Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm 42 years old and I have been looking for one of these since I was 16 but luck has never been on my side...until today!
It was like winning the lottery...I can't tell you how many hours I have spent hiking and driving in the Mountains looking for one of these guys...but today finding this guy made it all worth it.
I happen to have an old tupperware in the trunk of my car and that is where I took this pic..about a half hour after capture. He is not much larger than a hatchling. Think I will keep him. LOL.
San Jacinto Mt. King

Nice zonata. I like the ones from up there. Have you ever tried flipping rocks up in the San Jacintos in april?

In both April and may I have almost turned the whole mountain over (putting the rocks back in place of course.) But no matter what I tried I never could find one. I have hiked the trails, looked in the rain and while overcast, looked at night on the roads and trails and I have flipped logs and rocks over until my back gave out.
The one I found was stretched out right in the middle of the trail...I couldn't miss him...for once I just got lucky.

If you go up there at the right time of year (temp 50-60f) with lots of sunshine and look in the rock outcroppings near water you can find several within an hour.

Hi I have been taking at least 3 Backpack trips every year for the last 10 to 15 years. Before each trip I say I'm going to find that Zonata this trip, but never did until this Memorial weekend. I was lucky like you I had just arrived after a 7 mile hike sat down next to my pack and right there not five feet away was about a 30" sierra Mt. king. In are camp were I caught her there was probably 50 to 100 garter snakes roaming around the river. I'm sure she was just looking for lunch. She eats anything I put in the cage f/t rats or mice. I tell everybody I bet she would eat a hotdog if I gave it to her.

Correct me if I'm wrong but its my understanding that if you have a wife and she also has a fishing license then she can also have a Zonata. I also believe you can breed them, you just cant sell the babies you have to give them away. I'm not 100% sure on this but that's what someone told me.

Jim B

There is simply no feeling like catching your first Zonata I have a friend who has been looking for 12 years and he just caught his first one this year too. How people see dozens in a single year is beyond me. I have tried every trick in the book to find just one. My brother hunts San Jacinto several times each spring and has only seen three in 13 years. As far as I'm concerned they are the ultimate North American herp find...catching this guy made me feel like a kid on Christmas day...I'm still in a daze
I am lucky to live within walking distance of Whitewater California (many days I do walk there) and see many beautiful snakes all the time...rosy boas, Cali kings, red diamondbacks etc are all right out my back door...but Zonata are truly something special to me.
I will have to re-check the laws...seems a shame to have such a beautiful animal and not be able to breed it.
And congrats on your Zonata find (any pics?)...you will never forget it...they are the best

I looked it up once. I don't know about married couples each have one snake, but if you have a fishing licence the bag limit is 1 zonata, 4 common cali kings. And you can get a permit to breed for educational purposes but you can't under any condition that I've seen sell them. It seems to me that if there is such a big demand for these snakes wouldn't letting people breed and sell captive born snakes be easier on the wild populations? Maybe someone will go change the law.
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My greybands:
Prince Mandrake and Princess Caldera

Call Ca F&G. You can get a non-commercial permit that will allow you to breed zonata. You can have your bag/possesion limit of wild caught zonata plus a combined total of 30 wild caught captive born native species. For example if you and your wife had permits you could have 1 wild caught zonata and she could have 1 wild caught zonata plus you could each have 29 captive born zonata for a total of 2 wild caughts and 58 captive borns.
If you had just one permit you could have 1 wild caught zonata and recieve 1 captive born zonata from a verifieable source and keep up to 28 captive born zonata.
The limit of 30 native species is an "aggragate" limit so any other native wild caught species you have takes away from the total number of captive born zonata you can have. For example you could have 1 wild caught zonata, 1 gifted captive born zonata, 2 wild caught rubber boas and any combination of 26 of their offspring. Any captive borns in excess must be given away within 45 days of birth/hatching. Under no circumstances can you sell or trade any of the offspring and you also cannot obtain any of your stock wild caught or captive born by buying or trading.

n/p

Sorry about the bad photo. This is the one I took before I cought her. If I get a chance all post a better photo later today.
Thanks Jim B

Back in the early 90's I lived in Fresno for a while...I use to hunt Zonata up at Bass lake a lot...I have been told they are there in very good numbers but I certainly never saw one. I must be the worst Zonata hunter in the world

where is san jacinto mountain?
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My greybands:
Prince Mandrake and Princess Caldera

S. California...Above/by Palm Springs.

I live in central cal (fresno) and my parents live in the mountains. Zonatas are prolly my favorite snake... We had one cross our driveway one evening, but that was the first and last time I've seen a zonata in the wild. I wish they could be bred and sold, knoblochi's are nice but they just aren't the same...
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My greybands:
Prince Mandrake and Princess Caldera

Yea, i feel your pain , i live in San Francisco and i have never seen one. I wish CA will make it easier on us and let us buy one lol
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Zach Lim
Carnivorous Plant Grower and Herper
http://www.geocities.com/sf_snakes/index.html

What a beautiful snake! I'm going to have to add the San Jacinto to my list of snakes to keep my eye out for. Congratulations on your find!

-Willow Raevynwood

Congrats! brother, i'm happy for you

Gorgeous zonata! Wow, it took so long, and look, im mad cause I still cannot find one after 2 years lol. Great catch and hope he thrives-Zach
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Zach Lim
Carnivorous Plant Grower and Herper
http://www.geocities.com/sf_snakes/index.html

I hiked some areas up there extensively for two seasons and found 3 zonata. The first find was pure luck; the second and third were a result of greater knowledge of their habitat, more skill, and as always, luck. One thing I do know - you don't need to tear up habitat to find them. Looking at the right time of year under the right conditions in the right habitat will give you a chance to see one without harming any rock piles.

After keeping one of those guys for a season, I returned it to where I found it (alot fatter though!) I find those zonata to be kind of flighty, and mine musked alot, as have others I have found, picked up then let go. I find the pyromelana to be better captives (plus no worries about buying/selling/breeding.) Still, it is a huge thrill to see them in the wild. Good luck with the snake, and keep him on the cooler side. He will likely not eat until next Spring, though there are exceptions.

After reading my post, I had better clear up that I didn't mean to imply that you harmed the rock piles. I was just offering info for any other would-be zonata hunters that the snakes can be seen without harm to the rock habitat.
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Mark

I know what you mean. I hate to go somewhere and see the habitat all torn up. I am VERY careful to leave everything just as I found it. I will even pick up trash if I see any. I have been snake hunting long enough to understand how important it is to keep their habitat intact.
I hate the fact that here in Cali I can only keep one Mt. King and not breed but my Zonata hunting days are done...one will have to do.

He took is first meal for me today...no problem. He is very calm...ate right out of my hand.