406,598 acres of land in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara Counties have been identified as habitat critical for the recovery of the threatened whipsnake. The designation follows settlement of a lawsuit brought against FWS in November 1999 by the Center for Biological Diversity. The whipsnake, listed as a threatened species under the ESA in December 1997, occupies northern coastal scrub and chaparral habitats primarily in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Whipsnake habitat has been severely reduced and fragmented by urban sprawl, road construction, livestock grazing, and fire suppression. The whipsnake is a slender snake with black dorsal coloring and distinctive yellow-orange racing stripes down each side.
Adults grow from three to four feet in length.
The Alameda whipsnake is extremely fast moving and holds its head high off the ground in a cobra-like manner while hunting for potential prey, which includes lizards, small mammals, snakes, and nesting birds. Whipsnakes occupy a home range from 5 to 20 acres and can move up to a mile while traversing their territories. The whipsnake utilizes coastal scrub and chaparral for cover, adjacent grassland as foraging habitat, and rock outcrops for basking to regulate its body temperature. Many proposed developments in whipsnake habitat need federal permits from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the critical habitat designation will require consultation with FWS to evaluate their impact on the snake's habitat.