These are pictures of snakes shown on this web site that do not fit the "normal" description of the species, differing from the norm in color, pattern, or other physical charateristics. They do not represent all types of aberrant snakes, only those for which I have pictures.
Breeding new "designer" morphs of aberrant snakes to sell them in the pet trade is common. A few of these snakes are non-native snakes that were also designer pets that were released into the wild (the Corn Snakes) but all of the others are aberrant native species that were found in the wild.
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Miscellaneous Snake Families |
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Adult Rosy Boa, coastal San Diego County © Eleanor Breslin.
This individual appears to be melanistic, lacking all pigment except black. |
Adult California Lyresnake, Pisgah, San Bernardino County © John Buckman
This might be the striped form of lyre snake mentioned by Robert Stebbins his 2003 field guide information about the Western Lyre Snake: "Dark individuals that tend to have a middorsal stripe of light brown have been found at the Pisgah lava flow in the Mojave Desert, Calif." |
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Adult Northern Rubber Boa with unusual dark markings, Santa Cruz County
© Jared Heald |
This aberrantly-patterned Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake was found in Imperial County. The dark saddles normally present on the dorsal surface are extended lengthwise almost into stripes.
© Stuart Young
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This dark, high contrast adult California Nightsnake was found in Santa Cruz County © Jared Heald |
This adult Long-nosed Snake found in Inyo County lacks the red that is usually found on this species, and has a much lower band count than is normal with few of the white markings that are typically found on the dark bands. © Ryan Sikola |
Anerythristic adult California Lyresnake, Inyo County © Ryan Sikola
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Adult male Long-nosed Snake, Kern County, with more red pigment and less black pigment than is typically found on the species, and a pink tongue. © Daniel Koury |
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Non-Native Aberrant or Designer Bred Pet Snakes Found in the Wild in California |
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Albino Corn Snakes are popular pets that come in a variety of colors and patterns. This one was found in San Mateo County © Bob Peterson |
This is the less-common striped variety of albino Corn Snake. It was found under some back yard bricks in San Diego County. © Alberto Galindo |
This albino designer Corn Snake was found under a bush in Placer County.
© James Heirigs
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Kingsnakes - Genus Lampropeltis |
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Aberrant juvenile Coast Mountain Kingsnake, with bands that have almost turned into spots, San Diego County |
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Underside of aberrant juvenile
Coast Mountain Kingsnake,
San Diego County |
Axanthic adult California Mountain Kingsnake, lacking all red coloring, El Dorado County. Specimen Courtesy of Tim Burkhardt © 2002 Brad Alexander |
This California Mountain Kingsnake from Plumas County has little red coloring,
with only a few complete red bands. © Timothy Boomer |
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Partially-scaleless juvenile, found by Lauren Powell in San Diego County © Dan Wells
Notice the lack of smooth scales that are normally found on the skin. |
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This aberrant California Kingsnake was observed in the Santa Monica Mountains in Ventura County, near a public parking lot, so it's not possible to know if it's a wild snake or an unwanted pet someone dumped in the wild. Albino kingsnakes are common in the pet trade, but this one has dark eyes so it is probably leucistic.
© Mark Kroenke |
There are so many naturally-ocurring aberrant morphs of California Kingsnakes that I have an entire page dedicated to them. |
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Rattlesnakes - Genus Crotalus |
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Crotalus oreganus oreganus - Northern Pacific Rattlesnake |
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This unusually-patterned Northern Pacific Rattlesnake from coastal dunes in San Luis Obispo County has a mostly patternless body with a pale dorsal stripe (similar to a garter snake) and the usual rings around the tail. © Kevin Crouch |
Leucistic juvenile Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Santa Clara County
© Neil Keung
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Adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake from the Humboldt/Mendocino County line with a nearly-patternless front and a normal rear. © Tony Chasar |
This adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake from Santa Cruz County
is nearly patternless. © Spencer Riffle |
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Very dark adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake from western Kern County
© Mike Waters |
A patternless green adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake from Santa Cruz County
© Ben Witzke |
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Low-contrast pattern reddish adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake found at 8,280 feet elevation, Tulare County.
© Ken D. Wiley |
Low-contrast pattern reddish adult, Northern Pacific Rattlesnake Tulare County © Zachary Lemon |
Low-contrast pattern reddish adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake,
Kern Plateau, Kern County
© Sam Wilson |
Adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, San Mateo County, ready to shed - showing very little contrast in its pattern.
© Melissa Amarello |
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This juvenile Northern Pacific Rattlesnake rattlesnake with a very wide dorsal stripe and not a trace of a pattern or banding on the tail was found shot, killed, and decapitated in the San Antonio Valley in southern Monterey County. (Some of the gore has been censored in one of the enlarged versions.) © Patricia Woodfill |
Oddly-patterned juvenile Northern Pacific Rattlesnake from western Kern County © Mike Waters
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Very light-colored adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Stanislaus County
© Adam Gitmed |
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The pattern on this unusual juvenile Northern Pacific Rattlesnakephotographed in Alameda County is very faint. It might be missing its black pigment. © Yuval Helfman |
This large melanistic adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake was seen in Contra Costa County. © Jeffrey Finder |
Partially-striped sub-adult Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, San Luis Obispo County © Daniel Koury |
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Crotalus oreganus helleri - Southern Pacific Rattlesnake |
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Melanistic patternless Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Riverside County.
