising up, we get better chances to encounter a variety of reptile species on the peninsula and adjacent islands. This was the case as we hiked today on the beautiful location known as Punta Colorada, on San Jose Island. Here the narrow and meander-like carved arroyo is walled by strata after strata of sandstone containing tons of fossil shells and, in some parts, fossilized whale ribs and marine turtle shells. The colors of these fantastic walls range from yellow and ochre, to frankly red. At the base of one of these walls we found an impressive three-foot long speckled rattlesnake just curled under the shade. It was resting and digesting a couple of mice, as it was derived from the observation of two noticeable thicker sections of its belly. The speckled rattlesnake really camouflages well with the salt-and-pepper granite rock that is present on most arroyos of this island, but some individuals show a rather pinkish coloration, like the one in the picture.
We didn’t bother the animal and continued hiking and later snorkeling, and conducted some Zodiac cruises around Punta Colorada. We left the island just before lunch to our afternoon destination, Santa Catalina Island, the home of the world famous, but elusive, rattleless rattlesnake. On the way up there, however, we encountered several hammerhead sharks and a small pod of bottlenose dolphins on the quiet waters of the Sea of Cortez. After “playing” a time with them, we moved to Santa Catalina and had a delightful afternoon snorkeling and hiking there. We met the multi-branched cardón cacti, as well as the giant, single-branched barrel cactus, and other endemics or oddities. The orange light of the afternoon covered us as we left Santa Catalina for another exploration.
