Which three California counties contain the remarkably restricted historical and current range of the snake?
San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties
The geographical distribution of the San Francisco garter snake is exceptionally limited, confining successful searching efforts to a narrow coastal band. The known historical and current range is concentrated specifically within portions of three adjacent coastal counties in California: San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, and Monterey County. This concentration means that areas outside this corridor, such as locations significantly north of the peninsula or areas far inland like the East Bay, are highly unlikely to host this federally threatened subspecies. The snake's preference for fragmented coastal terraces near the ocean reinforces why these three specific counties define its essential habitat zone.
