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Lampropeltis californiae
Beautiful yellow-and-brown Kingsnake, approximately 3.5-4 ft long.
Observed in the San Jacinto Wildlife Area a few feet from one of the freshwater marsh ponds in the San Jacinto River flood plain.
Remained poised in the photographed position watching us for ~2 minutes, before slowly slithering off. I was fascinated to learn that the California Kingsnakes are powerful constrictors, having "the strongest squeeze proportionate to body size of any snakes, twice that of a similarly sized rat snake or python." (Wikipedia)
4 Comments
Thanks, Daniele. We were out birding, then turned around and there he/she was! My first Kingsnake, and such a pretty one!
Great specimen!
Thank you Neil!
Amazing spotting. Good notes too. Thanks for sharing.