SNAKES have fascinated humans throughout history, producing a plethora of myths and superstitions. The periodic shedding of snakes' skin was viewed by ancient cultures as an act of rebirth and renewal. In Judeo-Christian myth, the snake was responsible for tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden; in ancient Sumeria, a serpent stole Gilgamesh's herb of immortality. And in the legends of native cultures of South America, for instance, snakes also play a major role. The Yanomamo primordial flood receded when a woman dove into it and became a serpentine monster; the first Ceubo emerged as anacondas and became human upon shedding their skins.

ALAMEDA WHIPSNAKE

Alameda Whipsnake photo by Gary Beeman

The Alameda whipsnake, also called the Alameda striped racer, grows from three to four feet long, and in rare cases five feet. It's a slim, dark snake with exceptional speed, which it often uses to beat a hasty retreat from humans; it holds its head high off the ground, like a cobra, when hunting for prey. The Alameda whipsnake eats lizards, small mammals, nesting birds, other snakes including rattlesnakes, and lives primarily in northern coastal scrub and chaparral habitats in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Its habitat has been severely reduced and fragmented by urban sprawl development, road construction, livestock grazing, and fire suppression.

THE CENTER'S ALAMEDA WHIPSNAKE CAMPAIGN

Alameda Whipsnake photo by Gary Beeman The Alameda whipsnake was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in December 1997. In November 1999 the Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to force designation of critical habitat for this rare snake. On October 3, 2000, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally designated critical habitat: 406,598 acres of land in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara Counties, which went into effect in November 2000. View a map of the designated critical habitat for the whipsnake and the red-legged frog in the Eastern S. F. Bay Area. The Fish and Wildlife Service published a Recovery Plan for the whipsnake and other Eastern San Francisco Bay Area chaparral and scrub species in November 2002.

Alameda Whipsnake photo by Gary Beeman

The Endangered Species Act defines critical habitat as the "areas essential for the survival and recovery of species." Federal agencies may not authorize, permit, or fund projects that destroy or "adversely modify" critical habitat for a listed species. Many proposed developments in whipsnake habitat need federal permits from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers; the critical habitat designation will require consultation with FWS to evaluate their impact on the snake's habitat. The whipsnake is an indicator species for the health of the scrub and grassland habitats of open space in the East Bay. The Center will be monitoring enforcement of the designation to ensure the snake's habitat is adequately protected.