What kind of snake is black with thin yellow rings in southern california?
I just went hiking and saw a very small snake, no more than maybe 8 inches which was black and had very thin yellow rings all around it. After looking online the best I can guess is that it was a California King snake, but the rings didn’t look as thick as all the pictures show. Are the rings on young king snakes thinner or was it a different type of snake? Thanks, was in Palos Verdes if anyone cares, also saw a bunch of lizards and a rattlesnake.
Sounds more like a Cal. king than anything else to me. Check it in Stebbins’ field guide.
It is a coral snake the red rings will come in about when it gets 10 to 12 inches. The venom on these guys is very dangerous. King Snakes are white rings.
If it has large black bands and tiny yellow or off white bands it is a California King Snake. They are common in that area and are great rodent and other pest control. Their diet consists of field mice, small birds, rats, other snakes (including rattlesnakes), and have been known to eat small fish and frogs out of ponds and streams.
As to the other persons comment about it being a coral snake … Coral Snakes have three bands of color red, yellow, and black. The most basic rule of thumb to tell the difference between a Coral Snake and its look alike twin the non-venomous milk snake is this, if the red bands and yellow bands touch then it is a Coral Snake. If the red and black bands touch it is a Milk Snake.
The best method of dealing with snakes is if you don’t know for sure what it is leave it be, but if you find it close to your home or where your children are …. you might just want to keep a shotgun handy or a shovel … shotgun is safer.
Another rule of thumb is … if you do kill a venomous snake with a shovel or shotgun, remove the head and bury it deep so no one will get to close to it, due to the fact that even if it is dead the venom isn’t it will just dry up and when it gets wet it’s just as dangerous.