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	Northern Three-lined Boa Lichanura orcutti (Lichanura trivirgata gracia)
			© Dick Bartlett
Desert Glossy Snake Arizona elegans eburnata	California Glossy Snake Arizona elegans occidentalis	Mohave Glossy Snake Arizona elegans candida	Baja California Ratsnake Bogertophis rosaliae

Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis annulata	Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis	Nevada Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis talpina	San Joaquin Coachwhip Coluber (Masticophis) flagellum ruddocki

Red Racer (Red Coachwhip) Coluber (Masticophis) flagellum piceus		Western Yellow-bellied Racer Coluber constrictor mormon
© Dick Bartlett		© Brad Alexander
Baja California Coachwhip Coluber (Masticophis) fuliginosus		Desert Striped Whipsnake Coluber (Masticophis) taeniatus taeniatus	California Striped Racer Coluber (Masticophis) lateralis lateralis

Alameda Striped Racer Coluber (Masticophis) lateralis euryxanthus	Forest Sharp-tailed Snake Contia longicauda	Common 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
			© Jason Jones
San Diego Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus similis	Monterey Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus vandenburghi	Desert Nightsnake Hypsiglena chlorophaea (torquata) deserticola	San Diego Nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha (torquata) klauberi

California Nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha (torquata) nuchalata	California Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata		Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake Phyllorhynchus decurtatus

California Kingsnake Lampropeltis californiae

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	Long-nosed Snake Rhinocheilus lecontei		Desert Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis

Mohave Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis	Coast Patch-nosed Snake Salvadora hexalepis virgultea	Smith's Black-headed Snake Tantilla hobartsmithi	Western Black-headed Snake Tantilla planiceps

Variable Groundsnake Sonora semiannulata semiannulata

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
© William Flaxington
Yellow-bellied Sea Snake Pelamis platura	Southwestern Threadsnake Rena humilis humilis		Desert Threadsnake Rena humilis cahuilae

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

Alien Species


Florida Watersnake Nerodia fasciata pictiventris (Alien Species)	Common Watersnake Nerodia sipedon (Alien Species)	Brahminy Blindsnake Ramphotyphlops braminus (Alien Species)

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