Reptile & Amphibian Forums

To make the story short a friend of a friend gave me this Cal King today I was told that it was found in a community and if it wasnt taken by someone that they would kill it. Lucky someone offered to take it before it was killed. I dont know much about the snake or the area it came from, will find out more later this wk. Anyways I havent had a snake for sometime, but am thinking of keeping it as a pet. Would you recommend this? Also does anyone have an idea on where this snakes locale would be? Thanks everyone.(new to forum)

Link

Thats a classic "black and white phase" cal king from the southwestern deserts.

Its nice white bands indicate it is probably a crossed locale or has been selectivly bred to get more white wide bands. Most w/c desert bannded cal kings are not that nice. So thats why I lean towards it being a captive bred specimen with the greater likelyhood it has been cross bred with other locales to bring out the wide bands more. W/C specimens tend to have more yellow on the sides and are not as clean. Captive breeding over the last 30 years has selectly bred desert cal kings to bring out the wider white bands with little or no influence of yellow (creme)sides or yellow bellies.

I agree. That snake looks more like an escaped pet that a wild-occurring morph. Most wild Cal Kings have narrower, "dirtier," and cream-colored white bands.

Here's a pic of a wild Cal King I found near San Jose last year.

Tim

California Herping Photos

My understanding is that the "dirtiness" of the cream bands and even the wideness is very locale dependent.

But anyway - the bright white bands - you can't see the scales, they are overexposed, so the dirtiness can't be determined. In one spot though you can see the scales, and they are dirty - not clean.
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3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

This is a small section of the original photograph.

As you can see - the top part of that band is over exposed - and thus there is no detail in the highlights - so you see neither scales nor "dirtiness" of the band.

But lower on the band, you can make out both scales and "dirtyness" of the band.

Thus, I don't think it is desert banded.
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3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

I see the pic is a bit over exposed but its still a desert phase. Even if the cal king has white on top and yellow on the sides its still a desert king and not considered a coastal phase.

I lived in Calif and caught hundreds of cal kings. This is what we call a desert phase cal king. All w/c desert phases have the yellow/creame sides. Some more pronounced than others. I have even found desert bandeds with all yellow right in the heart of the desert. If you at an intergrade zone (like Whitewater in Palm springs) you will find both yellow and white banded individuals. The bands are usually wide banded in the low desert and narrower banded as you get up into the extreme NE "high" deserts.

What we did back then was cross the locales or hand select out of a clucth to get rid of the yellow sides in hopes to produce something with less yellow on the sides and belly. Today I look at the C/B deserts bandeds in amazement because they are so clean. Most of you cannot appreciate this unless you have done collected and tried to accomplish this. Whats even more amazing is these all white deserts are very inexpensive for what they are.

It isn't yellow that I'm talking about - it is the black/brown flecks that you can see in the cream wherever the cream is not so over-exposed that you can't see the scales.
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3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

what area was the king found in? Are you in Calif?

At first I was thinking desert - but I think the white bands may not not be as clean as they look, as it appears to be flash overexposure.
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3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Wild, but not caught(kept).

Dewey, AZ (outside of Prescott)

Kerby...

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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

Vulture Mine Rd (Wickenberg, AZ)

Kerby...

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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

very nice kerby, hope to see those myself if i move to your neck of the woods!!/jon

Quite common when you aren't looking for them.

Kerby...
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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

From Paulden, AZ (north of Prescott)

Kerby...

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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

spending tons of road time and flipping rocks and boards just to find one of those little jewels. I also remember the heartache seeing one DOR when I wanted one so bad. Those were the days in Jackass Flats er.....Lonesome Valley uh........Prescott Valley.

Great looking stuff there "Mr." Cal King LOL

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Vichris

Vichris Variables

What's up Chris?

It's elk season...why are you on the computer?? LOL

Nice batch of cal kings and your thayeri of course.

Hope everything is okay with you.

Later

Kerby...
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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

Near Winslow, AZ

Kerby...

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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

From Chino Valley, AZ (more specifically from my rodent room).

I find a few wild cal kings in my rodent room every year. I give them a mouse and then let them go.

Kerby...

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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

Another one from my rodent room (Chino Valley, AZ)

Kerby...

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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

Kerby,

Thank you for posting these pics of these gorgeous snakes! I love seeing how different these cal kings can be, varying with location!!
Awesome!

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

Me too - I can't wait for the new Brian Hubbs books to be finished.
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3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Sweet pics! Those snakes are gorgeous.

reako45

Great Pics Kerby I always enjoy pics of locality cal kings!! Great Photography also!! Hows everything going? great i hope. Do you ever come across any really dark cal kings or Cal/splendida intergrades south of Tucson? please keep me in mind next season for the carlsbad stripers thanks again Dave Flan

Hubbs working on? is a Cal King or kingsnakes book? thanks dave

Hubbs is working on a book that includes all the kings from the west coast to the east coast. Should be a fantastic read. I still can't put his mounatin king book down and I think this one is going to be be even better.

Hi Rainer hows it going thanks for the info. I havent been onthe forum in a while. That Hubbs mtn King Book is outstanding!! I am glued to it also. I cant wait until his kingsnake book comes out. oh by the way the Wide stripe cal trio I bought from you years ago are doing Great!!! thanks again Dave Flanagan

"by the way the Wide stripe cal trio I bought from you years ago are doing Great!!!"

Post some pics someday. I would love to see em.

Will do on the Carlsbad stripers as I now have 1.3 adults.

Kerby...
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Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

thanks again,I love the nice brown/yellow coastal stripers and dont see too many any more around in the hobby. at least in the shows on the east coast. can't wait to see your new projects in 07. Dave Flanagan

Here is one from Coolidge - Pinal County

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1.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher
2.0 W.C. Sonoran Gopher
2.2 Leucistic Texas ratsnake
2.3 W.C Okeetee Corn
1.1 Abbt line Okeetee Corn
1.2 W.C Miami Phase Corn
1.1 Sinaloan Milk
1.0 Orange Pueblian Milk
1.1 W.C Mexican Black King
0.2 C.B Mexican Black King
2.0 W.C Cal King
1.1 C.B Cal King
0.1 Durango Mountain King
1.0 Desert King
1.3 Northern pine
1.1 N.J White pine
2.4 Black pine
2.2 kankakee Bull
1.2 Bearded Dragon
45 Tanks full with African Cichlids.
Many Mice, Rats and feeder Roaches

So I got some more info on the Cal King today, the animal is from a small community in Indio, Ca. I asked if it could be a lost pet and the people responded by saying none of us keep these things around here! So it seems its a w/c snake. I have the email address of a women that lives in the community and am trying to talk her into letting me do some herping on her property come spring time, I dont think it will be a problem seeing that she hates snakes. I came across the snake from a friend that is working construction in the community, I told him to keep his eyes open and try to educate these people on these animals so they wont hate them so much. Thanks again for all the respones.

Thats why I asked what area you got the snake from.

Indio vacinity has some fine w/c desert kings. I found them off the infamous Dillon road which runs between Whitewater and Indio. Nice wide bands like the one you pictured.

Look for areas with water or trash dumps in feb. It has to be very cold for them to be flipped from artificial cover in the desert. You best bet is to walk or drive spring evenings.

What area do you live in??

I live in Riverside.

Riverside is a pretty broad area. I was trying to narrow it down so I could direct you to some good spots closer to home than Indio.

Sorry about the broadness, im in Beaumont, Riverside County. Are familiar with the area?

It looks like a WC Cal KIng from that area. I dont think it is a CB, looks like a normal coastal banded wc. Nice yellow bands!! Has he eaten for you as of yet? dave Flanagan