California Snakes Photo Index

A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Photo Index of California Snakes

Click on a picture for a larger view

These are pictures of California's indigenous snakes along with one introduced species and one that might occur in California.
Click on a name link to go to the main page for more pictures and information about a particular snake and its habitat.


Northern Rubber Boa Charina bottae	Southern Rubber Boa Charina umbratica	Rosy Boa Lichanura trivirgata (Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca)	Northern Three-lined Boa Lichanura orcutti (Lichanura trivirgata gracia)

Desert Glossy Snake Arizona elegans eburnata	California Glossy Snake Arizona elegans occidentalis	Mohave Glossy Snake Arizona elegans candida	Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis annulata

Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis	Nevada Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis talpina	Western Yellow-bellied Racer Coluber constrictor mormon
			© Brad Alexander
Red Racer (Red Coachwhip) Coluber (Masticophis) flagellum piceus		San Joaquin Coachwhip Coluber (Masticophis) flagellum ruddocki	Desert Striped Whipsnake Coluber (Masticophis) taeniatus taeniatus
© Dick Bartlett
Baja California Coachwhip Coluber (Masticophis) fuliginosus		Forest Sharp-tailed Snake Contia longicaudae	Sharp-tailed Snake Contia tenuis

Pacific Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus amabilis	San Bernardino Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus modestus	Northwestern Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus occidentalis	Coral-bellied Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus pulchellus

Regal Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus regalis	San Diego Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus similis	Monterey Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus vandenburghi	Desert Nightsnake Hypsiglena chlorophaea (torquata) deserticola
© Jason Jones
San Diego Nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha (torquata) klauberi	California Nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha (torquata) nuchalata	California Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata

California Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula californiae

California Striped Racer Coluber (Masticophis) lateralis lateralis	Alameda Striped Racer Coluber (Masticophis)lateralis euryxanthus	Southern Watersnake Nerodia fasciata	Northern Watersnake Nerodia sipedon

Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake Phyllorhynchus decurtatus	Sonoran Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer affinis	San Diego Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer annectens	Pacific Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer catenifer

Great Basin Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer deserticola	Santa Cruz Island Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer pumilis	Desert Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis	Mohave Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis

Variable Groundsnake Sonora semiannulata semiannulata
			© Dick Bartlett
Coast Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis virgultea	Smith's Black-headed Snake Tantilla hobartsmithi	Western Black-headed Snake Tantilla planiceps	Baja California Ratsnake Bogertophis rosaliae

Santa Cruz Gartersnake Thamnophis atratus atratus	Oregon Gartersnake Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus	Diablo Range Gartersnake Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus	Sierra Gartersnake Thamnophis couchii

Mountain Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans elegans	Coast Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans terrestris	Wandering Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans vagrans	Giant Gartersnake Thamnophis gigas

Two-striped Gartersnake Thamnophis hammondii	Marcy's Checkered Gartersnake Thamnophis marcianus marcianus	Northwestern Gartersnake Thamnophis ordinoides	Valley Gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi

California Red-sided Gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis	San Francisco Gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia	Sonoran Lyresnake Trimorphodon lambda	California Lyresnake Trimorphodon lyrophanes

Long-nosed Snake Rhinocheilus lecontei		Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake - Crotalus atrox	Mohave Desert Sidewinder Crotalus cerastes cerastes

Colorado Desert Sidewinder Crotalus cerastes laterorepens	Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus	Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus helleri (=Crotalus helleri)	Great Basin Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus lutosus (=Crotalus lutosus)

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus oreganus (=Crotaus oreganus)	Red Diamond Rattlesnake Crotalus ruber	Northern Mohave Rattlesnake Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus	Panamint Rattlesnake Crotalus stephensi
© William Flaxington
Yellow-bellied Sea Snake Pelamis platurus	Southwestern Threadsnake Rena humilis humilis		Desert Threadsnake Rena humilis cahuilae

Brahminy Blindsnake Ramphotyphlops braminus

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