Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in San Diego, CA and Have been collecting Cal Kings around my property for years but I was under the impression that Zonata was off limits for collecting/keeping in CA. Can I purchase specimens from out of state breeders and keep them here? I have asked this question multiple times, of out of state breeders, if they can ship to CA. but have never got a reply. I sure would like to have one.

See the link below for the current status of Zonata ownership in California.
California Native Reptile Captive Propagation Laws and Regulations

I just read the latest CA F&G regs that Jeff gave you the link for because I was curious myself.

With a valid CA fishing license, looks like you are allowed qty 1 of Lampropeltis zonata, which is the northern species which starts in the southern Sierra mtns.

You are no longer allowed any of what is now being called the "coast" mountain kingsnake species Lampropeltis multifasciata which includes those in San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, etc counties.

I am applying for the CA Captive Reptile Breeders Permit in 2021. I do not know if L zonata falls into the permitted snakes yet for CB efforts. For you, I would not purchase any CA mtn king. Better to be given one by someone else in CA than to exchange money for one. Out-of-state vendors are not supposed to be shipping them into CA for purposes of sale. People have been indicted for such things.

Thanks for that advice. Exactly what I was looking for. Looks like Pyros are as close as I can get to buy or own. No one is going to "give away" a Zonata. In my 74 years and 60 of them hiking and looking for snakes in California and other wildlife, I have never Seen an L. Zonata specimen.
Cheers

When I found my first Cal mtn king, I was shaking for about 15 minutes afterwards in disbelief. Dopamine levels soared.

I hope you get to have the experience. Have your phone or camera ready to snap a picture, then walk away and do the happy dance.

Many years ago long before smart phones a friend of mine who does not care about snakes but knows I do, was in Central California near the coast on a dirt road that passes through a sea of manzanita. He took a picture of a snake crossing the road, and it was a zonata. Of all the dumb luck. Try to find a Z in manzanita. I think field reports of them in that area are slim to none, not sure though. It was up Highway 1 north of Cambria in impossible terrain to hunt except for the dirt road.

He and I went surfing up in that area the next year, and we went to that dirt road. Just an absolutely beautiful area. I am glad that Z's inhabit it. No way anyone could deplete that population due to them being nearly impossible to find. The manzanita is just awesome there, very red and twisted and rather large. It would rip you to shreds trying to walk in it I am sure.

wow, that's a life time experience! Like a friend of mine had while deer hunting in a remote area of Southern Arizona 20 years ago; he saw a real Jaguar.