A 2 foot (+/-) California Mountain King Snake seen on the Sawpit Canyon Road between the Twin Springs and Deer Park trailheads on July 31, 2010.
There has been some confusion about the biological classification of this snake species. There used to be several sub-species which presently are no longer recognized.
This specimen is more than likely the former L. zonata (parviruba), the San Bernadino Mountain King Snake. Click here
for a photo of yours truly holding a Mountian King Snake I found along the Bill Cull Trail."
These snakes are mimicking the highly venomous Arizona Coral Snake (click here for a photo), which are not found in California.
Remember the following poems for identifying the non-venomous Mountain King vs the venomous Coral Snake, based on the sequence of their color bands:
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"Red next to black, can't hurt Jack. Red next to white, a venomous sight!"
or "Red next to black, can't hurt Jack. Red next to yellow, can kill a fellow!" |
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A photo of yours truly holding a Mountian King Snake I found along the Bill Cull Trail while leading a scout troop on a nature hike. As you can see, these snakes will bite. Just their way of saying "Put me down!" And as you can see, the "red is next to black..." so I have nothing to worry about, other than a little pain.
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An Arizona Coral Snake (Micruroides euryxanthus euryxanthus) showing the much broader bands of color on this venomous snake. This is Arizona's only representative from the Elapidae, a family of snakes that includes mambas, cobras, kraits, and taipans. It delivers neurotoxic venom through fixed, hollow fangs in the front of the mouth. And as you can see in this photo, the "red is next to white...". Click on the photo for more information on this snake species.
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