San Diego mountain kingsnake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Diego mountain kingsnake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Lampropeltis
Species:	L. zonata
Subspecies:	L. z. pulchra
Trinomial name
Lampropeltis zonata pulchra Zweifel, 1952

The San Diego mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata pulchra) is a type of snake found only in Southern California. It's a subspecies, which means it's a specific group within a larger species, the California mountain kingsnake. This snake is not venomous, so it's not dangerous to humans. It belongs to a family of snakes called colubrids. Because it lives only in Southern California, it is considered endemic to the area. Its conservation status in California is "Species of Special Concern," meaning it needs attention to protect its populations.

What Does the San Diego Mountain Kingsnake Look Like?

This snake is a medium size, usually between 53 and 108 centimeters (about 21 to 43 inches) long. It has a very unique pattern of red, black, and white rings. The white rings are usually thin and always have black rings on both sides. The red rings or bands are next to other black rings.

Sometimes, you might find a snake with a slightly different pattern, where some rings are missing. The number of these colorful ring patterns on its body (not including the tail) can be anywhere from 27 to 38. Its snout, which is its nose area, is completely black, and its eyes are a very dark brown.

Where Does the San Diego Mountain Kingsnake Live?

This snake lives only in California. You can find it in several mountain ranges, including:

• The Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles County.
• The Santa Ana Mountains in Orange and Riverside Counties.
• The Santa Rosa Mountains in Riverside County.
• Various mountains in San Diego County, such as Corte Madera, Cuyamaca, Hot Springs, Laguna, and Palomar Mountain.

Experts believe this snake is probably present on all mountains in San Diego County that are above 4,000 feet high and have the right kind of habitat. It can live from near sea level up to about 1,800 meters (about 5,900 feet) high, like on Palomar Mountain.

Life Cycle and Habits

The San Diego mountain kingsnake is a shy and secretive snake that is not often seen. We are still learning a lot about its life.

When Are They Active?

These snakes usually come out from their winter hiding spots in March. They can stay active near the surface until November. However, you are most likely to see them between mid-March and mid-May. During this time, they are active when it's warmer during the day. Later in the season, when it gets hotter, they might become active after dark. This is because, like most snakes, they prefer cooler temperatures and can't handle very high heat for long.

Reproduction

Based on snakes observed in captivity, mating likely happens in May. Females usually lay their eggs in June or early July. They lay between 4 and 9 eggs. These eggs are moderate in size, about 36 mm long and 16 mm wide, and are bone white with a leathery shell. If kept in captivity, the eggs need at least two months to hatch. Baby snakes are usually seen for the first time between late August and early October.

We don't know how long it takes for these snakes to become old enough to reproduce in the wild. However, snakes raised in captivity needed 4 to 5 years to become sexually mature. Other types of kingsnakes can live a long time in captivity, so San Diego mountain kingsnakes might also live for many years.

Where Do They Live and What Do They Eat?

It seems that these snakes like to stay in the same local areas that have good habitat. They live underground and can be found in places with rocks, but also in areas without rocks. They use tree stumps, logs, and even human-made covers like old boards, metal sheets, concrete, and trash for shelter. All they really need to survive is food and a safe place to hide.

The San Diego mountain kingsnake mainly eats lizards. So far, only western fence lizards and Western Skinks have been recorded as food for them. However, they probably eat other prey similar to what other types of mountain kingsnakes eat.

Habitat

In the higher mountain ranges, the San Diego mountain kingsnake mostly lives in forests with ponderosa, Jeffrey, and Coulter pine trees, as well as black oak trees. They are not often found below these forest areas. However, they can follow streams and rivers down to lower elevations.

At lower elevations and near the coast, they live in woodlands along rivers and streams, usually at the bottom of canyons. These areas have trees like western sycamore, Fremont's cottonwood, coast live oak, willows, wild rose, and blackberries. They can also be found in narrow woodlands next to chaparral and coastal sage plant areas.

Rocks and rocky outcrops are important parts of their habitat. This is because rocks offer good places for them to hide and find food. They might also use these spots to spend the winter. However, these snakes can also be found on chaparral-covered hillsides in the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains, and other mountain habitats, even far from rocks. In these areas, they live underground and use rodent burrows for shelter instead of rocks.

Status and Conservation

The San Diego mountain kingsnake is listed as a "Species of Special Concern" by the state of California.

These snakes are highly valued by collectors, even though it's against the law to collect or sell them in California. Only individuals who owned these snakes before the collection ban can legally keep them. Because of the demand, there's an illegal market where these snakes are sold. This demand can lead to people illegally collecting them from the wild.

In the past, there were concerns that too much collecting was causing the snake's population to decline in some areas. Collectors would sometimes damage the habitat by breaking apart rock outcrops or shredding logs and stumps to find snakes. While this kind of habitat damage is against the rules, recent studies suggest that the snakes have adapted. They can still be found in disturbed areas and even use the broken rocks for warmth.

Despite illegal collection, the San Diego mountain kingsnake population in San Diego County is actually quite large. Some estimates suggest there are millions of these snakes across Southern California. Most of these snakes live in areas that are hard for collectors to reach.

Some experts believe that protecting the entire species due to fears of over-collection might not be necessary. Instead, they suggest focusing protection on specific populations that are most at risk from collection. Another idea is to allow a small number of snakes to be collected legally and encourage people to breed them in captivity. This could reduce the need for illegal collection from the wild and lower the value of wild-caught snakes. This approach has worked well for other snakes like the Rosy Boa and California Kingsnake.

See also

In Spanish: Serpiente rey de San Diego para niños

Images for kids

• 

  A San Diego mountain kingsnake showing its distinctive red, black, and white rings.