Snakes of Idaho
The Snakes of Idaho exhibitions is a place-based exhibit to promote the appreciation and conservation of Idaho's native snakes. The exhibit consists of metal prints of Idaho’s 12 native species of snakes with captions describing their identifying characteristics and natural history.
Snakes are important for many reasons. They are important elements of biodiversity with over 4,000 species of snakes worldwide. They play key ecological roles as both predators and prey. Snakes benefit humans because they help control rodent populations thus preventing the loss of crops and the spread of some diseases. They also provide important model systems for biological research and are symbolically important in many cultures throughout the world.
See the Full Exhibit Snakes of Idaho Photo Exhibit summary final 2024 10 31
Biographical Information
Dr. Charles R. (Chuck) Peterson received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Zoology at the University of Illinois-Urbana (1971, 1974), his Ph.D. in Zoology at Washington State University (1982), and conducted his postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago (1983-1988). He began working at Idaho State University in 1988 and is currently an Emeritus Professor of Zoology in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Affiliate Curator of Herpetology for the Idaho Museum of Natural History. Peterson's current teaching responsibilities at ISU include Herpetology and Nature Photography. Peterson had five Ph.D., five DA, and 20 Master's students complete their degrees under his supervision. His research interests include the spatial, physiological, and conservation ecology of amphibians and reptiles. Most of his work has focused on amphibian and reptile populations in the Northern Intermountain West. He is currently working on community science projects utilizing the iNaturalist mobile application to document the distribution and activity of amphibians and reptiles in Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Area. He also is using place-based photography exhibits to promote the appreciation and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. His photography can be viewed at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/petechar/. He was the 2023 Artist in Residence for the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust.
About the Photographs
- I took most of these photographs in Idaho but used several taken elsewhere in the Intermountain West that better represented the species.
- These photographs were taken over a 45-year period (1973-2018).
- I used a wide variety of cameras, including 35-mm film single-lens reflexes, digital point-and-shoots, digital single-lens reflexes, and mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras.
- I processed the photo files in Adobe Lightroom.
- The images were printed on aluminum with a matte finish by McKenna Pro.
Find More Information About Idaho Snakes
Discovering and Sharing Information about Idaho Amphibians and Reptiles
Idaho Department of Fish and Game – Snake Species
Idaho Digital Atlas – Reptiles
Idaho Amphibian and Reptile iNaturalist Project
Exhibit History and Schedule
| Schedule | Location |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Oboler Library, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho |
| 2018 | The Idaho Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting, Boise Center, Boise, Idaho |
| 2021 | M-K Nature Center, Boise, Idaho |
| 2021 | University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho |
| 2022 | BYU-Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho |
| 2024 | Hailey Public Library Mallory Wall, Hailey, Idaho |
When you book Snakes of Idaho you not only get the photo exhibition but a lecture and live animal demonstration by Chuck Peterson. Want to host Snakes of Idaho exhibition? Contact ambertews@isu.edu
ISU Herpetology Laboratory Publications on Idaho Snakes
Koch, E.D. and C.R. Peterson. 1989. A preliminary survey of the distribution of amphibians and reptiles of Yellowstone National Park. In: Rare, sensitive and threatened species of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, T.W. Clark, D.H. Harvey, R.D. Dorn, D.C. Genter, and C. Groves (eds.), Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative , Montana Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, and Mountain West Environmental Services.
Peterson, C.R. and M.E. Dorcas. 1992. The use of automated data acquisition techniques in monitoring amphibian and reptile populations. Pp 369-378 In: Wildlife 2001: Populations. D.R. McCullough and R.H. Barrett, (eds.). Elsevier Applied Science, London.
Peterson, C.R., A.R Gibson, and M.E. Dorcas. 1993. Snake thermal ecology: the causes and consequences of body temperature variation. Pp. 241-314 in Snakes: Ecology and Behavior (R.A. Seigel and J.T. Collins, eds.). McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.
Koch, E.D. and C.R. Peterson. 1995. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, Utah. 188 pp.
Dorcas, M.E. and C.R. Peterson. 1997. Head-body temperature differences in free-ranging rubber boas. J. Herp. 31(1): 87-93.
Dorcas, M.E., C.R. Peterson, and M.T. Flint. 1997. The thermal biology of digestion in rubber boas (Charina bottae): physiology, behavior, and environmental constraints. Physiological Zoology 70(3):292-300.
Dorcas, M.E. and C.R. Peterson. 1998. Daily body temperature variation in free-ranging rubber boas. Herpetologica.54(1):88-103.
Cobb, V.A. and C.R. Peterson. 1999. Natural History Notes: Mortality – Great Basin Rattlesnake. Herpetological Review. 30(1): 45-46.