© Tony Covell |
Firefighter paramedic Chris Sperber and firefighter specialist Daniel Craig were called out to Newhall in Los Angeles County at midnight to help someone deal with a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake that was found in a bathroom next to a pool. This beautiful patternless and dark striped rattlesnake is what they found and caught. The snake was killed, following LA County Fire Departent policy, which explains why the head is missing. Photos © Ray Ortiz LACoFD. |
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Young albino Southern Pacific Rattlesnake found dead on a road in Orange County. © Mike Pecora
Warning - If you click on the image on the left you'll see the entire snake, but there is some blood and lots of ants. |
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Pale juvenile Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Orange County
© Steve Bledsoe |
Melanistic adult Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Ventura County
© Patrick Briggs |
Hypomelanistic adult Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, San Diego County.
© Bryce Anderson |
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This unusual neonate Southern Pacific Rattlesnake has stripes instead of blotches. San Diego County.
© Eric Quinn |
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Crotalus cerastes - Sidewinder |
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This unusually striped adult Mohave Desert Sidewinder was found in Kern County
© Dallas Jolly |
Partly-striped gravid female Mohave Desert Sidewinder, Kern County
© Adam Gitmed |
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Northern Mohave Rattlesnake - Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus |
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Albino adult Northern Mohave Rattlesnake, Kern County
© Brad Alexander |
Pale adult Northern Mohave Rattlesnake, possibly amelanistic,
Los Angeles County © Chris DeGroof |
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Gartersnakes - Genus Thamnophis |
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Melanistic adult Valley Gartersnake, Yolo County © Richard Porter |
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This very unusually-colored aberrant Valley Gartersnake was found in the Sacramento Valley in Sutter County, CA in May, 2017, and other snakes with similar coloring were seen in the same general field location, including the snake seen in photos below left.
U.S. Geological Survey photos taken by Alexandria M. Fulton.
(A Natural History Note about this snake was published in June, 2018: Herpetological Review 49(2), 2018.)
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This aberrant Valley Gartersnake was photographed in 2016 in the Sacramento Valley in Sutter County, CA approx.1.5 km from the location where the snake seen above was found.
U.S. Geological Survey photos taken by Chris Garbark. |
This unusually-colored adult Valley Gartersnake was found eating a California Toad in Upper Lake, Lake County. Possibly axanthic (missing red pigment) it might also represent an intergrade with T. s. infernalis, which sometimes has blue coloring.
© Yuri Brezinger |
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Adult Oregon Gartersnake without the characteristic dorsal stripe, Del Norte County © Alan Barron
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This Humboldt County adult Oregon Gartersnake is nearly sripeless and patternless. © Spencer Riffle |
Melanistic adult stripeless Two-striped Gartersnake © Ryan Sikola |
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Melanistic adult Two-striped Gartersnake, San Luis Obispo County
© Katie Drexhage |
Very dark, possibly melanistic Two-striped Gartersnake, Monterey County
© Harry Moffett |
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This unusually-pigmented spotted morph Two-striped Gartersnake was found in Riverside County. It's not an albino, because the eyes are dark, but it is missing some of its normal dark pigment. © ELMT Consulting, Inc. Travis J. McGill |
Atypical spotted morph adult Two-striped Gartersnake from Los Angeles County © Chris DeGroof |
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A very dark adult Two-striped Gartersnake from the San Gabriel Mountains in San Bernardino County © Kyle Watson |
This melanistic adult stripeless Two-striped Gartersnake was observed in San Luis Obispo County. © Ryan Sikola |
Albino adult Wandering Gartersnake
© Patrick Briggs |
Amelanistic adult Wandering Gartersnake, Bannock County, Idaho
© Patrick Briggs |
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Melanistic blue-striped adult Northwestern Gartersnake from
King County, Washington © Filip Tkaczyk |
Adult, Santa Barbara County
© Ryan Sikola
This snake is an unusual hybrid of a Diablo Range Gartersnake, Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus, and a Two-striped Gartersnake, Thamnophis hammondii. |
Stripeless adult Two-striped Gartersnake© Ryan Sikola |
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Adult Coast Gartersnake, Sonoma County © Laura Baker
This possibly melanistic snake has only faint remnants of dorsal and lateral stripes. |
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Gophersnakes - Genus Pituophis |
Striped Gophersnakes are regularly found in the northern Central Valley. |
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Adult, striped phase Pacific Gophersnake, Solano County, © Gary Nafis
Specimen courtesy of Rick Staub |
Adult striped phase Pacific Gophersnake, Sonoma County © Edgar Ortega |
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Solano County Pacific Gophersnake © Mike Spencer |
Adult Pacific Gophersnake Napa County © Edgar Ortega |
Adult Pacific Gophersnake Yolo County © Zachary Lim |
Striped adult Pacific GophersnakeSolano County © Lou Silva |
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A patternless adult Pacific Gophersnake found in Santa Cruz County © Luke Talltree |
Juvenile striped phase Pacific Gophersnake, Solano County
© John Stephenson |
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A striped adult Pacific Gophersnake in Solano County
© Richard Porter |
© Chris Mayer.
