Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Los Angeles Co. by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Triple striped CA kingsnake
by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Striped Mud morph by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Dotted CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

"Newport" CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Lavender albino (T positive albino) by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Striped Mud morph (Whittier aberrant) by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

California kingsnake (Newport Scrambled banded morph) by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

California kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

IMG_6590 by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

California kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

California kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Western Riverside Co. by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Yuma female by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Hypo Whitewater king by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

California kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

California kingsnake barred morph by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

"Scrambled banded" Newport CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr

Striped/Newport CA kingsnake by Ross Padilla, on Flickr
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/

Awesome!

So Cal cal king habitat is so limited anymore.

In Palos Verdes where I live, very few Cal king spots exist. Much of the remaining undeveloped land is either steep canyon or fields converted to coastal sage scrub instead of the grassland they once were.

I have seen some gophersnakes and rattlesnakes that look very well-fed. But no more striped racers, and I cannot find a Cal king either. It has been many years in this area since I have seen a young Cal king - all had been adults. It seems like they are not sustaining. Then again, hard as heck to find snakes in scrub, they can disappear easily before I see them. Any thoughts?

>>Awesome!
>>
>>So Cal cal king habitat is so limited anymore.
>>
>>In Palos Verdes where I live, very few Cal king spots exist. Much of the remaining undeveloped land is either steep canyon or fields converted to coastal sage scrub instead of the grassland they once were.
>>
>>I have seen some gophersnakes and rattlesnakes that look very well-fed. But no more striped racers, and I cannot find a Cal king either. It has been many years in this area since I have seen a young Cal king - all had been adults. It seems like they are not sustaining. Then again, hard as heck to find snakes in scrub, they can disappear easily before I see them. Any thoughts?
I haven't herped there in a while, but I had a boardline in a area that looked all natural. I only found a few gopher snakes there, but the lack of rain had me thinking there could still be kings there. I never ended up seeing any because they cleaned up the boards and replanted the place, from what I heard and can see on google earth. I think everyone found that spot, it was by a light house and a church. I'm sure you know that spot if you live there. I can imagine there are way fewer kings out there now.
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/

I do indeed. Some of your boards still exist there, just can't see them from the trail. The duff around the boards suggest that very few people have been turning them these days. No kings thus far. I think the Cal king will be very rare in time in PV, although I do know of one hard-to-get-to spot that is probably still good because it still has all of the non-native plants and grass there. Like you said, insufficient rain does not help either.

On the other hand, the lizard population is bigger than ever in the sage. I wonder if the lizard swell goes hand in hand with the kingsnake decline. I also saw some skinks. Have not seen those in many years.

Yeah, it does make sense the fewer kings, the more lizards there are. I forgot to tell you the first time I went into that field by the church, there were boards. I checked them and found an adult king, but it was the only king I ever found there. There was a Whittier morph found where Trump national golf club is before it was built. Other than that, I don't know much about PV. I went there several times looking for a good place to set up boards, but just set up that one place and kind of got away from herping a little while after that.
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/

About the Trump area - There was a young adult nigrita x Cal king that was released there back in the late 80s I think. It looked like a whittier morph, nearly patternless with some faint broken pattern. I saw it myself before the person released it. I saw the pic in Hubb's book about kingsnakes. First thing I thought - hey, that sure looks like that nigrita x Cal! Fun theory anyway. I had found a few kings in that field back in the day. All were strongly banded.

Also, there was a farm there back then. Kings from the Central Valley of California were released there in the 50s to control rodents, this according to some records I found in a PV library. True? Not sure, you know how that goes. But that is another potential source of aberrant genes.

All gone now unfortunately, sort of. Trump restored some of it, but it is all coastal sage and coastal chaparral now, with a few very small disjunct patches of grassland here and there. Who knows. My son takes golf lessons there, I look for kings everytime that may have survived the golf course development. Fingers crossed. Who knows, one day. At nearby Terranea, the treefrogs came back somehow after the whole area was plowed and replanted, so I try and hope that some snakes can make it too.

That is interesting. The one found at trump was definitely a Whittier or at least a recessive hypermel. I have several pictures of it. I remember you telling me about the released kings. Interesting, but there are noticeable differences with those Eiseni & Deltas and the ones found here. You don't ever see the Whittiers with the speckling that is so common on the Central Valley aberrants. And they have been found in other parts of LA Co. Too bad its so heavily populated here.
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/

Some great pics and beautiful animals Ross. Glad to see ya still at it!!!

Joe

Thanks Joe. These are just some old pictures. I post all my stuff on FB now days. That's where all the action is now. lol Are you on FB?
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/

Ross, I have fought the urge to join Facebook. I know everyone has gone over there and that why this place is dead. Eventually I will probably have to join.ARGGGG.

Joe

>>Ross, I have fought the urge to join Facebook. I know everyone has gone over there and that why this place is dead. Eventually I will probably have to join.ARGGGG.
>>
>>
>>Joe

Look up Ross Padilla if you ever do. There's more going on there than any forum ever had. Just the Cal king page has so much activity.
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/

Nice Ross.....
And I am surprised my account still works here.....hahaha
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

I'm surprised this forum is still here. lol This place is dead. Thanks, John.
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http://southerncaliforniakingsnakes.weebly.com/