They can even be found in mountainous areas up to 13,000 feet above sea level. Terrestrial Garter Snakes occupy various habitats, including both grasslands and forests. This snake can be difficult to identify in California!Įven trained herpetologists have issues! Its coloration varies widely, and there are believed to be 6 subspecies, although scientists still debate this. Some have red and black spots between the stripes, and occasionally all black individuals are found. Most adults have three yellow, light orange, or white stripes one down their back and two down their sides.Adults range from 18 to 41 inches in length.If you hear their characteristic rattle, make sure to leave the area slowly! Due to their specialized fangs and large venom glands, these snakes can deliver a lot of venom in a single bite! Untreated bites have a 10 – 20% mortality rate, so make sure to get to the hospital quickly if struck! They rattle and coil, lifting themselves off the ground to prepare to strike. When threatened, these snakes typically stand their ground. Like other pit vipers, they ambush their prey and track them while the venom takes effect. They also consume birds that fly within reach. The Western Diamond-backed feeds on small mammals such as squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, prairie dogs, rabbits, mice, and rats. Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake Range Map But your best chance to see one might be on a rural road in the evening because of the heat the pavement retains. You might spot them in deserts, grassy plains, forested areas, rocky hillsides, and river bottoms. This famous VENOMOUS snake lives in southern California! A rattle on the tail alternates between black and white-colored bands.Elliptical pupils and pits between eyes and nostrils. Broad, spade-shaped head with a black mask over the eyes.Look for the darker diamond-shaped blotches down its back, outlined by white scales. Coloration ranges from brown, gray, brick red, pinkish, and chalky white.Adults typically grow to about 4 feet in length.Or the fact that certain snakes are rarely seen because they spend most of their time underground, but others are comfortable living EXTREMELY close to humans. You’ll see that the snakes that live in California are very different from each other.įor example, some species are venomous, while others use constriction to immobilize their prey. However, the snakes also fed on rodents, snakes, and frogs.Īll text and photographs © Michael F.And what’s interesting is that they are all incredibly unique and have adapted to fill many habitats and niches. They found that the vast majority of the snakes diet consisted of crickets and grasshoppers. To learn more about their diet, Schewchuk and Austin ( 2001 Herpetological Journal) examined over 300 Western Yellow-Bellied Racers from British Columbia. Western Yellow-Bellied Racers feed on a wide range of prey items. Other geographic variants of Racers, such as the Blue Racer, are found in the central and eastern United States, with a few populations in southern Canada.

The Yellow-Bellied Racers are a geographic variant of the racer that is found in the Western US and the very southern edge of British Columbia. Both of the Western Yellow-Bellied Racers ( Coluber constrictor mormon) shown here were seen on the UC Natural Reserve Systems's Quail Ridge Reserve in Napa County, California.

California constrictor snakes