The community of Santa Susana is adjacent to the Santa Susana Pass wildlife corridor, which connects the Simi Hills (and the Santa Monica Mountains) to the Santa Susana Mountains and further wilderness areas such as the Tehachapi Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains. It is home to an abundance of wildlife, including larger mammals such as numerous cougars, coyotes, bobcats, grey foxes and more common species such as the Virginia opossum, California raccoon, ring-tailed cat, California vole, desert cottontail, Botta's pocket gopher as well as the spotted- and striped skunk. Large undeveloped areas provide natural habitat to numerous species, and saves the wildlife of the Santa Monica Mountains from genetic isolation. As in the rest of the Simi Valley, large areas are assigned parks or open space preserves and are protected wildlife habitats. The dry semi-arid climate of Santa Susana also provides a habitat for numerous species adopted to arid climates and temperature extremes. It is home to numerous reptiles, including eleven species of snake: coachwhip, southern Pacific rattlesnake, San Diego night snake, striped racer, California black-headed snake, two-striped garter snake, San Diego gopher snake, coast mountain kingsnake, California kingsnake, coast patch-nosed snake and ringneck snake. Lizards found here are also plentiful, including the San Diego horned lizard, California horned lizard, San Diego alligator lizard, western fence lizard, California side blotched lizard, western skink, western whiptail, and silvery legless lizard. Birds in the area are mostly raptors, including the California vulture, turkey vulture, white-tailed kite, American kestrel, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, marsh hawk, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, and the common nighthawk. Owl species include the great horned owl, short-eared owl, long-eared owl, barn owl, and the burrowing owl. There are also peacocks and numerous other species of wildlife found in the eastern Simi Valley. Scorpions are also common.