Southern California’s
Wild Side
Insects * Arachnids
Reptiles * Amphibians
Insects and Arachnids
Jerusalem Cricket
AKA
Niño de la tierra (child of the
earth), earth baby, cara de
niño (child’s face), wó see
ts'inii (Navajo for "skull
insect"), old bald headed man,
and potato bug.
Insects and Arachnids
Jerusalem Cricket
Active only at night, the insects use
their strong mandibles to feed
primarily on dead organic material
but can also eat other insects. Their
highly adapted feet are used for
burrowing beneath moist soil to
feed on decaying root plants and
tubers.
Insects and Arachnids
Jerusalem Cricket
Jerusalem crickets are a
group of large (2 to 3 inches),
flightless insects native to the
western United States, along
the Pacific Coast, and south
into Mexico.
Insects and Arachnids
Red Harvester Ant
The main food source for
red harvester ants
usually consists of
seeds, which they hoard
in great numbers.
Insects and Arachnids
Red Harvester Ant
Three to eight trails typically
lead away from the mound,
like "arms". These trails are
used by ants to collect and
bring food back to the
mound. "Scout" ants are the
first ones out of the mound
every morning. They seek
food, and mark their path as
they return to the mound to
alert the worker ants. The
worker ants follow the scent
trail and collect the food.
Insects and Arachnids
Red Harvester Ant
CAUTION:
Red Harvester Worker
Ants can be aggressive
and have a painful sting
that spreads through the
lymph nodes, sometimes
causing reactions,
especially in animals
allergic to their venom.
They can also bite
ferociously.
Insects and Arachnids
Stink Beetle
Stink beetles are common
in California and the
Southwest. They’re shiny
black creatures, flightless
foragers of plant matter.
Insects and Arachnids
Stink Beetle
When alarmed, they point their rear ends toward the sky, and will
shoot you with a ready made chemical cocktail containing caprylic
(kə-pril-ik) acid, which has a rancid
smell and taste and will leave you
feeling less than “just showered”
fresh. The Stink Beetle is well
enough defended that unrelated
(and unarmed) beetles have
come to mimic its distinctive
posture.
Insects and Arachnids
Western Tiger Swallowtail
It is a large, brightly colored and active butterfly, rarely seen at rest;
its wingspan is 7 to 10 cm, and its wings are yellow with black
stripes, and in addition it has blue
and orange spots near its tail.
It has the "tails" on the hind
wings that are often found in
swallowtails.
Insects and Arachnids
Western Tiger Swallowtail
A common Swallowtail Butterfly of western North America,
frequently seen in urban parks and gardens as well as in rural
woodlands and riparian areas. The males often congregate, along
with other species of swallowtail
at pools and along streams and
rivers; they drink from the water
and mud, extracting minerals as
well as moisture.
Insects and Arachnids
Red Velvet Ant
aka: Cow Killer, Mule Killer
Velvet ants – actually wasps – get their name from the hairs that
cover their body and because they resemble ants. The flightless
females, which are often encountered while wandering on the
ground, especially resemble ants.
Insects and Arachnids
Red Velvet Ant
aka: Cow Killer, Mule Killer
Velvet ants are active during the day, and they may be some of the
first insects to hit the trail in the morning and last to settle in for the
night. They retreat from high ground temperatures in the middle of
the day by burrowing under debris or climbing into plants. Nectar is
their preferred food. Velvet ants are
active from April through November,
depending upon local climate.
If you see a walking velvet ant, you
can be assured that it is a female.
