Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was just wondering if the mendota cal kings are local to mendota california. i mean it only makes since but i'm just asking because i grew up about 15 miles from the small town of mendota and have caught and released a bunch of kings from there. some that i have never seen captive breed before. just this year i found one that was really dark brown (almost black) with narrow yellow bands and between each yellow band was a band only about two scales wide of dark red. is that something different or is that what the mendota kingsnakes are supposed to be.
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SNAKES
1.2 albino cal kings
1.0 het albino bananna
2.1 albino banannas
1.1 mexican blacks
1.1.1 knoblochi
1.1 pyros
1.2 mex mex
1.1 66% het hypo durangos
1.1 sinaloan milks
1.1 het hypo tangerine hondurans
1.1 cornsnakes (ghost, okeete)
0.1 albino ruthven
1.1 thayeri
GECKOS
1.1 snow leopard geckos
0.1 albino leopard gecko
2.1 leusistic leopard geckos
0.1.1 hypo tangerine leoaprd geckos
0.1 tremper giant albino tangerine leopard gecko
1.0 carrot head, tangerine, giant jungle albino
2.2 normal leopard geckos (one pair w/solid black eyes)
2.1 tokays
1.1 african fat-tails
1.1.2 crested geckos (fires, red, yellow dalmation)

This area near the San Joaquin River has a little bit of rural land left that supports a highly variable population of cal kings. Some of them have irregular, blotchy brownish patterns and some with lateral stripes, the widened bands blending together. Others are "typical" banded cal kings. I have not personally collected them, but have seen specimens from the area. The so called "mendota" king is one of the phenotypes that occurs in this population of cal kings. Maybe someone with a camera and a specimen will post a photo?

The Mendota Cal King is in reference to Mendota, CA. It is a simple recessive gene that makes the cal king a very dark brown and also with an aberrant pattern. They have also been found near Davis, and other areas.

Here is an adult male.

Kerby...

Acutally the striped pattern is a co-dominate trait with the banding. that's why you have the aberrant type kingsnakes. Mendota aberrants typically have the banding near the head then breaking up into a striped pattern and possibly some banding on the tail. they do have pattern on the tail unlike the southern type of aberrant kings from LA co. These aberrant kings typically stick to the valley floor. Mendota is known for it's large population of aberrant kings. Some common names used for these aberrants would be, Davis king, Valley Black Bellied king, and River king.

Kerby...

Kerby...

You said it had red on it? Do you have a pic of this snake? It sounds more like somebody's escaped or released pet mountain king. There are no Cal Kings anywhere with red on them that I know of.
BTW I have hunted Mendota several times and found about 8 kings there but they were all normal dark brown and yellow or cream banded. I do know a few people that have found abberrants there though.

I missed that part about the red

Kerby...

it was not a mountain king. definitley a mendota calking. very similar to the pictures posted. but as i said with red and not so aberrant. and i'm sure it was red. the only one i ever seen like that. it was about 6 feet long. i wanted to take it but decided better to leave it in the wild. no pictures either. i'll hunt for it again. there are tons of them in the area where i found this one. maybe i can find a pair and breed them. but definitley red. i will look for it again and post pics if i can find it.
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SNAKES
1.2 albino cal kings
1.0 het albino bananna
2.1 albino banannas
1.1 mexican blacks
1.1.1 knoblochi
1.1 pyros
1.2 mex mex
1.1 66% het hypo durangos
1.1 sinaloan milks
1.1 het hypo tangerine hondurans
1.1 cornsnakes (ghost, okeete)
0.1 albino ruthven
1.1 thayeri
GECKOS
1.1 snow leopard geckos
0.1 albino leopard gecko
2.1 leusistic leopard geckos
0.1.1 hypo tangerine leoaprd geckos
0.1 tremper giant albino tangerine leopard gecko
1.0 carrot head, tangerine, giant jungle albino
2.2 normal leopard geckos (one pair w/solid black eyes)
2.1 tokays
1.1 african fat-tails
1.1.2 crested geckos (fires, red, yellow dalmation)

Mendota or not. It must have been something other than a Mendota Cal King if it had red in it.

THAT, I am sure of.

Kerby...

