Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Several years ago I had purchased a california kingsnake for a friend. The color was different from anything I had ever seen before, and I apologize for not having a picture. In fact, I haven't been able to find another picture of this same color phase. The snake had the black bands or rings normally associated with the California kingsnake. The difference was that rather than the alternating white, it was a bright yellow. Absolutely gorgeous. I've seen similiar colors, but never before or since have I seen the same colors and markings on an individual snake. Unfortunately, the snake got loose and I believe it became a toy/meal for her cats, so I no longer have the snake to show you. Anyway, I was wondering what the true classification of these colors would be, and where I might start looking to find another one? Thank you in advance for your help.

Bright yellow I believe is from some of the southern california localities. Most cal kings have some degree of yellow in their cream, though often it can be hard to make out unless you place the snake side by side with one that has less yellow (such as a high contrast desert phase).

Cal Kings with very vivid yellow often appear here in the classifieds.
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3.6 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Several years ago I had purchased a california kingsnake for a friend. The color was different from anything I had ever seen before, and I apologize for not having a picture. In fact, I haven't been able to find another picture of this same color phase. The snake had the black bands or rings normally associated with the California kingsnake. The difference was that rather than the alternating white, it was a bright yellow. Absolutely gorgeous. I've seen similiar colors, but never before or since have I seen the same colors and markings on an individual snake. Unfortunately, the snake got loose and I believe it became a toy/meal for her cats, so I no longer have the snake to show you. Anyway, I was wondering what the true classification of these colors would be, and where I might start looking to find another one? Thank you in advance for your help.

Could it be that the Cal king was a neonate? Young cal kings will display brighter deeper yellows than adults. In all likelyhood (if the snake was a neonate), it will lighten with age.

If the Cal was an adult then it may have been a really nice one. keep seqrching and get to a reptile show where you can see the animals in person. A lot of times pictures of snakes in ads will wash out the intensity of the colors.

Cheers

Thanks for the info. Yes, it was a very young snake, only around 12 inches in length. I couldn't tell you the exact age, as our local pet store is a joke. The colors were very striking, and I have never forgotten it. The yellow was as bright as that of a yellow rat snake, but with all of the markings of the cal king. I will be hitting up some shows to see if I can find another one. Thanks again.

Here is a couple pics for comparison. Did it look like these?

yes, very much like the one on the bottom, except that the black bands were smaller. More of an even 50/50 black and yellow. Beautiful snakes by the way. Thanks for showing me some pics

I produced a couple like that last year - from pairing a creamish normal to an amel albino. Of the 5 that hatched, 2 were particulaly yellow. 2 were yellow but not as vivid. One has some yellow tinge to it.

It's not terribly uncommon, you should find some at a show without too much effort.
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3.6 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Young ones from coastal San Diego (and many other areas)can be black with bright yellow. Sometimes the yellow stays bright but the black always fades to brown at adulthood. I captivity this could show up in almost any line that is of mixed localities but it would need to be selectivly bred for to maintain it. I also saw a pic once of one from Arizona that was black and bright yellow and appeared to be an adult. I think it was from near Gila Bend.