Insects and Arachnids
Red Velvet Ant
aka: Cow Killer, Mule Killer
Males have wings but no stingers, while females have stingers but
lack wings. Velvet ants are also known as cow killers or mule killers
because of their extremely painful sting. Like all wasps, they can
sting multiple times. Because of
their armor-like exoskeleton and
painful sting, few if any animals
consume this conspicuous wasp.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula Hawk
Up to two inches long with a blue-black body and bright rust-colored
wings, tarantula hawks are among the largest of wasps. A bright rust
coloring on their wings warns potential predators that they are
dangerous. Their long legs end with hooked claws for grappling with
their victims.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula Hawk
Female tarantula hawks usually hunt female tarantulas and seek
them in their burrows. They capture, sting, and paralyze the spider,
either choosing to drag the spider back to her own burrow or
transporting their prey to a specially prepared nest where a single
egg is laid on the spider’s body, and the entrance is covered. The
wasp larva, upon hatching, begins
to suck the juices from the still-living
spider. After the larva grows a bit,
it plunges into the spider's body and
feeds voraciously, avoiding vital
organs for as long as possible to keep
it fresh.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula Hawk
The stinger of a female tarantula hawk can be up to 1/3 inch (7 mm)
long. Though usually not aggressive, these wasps can deliver a
sting which is rated amongst the most painful in the insect world.
Insects and Arachnids
Black Widow Spider
A muture female is around 1.5 in long, shiny and black in color, with
a red marking in the shape of an hourglass on its underside.
Known as the Black Widow because
of having the peculiar habit
of, on occasion, eating its male
counterpart after mating.
Insects and Arachnids
Black Widow Spider
Although these spiders are not especially large, their venom
is extremely potent (it is also reported to be much more
toxic than the venom of a cobra or coral snake).
Insects and Arachnids
Brown Recluse Spider
AKA: Fiddleback Spider, Brown Fiddler, Violin Spider
It is usually between ¼ in and ¾ in long, but may grow larger. It is
brown and sometimes an almost
deep yellow color and usually has
markings on the top side of its
head, with a black line coming
from it that looks like a violin with
the neck of the violin pointing to
the rear of the spider.
Insects and Arachnids
Brown Recluse Spider
AKA: Fiddleback Spider, Brown Fiddler, Violin Spider
Recluse spiders build irregular webs that frequently include a
shelter consisting of disorderly
threads. These spiders frequently
build their webs in woodpiles and
sheds, closets, garages, plenum,
cellars and other places that are
dry and generally undisturbed.
Insects and Arachnids
Brown Recluse Spider
AKA: Fiddleback Spider, Brown Fiddler, Violin Spider
While generally non aggressive, a bite from the Brown Recluse can
produce severe damage to skin tissue resulting in lesions and
necrosis. Severe symptoms can
include organ damage, and
occasionally even death. Most
fatalities are in children under 7 or
those with a weaker than normal
immune system.
Insects and Arachnids
Desert Hairy Scorpion
The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is the largest scorpion
inhabiting the southwest. Its large size allows it to feed on
other scorpions, lizards and snakes. It gets its name from the
numerous hairs covering its body. These hairs help it to
detect vibrations in the surrounding soil.
Insects and Arachnids
Desert Hairy Scorpion
It is a burrowing scorpion, but is commonly found under
rocks containing moisture. Its diet consists of large insects,
spiders and small
vertebrates.
Insects and Arachnids
Desert Hairy Scorpion
This is an aggressive and active scorpion, which, as with all
scorpions, is nocturnal. Like all scorpions, the giant desert
hairy scorpion gives birth to live young, which remain on the
mothers back for a week or
more before leaving.
Insects and Arachnids
Desert Hairy Scorpion
All scorpions glow under ultraviolet light.
Although this scorpion is big, its
venom is not very potent, with a
sting about as painful as a
honeybee. However, an allergic
reaction to its venom can be fatal;
symptoms can include: difficulty
breathing, excessive swelling, and
prolonged pain. These guys are
aggressive! Watch out when
moving rocks, dead logs, and
branches; especially in areas
prone to moisture.
Insects and Arachnids
California Centipede
Centipedes are the only animals with legs
modified into fanglike "poison jaws" that inject
poison for subduing and killing prey.
Insects and Arachnids
California Centipede
Centipedes are active hunters. They roam around looking for
small animals to bite and eat. They eat insects, spiders, and
other small invertebrates. If the centipede is large enough it
will even attack small vertebrates like lizards.