Dorcas, M. E. and C. R. Peterson. 2008. Testing the coadaptation hypothesis: the thermal physiology and thermoregulatory behavior of rubber boas (Charina bottae). In: R. Henderson, R. Powell, G. Schuett, and M. Douglass (eds.), Biology of the Boas and Pythons. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC, Eagle Moutain, UT.
Jenkins, C.L., C.R. Peterson, and J.O. Cossel, Jr. 2008. Sagebrush Steppe / Desert Shrublands. In: Pilliod, D.S., Wind, E., eds., 2008, Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Northwestern United States and Western Canada: Technical Publication HMG-4, Birmingham, AL, Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, 139 p.
Jenkins, C.L. and C.R. Peterson. 2009. A Trophic-Based Approach to the Conservation Biology of Rattlesnakes: Linking Landscape Disturbance to Rattlesnake Populations. Pp. 265-274 in W. K. Hayes, K. R. Beaman, M. D. Cardwell, and S. P. Bush (eds.), The Biology of Rattlesnakes. Loma Linda University Press, Loma Linda, California.
Cobb, V.A. and C.R. Peterson. 2009. Thermal Ecology of Hibernation in a Population of Great Basin Rattlesnakes, Crotalus oreganus lutosus. Pp. 291-302 in W. K. Hayes, K. R. Beaman, M. D. Cardwell, and S. P. Bush (eds.), The Biology of Rattlesnakes. Loma Linda University Press, Loma Linda, California.
Jenkins, C.L. , C.R. Peterson, and B.A. Kingsbury. 2009. Modeling Snake Distribution and Habitat. Pp. 123-148 in S.J. Mullin and R.A. Seigel. Snakes: Ecology and Conservation. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca , New York.
Bosworth, W. and C.R. Peterson. Idaho. 2009. In: Olson, D.H. (coord. ed.), Herpetological conservation in northwestern North America. Northwestern Naturalist 90: 61–96.
Jenkins, C.L., C. R. Peterson, S. C. Doering, and V. A. Cobb. 2009. Microgeographic variation in reproductive characteristics among Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) populations. Copeia 2009, (4): 774–780.
- R. Peterson and J.R. Lee. 2012. Using Geographical Information Systems to design reptile surveys. Pp. 34-41 In: M. Foster, R. McDiarmid, C. Guyer, J.W. Gibbons, and N. Chernoff. (eds.). Reptile Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring. University of California Press, Los Angeles, CA.
Dorcas, M. E. and C. R. Peterson. 2012. Automated data acquisition. Pp. 61-68 In:. M. Foster, R. McDiarmid, C. Guyer, J.W. Gibbons, and N. Chernoff. (eds.). Reptile Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring. University of California Press, Los Angeles, CA.
Dorcas, M. E. and C. R. Peterson. 2013. Automated data acquisition. In: G. Graeter and J. Gibbons (eds.), Monitoring Methods for Amphibians and Reptiles. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation - special publication.
Jochimsen, Denim, C.R. Peterson, and L.J. Harmon, 2014. Influence of ecology and landscape on snake road mortality in a sagebrush-steppe ecosystem. Animal Conservation, 17(6): 583-592.
Bauder, J.D. H. Akenson, and C.R. Peterson. 2015. Movement Patterns of Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus v. viridis) across a Mountainous Landscape in a Designated Wilderness Area. Journal of Herpetology, 49(3): 377-387.
Bauder, J.M., H. Akenson, and C.R. Peterson. 2017. Factors influencing the movement patterns of Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus v. viridis) across a mountainous landscape in a designated Wilderness Area. Pp. 154-167 in Dreslik,M.J., S.J. Beaupre, and S.P. Mackessy (eds.), The Biology of Rattlesnakes II, Herpetological Publishing and Distribution, Rodeo, New Mexico.
Jenkins, C.L., J.M. Bauder, and C.R. Peterson. 2017. Population level consequences of microgeographic variation in Great Basin Rattlesnake reproduction. Pp. 143-153 in Dreslik,M.J., S.J. Beaupre, and S.P. Mackessy (eds.), The Biology of Rattlesnakes II,
Herpetological Publishing and Distribution, Rodeo, New Mexico.
Spear, S.F., J.M. Parker, C.R. Peterson, C.L. Jenkins, and L.P. Waits. 2017. Modeling the effect of roads on habitat area and connectivity of midget faded rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus concolor) across Southwest Wyoming. Pp. 22-33 in Dreslik,M.J., S.J. Beaupre, and S.P. Mackessy (eds.), The Biology of Rattlesnakes II, Herpetological Publishing and Distribution, Rodeo, New Mexico.