Return Be on the lookout for snakes on you outings during the spring and summer. Pick up a field guide on California snakes before you head out - you will be surprised at the diversity and beauty of this much maligned group of animals.
Snakes lead the list of most misunderstood and feared of all animals.
The rattlesnake is the only type of snake in California that is dangerous to humans, but unfortunately, many harmless snakes have met untimely deaths at the hands of shovel-wielding humans. Snakes are an important part of the natural food chain, eating a great variety of prey, from rats and birds to frogs and other reptiles. Besides their ecological value, snakes offer the careful wildlife viewer a chance to watch one of nature's most efficient predators. If you encounter a rattlesnake, move away and watch for these tell-tale signs that you are too close. First, a rattlesnake, in fact most snakes, will coil into a defensive posture if they cannot escape by crawling away.