Insects and Arachnids
California Centipede
Centipedes have
powerful fangs, which
are actually modified
forearms and can inflict
a painful bite,
particularly
larger species.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula
Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world. In the United
States, they are mostly found in the Southwest. A female
tarantula can live 20 - 25
years. A male tarantula only
lives about 7 - 8 years.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula
Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world. In the United
States, they are mostly found in the Southwest. A female
tarantula can live 20 - 25
years. A male tarantula only
lives about 7 - 8 years.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula
A tarantula’s diet consists mostly of insects like
grasshoppers and crickets. On occasion it can also eat small
mammals or baby birds.
Insects and Arachnids
Tarantula
Although tarantulas do have venom and can bite but they
pose no serious danger
to humans. When
threatened, a tarantula
will rear up on its back
legs exposing its fangs.
If seriously threatened
the tarantula may eject
hairs from its abdomen
that are coated with
venom.
Insects and Arachnids
North American Millipede
The millipede's most obvious feature is its large number of
legs. Common species have between 36 and 400 legs.
Insects and Arachnids
North American Millipede
Millipedes are slow moving. Most millipedes eat decaying leaves
and other dead plant matter, moisturising the food with secretions
and then scraping it in with
the jaws.
Insects and Arachnids
North American Millipede
Due to their lack of speed and their inability to bite or sting,
millipedes' primary defense mechanism is to curl into a tight coil —
protecting their delicate legs inside an armored body exterior.
Insects and Arachnids
North American Millipede
Many species emit poisonous liquid secretions or hydrogen
cyanide gas through microscopic pores along the sides of
their bodies as a secondary defense when threatened.
Insects and Arachnids
North American Millipede
Some of these substances are caustic and can burn the
exoskeleton of ants and other insect predators, and the skin and
eyes of larger predators. As far as humans are concerned, this
chemical brew is fairly harmless,
usually causing only minor
effects on the skin, and general
eye irritation if exposed to that
region.
Insects and Arachnids
Deer Tick
The deer tick or blacklegged tick,
and in some parts of the USA
as the bear tick, is a
hard-bodied tick of the
eastern and northern
Midwestern United States.
Insects and Arachnids
Deer Tick
Deer tick females latch onto a
host and drink its blood for four
to five days. After it is engorged,
the tick drops off and
overwinters in the leaf litter of
the forest floor.
Insects and Arachnids
Deer Tick
Deer Ticks can carry Lyme Disease.
Early manifestations of infection
may include fever, headache,
fatigue, depression, and a
characteristic skin rash in a bulls
eye pattern. Left untreated, late
manifestations involving the joints,
heart, and nervous system can
occur.
Insects and Arachnids
Tick Removal
To remove a tick, follow these steps:
•
Using a pair of pointed precision tweezers, grasp the tick by the head or
mouthparts right where they enter the skin. DO NOT grasp the tick by the
body.
•
Without jerking, pull firmly
and steadily directly outward.
DO NOT twist the tick out or
apply petroleum jelly,
a hot match, alcohol or any
other irritant to the tick in
an attempt to get it to
back out.
•
Place the tick in a vial or jar
of alcohol to kill it.
•
Clean the bite wound with
disinfectant.
Insects and Arachnids
• Break time!
Southern California’s
Wild Side
Insects * Arachnids
Reptiles * Amphibians
Reptiles and Amphibians
Western
Diamondback
Rattlesnake
AKA: Adobe snake, Arizona diamond rattlesnake,
Coon tail, Desert diamond-back, Desert diamond
rattlesnake, Fierce rattlesnake, Spitting rattlesnake,
Texan rattlesnake, Texas diamond-back (rattlesnake),
Western diamond rattlesnake.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Western
Diamondback
Rattlesnake
Found in many regions of the south western
US and Mexico, Adults commonly grow to
4 ft in length
Reptiles and Amphibians
Western
Diamondback
Rattlesnake
In the winter, these snakes hibernate in caves or
burrows sometimes with many other species of
snakes. They hunt (or ambush prey; mostly small
mammals) at night or in the early morning, and can
go for up to two years without food in the wild.
