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It looks like a Splendida morph so if so did it get there on a ship possibly? Also someone educate me are there other kingsnakes on Catalina Island? Thank you

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Its just one of those unexplained mysteries. I think most people look at it as a hoax.
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I look at it like an interesting "Sasquatch" or "Loch Ness" tale,...nothing more. I don't think the snake is anything but an interesting aberrant patterned L.g.splendida. Now, how it might have ever got that many miles from its natural range on the isolated island on the total opposite side of the gulf would be pure speculation too.

For all anyone really knows, Van Denburgh and Slevin could have easily captured an aberrant splendida, transported it along with them, and "claimed" to have found it there for the notoriety they knew it would give them in the academic world. Odd how nothing else was ever found there in many subsequent searches on the island since 1921.

What are the odds of ONE single bizarre aberrant splendida making it over there on storm-blown debri?..LOL!

It doesn't look anything like an intermediate specimen between nigrita and splendida as suggested in the book either. Hell, as many know, the so-called MBK (nigrita) have the EXACT SAME pattern as splendida anyway prior to their pattern being obscured with melanin as they mature. And L.g.nigrita in my opinion is nothing more than a clinal variant melanistic form of L.g.splendida anyway. It is only because of all the captive line-breeding anyway. Because before they were bred by everyone for displaying the preferable solid black coloration as hatchlings right out of the egg, many looked like straight-up pure Desert kings (L.g.splendida) with very distinct patterns until they matured more. I remember seeing a pure well-patterned/colored splendida phenotype get totally solid black within 9 months time. I bet the drug Cartel mules see all sorts of natural splendida patterned MBK juveniles as they are carrying their dope through the desert...

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Splendida with a nearly identical side pattern.

If dashes are possible on splendida, then so are dots.

Yep, they found an aberrant splendida and thought they could fool others with its origins. Little did they know, more would pop up. lol
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Holy crap!!!!......you found MORE of those on Isla Santa Catalina????..

LOL!!,....precisely!

And hardly anyone knew crap about snakes back then anyway, so who was going to dispute their claims?

Like your photos illustrate there, it's very clearly a Desert king (L.g.splendida).....excellent examples too!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I don't agree, its a record, and its stands until proven otherwise. I would hope DNA could be of help someday.

Do you think they line bred that animal back in the 1920's, hahahahahahahahahahaha j/k

I don't think anyone would try to fake a record back then as everywhere they collected had new records.

Its a very unusual animal, while it has side markings like splendida, we really do not know how that pattern came about and what other animals have or had it. Cheers

"I don't agree"

>> Gosh, ......no kidding??

"I don't think anyone would try to fake a record back then"

Frank, people have been faking stuff far longer than you have.

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Funny how the people in the background are going on with their work like nothing amazing is happening around them.
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LOL!!,....I know. I think dude's skinny little metal wheel would be sinking up to the axle in the mud as well...

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

>>LOL!!,....I know. I think dude's skinny little metal wheel would be sinking up to the axle in the mud as well...
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>> ~Doug
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>>"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"
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>>serpentinespecialties.webs.com
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Learn to comprehend Dmoung, Until its proven, like with Dna, what you think or what I think means not one silly thing.

I would put some tiny merit in it being a fake if there was some local that had snakes of that color and pattern, do you know of any?

While that animal appears to have some phenotypic characters of Splendida, its not like any splendida known is it?

If it wasn't from that island, then where was it from, to me that is also interesting.

Again, without any knowledge of anything, is only opinions vs. opinions, and that will go nowhere.

If no more have been found since the twenties, then they may no longer exsist there. If they do not exsist there, then there really is no problem is there.

I am not sure any biologist puts a whole lot of merit in old records.

Simply put, there are many many questionable records. Records that cannot be verified. So what! Its not a big thing, its not new, or rare. The methods they used back then were really really loose. They often went days, weeks or months, then recorded data. Then use the city there are in as the local. Or a city they were in, and collectors came from other locals.

Anyway, good luck with your theorys. Cheers

Anything is possible.
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Ross,
That female of mine pictured there, was a female I actually caught while I was visiting Isla Santa Catalina, while looking for a new BBQ joint.

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Genesis 1:1

hahaha It looks like it.
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The only details I've ever read on it were in Hubb's book.

supposedly there has been a lot of effort put into finding another one and nothing has cropped up. makes me think it is in fact a desert king that just happened to end up on the island.
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1.1 Argentine Boas
1.1 Dumerils Boas
1.1 Black Milk Snakes
2.3 California King Snakes
1.1 Nelsons Milk Snakes
2.2 Corn Snakes

Last year there was a road kill splendida about 100 yards from my house.

Obviously not a range extension.

Someone's escaped pet snake I'm sure........

Kerby...
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Life is like a bunch of fish in an aquarium....we all get along (bonding) until I want to eat you....and I do.

I still have to ask, has anyone here seen a splendida that looks exactly like the one in the picture? First wild caught, or natually occuring. Secondly, a captive bred individual.

ALso, I forget the exact terms, but if that animal is called a voucher animals. The next step to validate that locality is a series. There is a name for that too. hahahahahahaha

The series is suppose to indicate that one animal is not an exception.

So if this picture is of a voucher, then it needs to be validated with a series. Which is hasn't yet. SImply put, thats all it is, nothing more.

With old records like this, its very common to see errors. The animal itself only indicates more work needs to be done.

If a series cannot be obtained from that local. then all you have is a unvalidated voucher. Remember, the terminology I used needs correcting(?) but the concept is correct.

Personally, I have never seen a L.g.splendida that looks like that. So it makes it interesting. Cheers and happy end of the world. Hmmmmmmmmmm if they knew the world would end, how come they couldn't predict the end of their culture. That should be on that calender.

I have never seen a splendida like that. I've seen CB ones with dorsal striping but that's still different from the voucher.
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