California Striped Racer

Description:

This snake was about 76 cm or 30 inches long. "A long thin body and tail, a broad elongated head, large eyes, a slender neck, and smooth scales. Dark olive brown, gray, or black ground coloring with a pale yellow or cream colored solid stripe on each side which extends from the back of the eye to or beyond the vent. The stripes are relatively narrow - "2 half-scale rows wide."(Stebbins) The underside is cream or pale yellow tapering to pink toward the tail. (The lack of a third stripe down the middle of the back can help distinguish this species from several sympatric gartersnake species.)"

Habitat:

Oak woodland forest about 4,000 ft in elevation. "This subspecies, Coluber lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer, occurs from near Dunsmuir in Siskiyou County east to the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, south along the Sierra foothills to southern California and south along the coast to near sea level, to northern Baja California. Occurs east in Southern California to the desert foothills. Absent from the far north coast, the great valley, the deserts, and elevations over 7,400 ft. (2,250 m.)"

Notes:

This snake was nearly stepped on by a member of my hiking group. It moved under this bush and let me take a few quick photos before moving on.