Now Kerby, give the guy a chance. Some of us can not help but be skeptical because WE have never seen a red one, (and I have never seen a 6 footer)... We will look forward to photos and seeing something new. I am skeptical, but then again, new morphs from time to time are discovered, and are so different that it is hard to make the "establishment" believe...a 6' red cal king, that would be something...

it had very little red. just a very thin band between each of the yellow ones. definitley cal king. and it was pretty big. about as long as my arm span. i saw it crossing the railroad tracks. i know it seems riduculous but thats what i saw. a friend of mine told me he saw one like that by his house and i didnt' beleive him. then i found this one about a mile from there. i'm going out this weekend to look and i'll try all summer to catch another one that looks like that one if i can. when i find it i'll post pictures.
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SNAKES
1.2 albino cal kings
1.0 het albino bananna
2.1 albino banannas
1.1 mexican blacks
1.1.1 knoblochi
1.1 pyros
1.2 mex mex
1.1 66% het hypo durangos
1.1 sinaloan milks
1.1 het hypo tangerine hondurans
1.1 cornsnakes (ghost, okeete)
0.1 albino ruthven
1.1 thayeri
GECKOS
1.1 snow leopard geckos
0.1 albino leopard gecko
2.1 leusistic leopard geckos
0.1.1 hypo tangerine leoaprd geckos
0.1 tremper giant albino tangerine leopard gecko
1.0 carrot head, tangerine, giant jungle albino
2.2 normal leopard geckos (one pair w/solid black eyes)
2.1 tokays
1.1 african fat-tails
1.1.2 crested geckos (fires, red, yellow dalmation)

Then it simply was not a cal king but another species.

Until you show me a pic, I stand behind my comment - no red in cal kings (not counting hybrids of course LOL)

Kerby...

A 6 foot cal king is possible

A cal king with red on it does not

Kerby...

ok. i understand cal kings don't have red but i'm going back out to look and hopefully i'll find something.
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SNAKES
1.2 albino cal kings
1.0 het albino bananna
2.1 albino banannas
1.1 mexican blacks
1.1.1 knoblochi
1.1 pyros
1.2 mex mex
1.1 66% het hypo durangos
1.1 sinaloan milks
1.1 het hypo tangerine hondurans
1.1 cornsnakes (ghost, okeete)
0.1 albino ruthven
1.1 thayeri
GECKOS
1.1 snow leopard geckos
0.1 albino leopard gecko
2.1 leusistic leopard geckos
0.1.1 hypo tangerine leoaprd geckos
0.1 tremper giant albino tangerine leopard gecko
1.0 carrot head, tangerine, giant jungle albino
2.2 normal leopard geckos (one pair w/solid black eyes)
2.1 tokays
1.1 african fat-tails
1.1.2 crested geckos (fires, red, yellow dalmation)

And also, if you do find a cal king with red on it, I WANT IT!

Kerby...

sorry none this weekend. i'll be back to the area in a couple weeks. to try again.
-----
SNAKES
1.2 albino cal kings
1.0 het albino bananna
2.1 albino banannas
1.1 mexican blacks
1.1.1 knoblochi
1.1 pyros
1.2 mex mex
1.1 66% het hypo durangos
1.1 sinaloan milks
1.1 het hypo tangerine hondurans
1.1 cornsnakes (ghost, okeete)
0.1 albino ruthven
1.1 thayeri
GECKOS
1.1 snow leopard geckos
0.1 albino leopard gecko
2.1 leusistic leopard geckos
0.1.1 hypo tangerine leoaprd geckos
0.1 tremper giant albino tangerine leopard gecko
1.0 carrot head, tangerine, giant jungle albino
2.2 normal leopard geckos (one pair w/solid black eyes)
2.1 tokays
1.1 african fat-tails
1.1.2 crested geckos (fires, red, yellow dalmation)

I've been searching for aberrant Mendota kings this year. I've only found one. Hopefully next year my luck will change. If anyone else that's replied to this has had luck finding some or breeding them, you can email me. owenwilsonsnose1@aol.com
Here's a picture of the old timer male I found this year.

I have been breeding some for a few years now. I got my (1.2) from Bill Cobb who got them from Rainwater in the 1990's.

It is a simple recessive gene (melanisim of some sort).

I've never herped in California.

You can check out more pics at my site.

Kerby...
Lonesome Valley Reptiles

yes, mendota kings are darker and have a chocolate look to them. But if that was Hypermelanism. it'd still be a co-dominate trait. there isn't a recessive trait displayed by these mendota kings.

It is a simple recessive gene. I've proven it out through breeding projects.

Kerby...

Thank you for sharing that pic. I have also found about 6 Mendota Kings but none of them have been abberrant. If you find anymore please do post pics I would love to see them.