Reptile & Amphibian Forums

They come out (seen several) everytime it rains, and range from 12" to about 30" Coloring is always the same. I'm worried that one will get into the house! Should I be worried??

http://fototime.com/11BD208A3820AEA/standard.jpg

http://fototime.com/6DC3EA93964BA64/standard.jpg

Not sure what type though... maybe an eastern. I'm still kinda a newbie on the snake ID though.

Try looking at some of the pictures and descriptions here:

www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/snakes.pdf
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilotac cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

Thats a california kingsnake, don't know what its doin in jersey though. Someone must have released it or it escaped. I know you said youve seen it several times but did you see more than one individual? I wouldn't worry about it getting into yur house unless u leave yur doors open 24/7. thats all i got for now, Peace easy,Coop

Odd... maybe your in a established breeding ground or something. If you truely see a bunch of them now and then you should tell NJ Dept of Natural Resources so they can catalog the species as an exotic.

I kinda thought it looked like a cali, but my original thought was "No way... must be an eastern with larger bands of white"
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilotac cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

I would contact a local herp society and see if they will come remove them. You don't want a population of cal kings established in NJ.
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Chris Harrison

Yeah, it's a Cal. king. I am curious to know if you have seen more than one at the same time. If not, it is probably just the one you are seeing repeatedly.

~~Greg~~

thats an eastern king snake Lampropeltis getula. there native to new jersey.

CrazyCody

Sorry, Cody...that's definitely a California Kingsnake, not an Eastern Kingsnake.

The only questions are:

1. Where did it come from?

and

2. Is it the only one?

The fact that the posted has stated that he (or she) has seen "several" of them of varying sizes is worrisome to me.

It is likely an escaped (or released) pet if it was truly found as the poster says it was. Or, worse yet, the progeny of an escaped pet. It is exactly this sort of thing that puts our hobby (or profession) in jeopardy. Releasing non-native animals is extremely stupid and destructive and invariably results in new, more restrictive legislation being proposed...not to mention the damage it causes to native wildlife populations.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm gonna put a hot brick out tonight and try to lure him in with the heat....hope it works, I'll catch it and bring to animal control where it can be identified and adopted.

it is definitely a California kingsnake. The best trap a snake is as follows:

get a dead mouse and tie a length of fishing line to its tail. secure one end to a stake or something else if inside. make sure that the length of the fishing line doesn't allow the snake access to any hard to reach places. Place a hiding box near the mouse so that when the snake eats it, and realizes that he is stuck, he will hide rather then struggle to much. You should set this trap at night and check it in the morning. Given too much time and the snake will free himself.

.. I guess I will. Your snake trap is vile and disgusting. I can't believe you would suggest that to someone on a forum like this. If I understand this right, in order to get the snake off the line, you would have to yank the mouse back out of the stomach with the fishing line. Or do you suggest cutting the line and letting the snake try to digest that chunk of undigestable plastic? Either way is inhumane.

First off all, you just cut the string and it passes no problem. Secondly its a trap! its not nice by definition. Thirdly I object to the term humane, the word itself is screwed up literally it means human like, which the last time I checked human behavor is not at all nice. If I was going to be humane,I would have suggested that he put a hood over the snakes head and make it stand on a bucket, or just decapitate it.

I am in PA and would be willing to go up to North Jersey and confirm this BUT the weather is getting cool here in PA and I assume the same goes for North Jersey. Day time temps are rarely reaching mid 70's and night time temps are in the low 60's. Being that Cali's are primary nocturnal it could be hard to locate them with the cool weather looming.

If these guy's get a major foot hold it'll be hard to get rid of them. I personally think they will be able to survive in the Pine Barren's or another other wooded area in NJ. There are some ideal places for them to hybernate but we do have some harsh winters around here sometimes so maybe they would be killed off during the winter but there is a good chance they will do well. They COULD cover the whole state and interbreed with the eastern king and could also wind up slaughtering any local species. Snakes in NJ are getting rare and to think that the cali king has establisted itself and could be killing off NJ natives is disturbing.

If he is seeing more then one it COULD BE that these guys are 2nd or even 3rd gen cali's that were released into the wild. Someone could have been a nickle/dime breeder and let them go which is what I would assume. If they are 2nd gen that means they already survived last winter.

What bothers me the most is cali king's are known to be huge snake eatters.A little more so then the eastern king from what I understand. This could spell doom for some of native locals in NJ such as the copperhead which it's status is unknown,the rare timber rattler,the endangered corn snake(but these two snakes have been KNOWN to mate but I think the king would assume food first) and other snakes like ringnecks,racers,eastern milks..list goes on..while a lot are stable collecters have depleted a lot of herps in the pine barrens over the years and with the cali king roaming around the balance could change serverly over the next 10 years. The cali certainly wouldn't stay up north and would travel south into southern NJ,Del and further down south...They could even wind up in area's of PA.

I copied and pasted this from my other post on the king snake board.
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Reptiles
0.1 - Early 2002 Anery Motley Corn 33 1/2"
1.0 - Late 2003 Yellow Rat Snake 15 2/3"
0.0.1 - 2003 Banded California King Snake 29 2/3"
1.0 Green Anole
0.0.0 House Gecko
0.1 Painted Turtle

Mammals
4 female ferrets,1 male cat and 1 male doberman...and a few kids!

RIP - Nala my Rottie 08/19/2004

I have not seen the snake since last week. It kept coming back a few times around my place. Do you think it is still in the area or do they move long distances? I do think that it is an escaped pet.....I didn't mind me standing 2 feet away photographing it, and nothing I could do except probe it with a stick made it slither away......

Can these snakes survive when it gets cold out? Past few nights have been chilly. I am located in Morris county in northern NJ

Its probually not a cali king, were in NJ everybody not the west coast. There is a small chance that its an escaped pet but i doubt it. What county in Jersey you live in? Im in atlantic county and if been searching my @$$ off trying to find and photograph one of them. Maybe you could help me.

-Brandon

Why is it so hard to believe? I lived in Houston and found a flordia king. Cobras, ball pythons, etc. have all been found there. I would place my money on an escaped pet.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Look at the flippin' photograph. It IS a California kingsnake.

Pet snakes escape or are released all the time. We here in south Florida are blessed with breeding populations of a bunch of exotic lizards & a handful of exotic snakes. Most became established via the pet trade.

I have personally caught (via phone calls) many ball pythons, Burmese pythons & boa constrictors. I have seen a couple of exotic snakes dead on the road.

~~Greg~~