Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found this dor in the same area where the other one was found.
this is the first one I have found like it in 19 years.

Here is the pic of the other one. At least this one was aor

poor snake that one is beatiful. do you find those in ventura?? i've been looking for like 2 years and all i have found was a gophersnake.

That's a real shame.. that's a real killer looking snake, i didn't think "spotted" cali king were found in the wild i thought they were bred in captivity to obtain that look.

~ZF

Brian Hubbs was at my house the other day and he said that he has found them in the wild, as well as the wide-stripes.

Kerby...

I dont believe there has ever been another desert phase king completly spoted from head to tail. Some partially spotted animals have been found in this same area and some really abberant coastal/desert intergrades Cal Kings as well.

But they have been found completely spotted in the past. Hubbs showed me pictures of them in 1997. The pictures were already a few years old then.

Kerby...

I'd like to see one, that road kill looks hard to beat.

I agree 19 years and nearly a 600 trips with hundreds of kings seen from this area, tells me the same thing.

Those that fine are rare in the hobby and even more so in the wild, NO-DOUBT!

I have seen coastals and intergrades but not deserts. Are you sure they were desert kings and they were not dashes or partial stripes on the animal.

Kerby...

Do you think you could post a pic or have Brian post one

Brian Hubbs just did a book on Mountain Kings and will soon be doing one on Common Kings, so I'm sure he will have plenty of pics of the stuff he has found in the wild in the 1980's & 1990's. He should be here at my place soon to take pics of my captive bred cal kings for his book. I have some pics that I scanned for Brian in 1997 but the spotted isn't on my hard drive.

Your DOR is an awesome find! I'm just saying that they have been found before, although rare.

Brian doesn't frequent K-snake as much as he used to a few years back.

Kerby...

I have seen coastals and intergrades but not deserts. Are you sure they were desert kings and there were not dashes or partial stripes on the animal.

That's a crying shame truly a awesome specimen!

Looks like a desert in the picture but the camera could have washed the yellows out. Where did you find it? In the Borrego area?

It is a desert and it was black and white a little creamy on the belly.

It includes longer then your lifetime.

For instance let me stick my neck out here(i do that all the time) Spotted deserts have been caught north of the scissors along San Felipe creek, as well as up banner graded from the scissors. As well as a few other areas, like along 8 where it meets the desert.

Please understand, I agree you could go your whole life and not find that type of abberant. The reason is, its a prejudiced roulette wheel. It seems to be more then luck. Its kinda what gene pool is expressed at the time. For instance, for a three year period, many striped glossys were found near the scissors, we found five in two years. That has disappeared. Also, there was a time period when striped Mohave's were relatively common north of Sonotia, Az. Not anymore. See what I mean? There are many many examples of this, temporary recessives being expressed for a short period.

So you saying "ever" is a very long time and with hundreds of herpers and thousands and thousands of trips. Much more then just your experience. I would keep looking, it may be there time. FR

By ever i meant in the past not in the future. If I said never that might be differant.I do agree how things can appear or disapear, in fact I found a striped glossy more than ten years ago. a friend did as well. I dont think there have been any found since then.

Wow that sucks. That is literaly the first or maybe second Cali I have ever liked the look of. (Disclaimer No offense to you cali nuts) It is a real shame but keep looking. I found more South Florida Mole kings in one year than most people who hunted for them since they where described in 1987. Of course it took five years to do it but it all came together in one season in a matter of 3 weeks I found 9 DORs and Three AORs two of which where females one of which was gravid. So as the saying goes the sun and a dog and his ass or something like that. Keep looking and good luck.
Later Jason

What an exceptionally beautiful snake.

Maybe we enthusiasts can one day lobby to have laws passed which require tunnels at intervals where wildlife is likely to cross roads.

If we had alternate "animal path" tunnels in roads, we'd save so many thousands of native animals each year.