Western Diamondback females give birth to live
young.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Western
Diamondback
Rattlesnake
Caution! This snake is extremely territorial.
A bite from a Western Diamondback
contains venoms that are concentrated
fluids containing toxins that can cause
internal bleeding, destroy muscle tissue,
and blood cells through a digestion
process.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Western
Diamondback
Rattlesnake
Caution! These snakes when coiled and in
defensive position can strike out up to 2/3
of their body length. They do not aways
rattle when they are about to attack. Be
careful when reaching under logs, hiking in
thick chapparal, or working in streams.
Radio for help or call 911 if bitten.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Mojave
Rattlesnake
Venomous pitviper species
found in the deserts of the
southwestern United States and
central Mexico.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Mojave
Rattlesnake
Unlike a bite from a Western
Diamondback, the venom of a Mojave
Rattlesnake contains venoms that are
concentrated fluids containing hemo and
neuro toxic agents that can cause internal
bleeding, destroy muscle tissue, and
cause neurological complications. Radio
for help or call 911 if bitten.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
King Snake
The California Kingsnake lives in many
regions, such as deserts, coastal scrub,
woodlands, farm land, forests, fields and
riversides They usually reach four to six feet
as adults, and are found in California,
Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and
northwestern Mexico.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
King Snake
-‘King' because in the wild it eats other snakes,
including venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes
and water moccasins. Non venonous to humans.
- Toxins of other snakes have very little effect on
the kingsnake, though if the snake is
envenomated many times, there may be harmful.
- Diet also consists of rats, mice, lizards and frogs.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Mountain
King Snake
Indigenous to southern California found in
the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, San
Jacinto, Santa Monica, and Santa Ana
mountains.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Mountain
King Snake
Indigenous to southern California found in
the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, San
Jacinto, Santa Monica, and Santa Ana
mountains.
Found near steams – avid tree climber.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Mountain
King Snake
-‘King' because in the wild it eats other snakes,
including venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes
and water moccasins. Non venonous to humans.
- Toxins of other snakes have very little effect on
the kingsnake, though if the snake is
envenomated many times, there may be harmful.
- Diet also consists of rats, mice, lizards and frogs.
Reptiles and Amphibians
San Bernardino
Ringneck Snake
This subspecies is endemic to California.
Found along the southern California coast
from the Santa Barbara area south along
the coast to San Diego County, and
inland into the San Bernardino mountains.
Reptiles and Amphibians
San Bernardino
Ringneck Snake
This subspecies is endemic to California.
Found along the southern California coast
from the Santa Barbara area south along
the coast to San Diego County, and
inland into the San Bernardino mountains.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Legless
Lizard
Found in much of Southern California, the
Legless Lizard is a small slender lizard
with no legs, a shovel-shaped snout,
smooth shiny scales, and a blunt tail.
They can be found in moist warm loose
soil with plant cover.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Legless
Lizard
Legless Lizards eat larval insects,
beetles, termites, and spiders. Conceals
itself beneath leaf litter or substrate then
ambushes its prey.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Blue
Tailed
Skink
Common in California, the blue tailed
skink is most active at dusk and dawn,
but secretive and not typically seen
active.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Blue
Tailed
Skink
The tail is easily broken off. When
detached, it writhes back and forth to
distract a predator while the lizard
escapes.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Alligator
Lizard
Alligator lizards are found in almost any
natural habitat in California. They can
grow up to 8-10 inches in size.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Alligator
Lizard
This is a lizard that is often seen in yards
and garages in Southern California. Their
diet consists of primarily insects, snails,
and occasionally eggs.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Horned
Lizard
Endangered. The horned lizard eats mainly
ants, especially harvester ants, but also
consumes other small invertebrates such as
spiders, beetles, termites, and grasshoppers.
It inflates with air when threatened, making it
larger and hard to swallow. It may also open
its mouth and make hissing noises as a threat
display.
Reptiles and Amphibians
California
Horned
Lizard
When threatened and grabbed, it will bite
and move the head from side to side to
jab with its horns. As a last resort, it will
spray the intruder with blood from the
corners of its eyes.