This is perhaps the most widely sought after serpent by herpers in the Golden State. It’s attractive colors and elusive nature make it a prize worth finding.
It is secretive, but not rare in suitable habitat. This reptile spends most of the time underground, under surface objects, or inside rock crevices. It is occasionally seen active on the ground in the daytime, especially near shaded streams on hot sunny days.
California Mountain Kingsnakes have a banded pattern that consists of red, black, and white crossbands. The bands are always arranged in the same order with each red crossband being surrounded by two black crossbands, forming what is called a triad.
Adults are usually 24 to 36 inches long and are found in a wide variety of habitats, including coniferous forests, oak-pine woodlands, riparian woodlands, chaparrals, and coastal sage scrubs.
California Mountain Kingsnakes are constrictors that have a diet which includes lizards, small mammals and snakes, as well as small birds. As their “mountain” name implies, they live in an elevational range from 1,500 – 8,000 feet.
This species is found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Coast Ranges north of Monterey Bay, California, north into the Klamath Mountains, in Oregon, plus an additional, disjunct population along the Columbia Gorge, in Washington.
It is always a thrill to come across this fine snake species while in the field.