These three Pacific Gophersnakes were found in early May in Napa County, caught in some garden netting. All three were found alive and cut free. Two of the snakes are the striped morph and it appears the blotched morph snake is mating with one of them. |
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This San Diego Gophersnake from San Diego County has a partial dorsal stripe
© Ivan Vershynin |
This San Diego Gophersnake with a dorsal stripe on much of its body was found a half a mile or more from a similar snake in Ventura County.
© Max Roberts |
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This striped adult Pacific Gophersnake from Solano County has a reddish tail tip that could illustrate the reason for the myth that snakes have a stinger on the end of their tail. © Kimberly D'Amelio |
Striped juvenile Pacific Gophersnake, Yolo County © Dave Feliz |
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This patternless striped adult Great Basin Gophersnake was found dead in Morongo Valley in San Bernardino County.
© Adya Black |
Striped adult Pacific Gophersnake , Yolo County. © Dave Feliz |
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Pale, striped Adult Pacific Gophersnake, Yolo County © Michael Sutcliffe |
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Non-striped Aberrant Gophersnakes |
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This San Mateo County juvenile appears to be amelanistic or missing its black coloring. |
This strange looking snake is probably a cross between a California Kingsnake and a Pacific Gophersnake. It was found in the wild in Yolo County by Steven Hinds. Photo © 2005 Brian Hubbs |
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Apparently axanthic juvenile intergrade gophersnake with no brown, tan, or
yellow coloring.Found in Lassen County east of Susanville. © Don Cain |
An adult Pacific Gophersnake which is missing black pigment and might be albino. Placer County
© Terrence Howe |
Adult San Diego Gophersnake with an orange stripe and yellow dots on its back from the Santa Monica Mountains, Ventura County. © Max Roberts |
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Albino adult San Diego Gophersnake, San Diego County. © Richard E. Brewer |
Hypomelanistic adult Great Basin Gophersnake, Kern County
© Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg |
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Albino adult Pacific Gophersnake, Solano County © Lou Silva |
Apparently axanthic juvenile intergrade gophersnake with no brown, tan, or
yellow coloring. Found in Lassen County east of Susanville. © Don Cain |
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Albino juvenile Pacific Gophersnake observed in Napa County © Star Creek Farm, Napa County |
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White-sided adult San Diego Gophersnake, San Bernardino County © Matt Sjostrom |
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This juvenile San Diego Gophersnake with two heads was found in the wild near the Santa Ana mountains in Riverside County.
Two-headed snakes are rare, but they show up occasionally in the wild and with captive breeding.
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Shovel-nosed Snakes - Genus Chionactis |
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Dark adult with no yellow or red coloring, San Bernardino County, from dark lava field habitat © Ryan Sikola |
Top: a typically-colored adult
Bottom: a dark adult with no yellow or red coloring. Both were found at the same San Bernardino lava field location © Ryan Sikola |
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© Kenny Elliott This ususually colorless Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake was observed in a black lava field in San Bernardino County. Some snakes and lizards in areas with dark lava have developed dark coloring to better blend in with the environment, but this snake is partly white, so I suspect it is missing the red and yellow pigments normally found on this species. |
This black and white Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake was found in Riverside County © Brian Hinds |
Mohave Shovel-nosed Snakes:
Top: anerythristic adult
Bottom: normally-pigmented sub-adult
Riverside County © Brody Trent |
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Anerythristic adult
Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake,
Riverside County © Brody Trent
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Black and white phase adult Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake from Riverside County © Gregory Litiatco |
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Sharp-tailed Snakes - Genus contia |
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Unusually-colored juvenile Common Sharp-tailed Snake from Butte County, probably hypomelanistic or amelanistic. © Jackson Shedd |
These two hypomelanistic juvenile Common Sharp-tailed Snakes with red eyes were found in Butte County.
© Mike Thiede & Jon Thiede |
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Ring-necked Snakes - Genus Diadophis |
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This Santa Clara County juvenile Pacific Ring-necked Snake snake is melanistic, lacking its normal colors while having an abnormal amount of dark pigment. It appears to be a ring-necked snake, however when color and pattern are removed and only a few pictures are available, small colubrid snakes such as this one are difficult to differentiate from other similar species found in the same area. The competition in this case is the Western Black-headed Snake and the Common Sharp-tailed Snake. We ruled out the sharp-tailed snake because of the tail length, and the black-headed snake because of the way the tail is coiled. © Nathan Hickson |
This melanistic Pacific Ring-necked Snake was found in Santa Clara County. Four slightly-orange scales are visible on the neck where the ring would be.
© Faris K |
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Unusually-colored Pacific Ring-necked Snake from Sonoma county that lacks the typical red or yellow underside. © Richard Porter
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This Pacific Ring-necked Snake found in Alameda County has an unusual underside that is orange and yellow like a ring-necked snake, but with black bars like a sharp-tailed snake. © Faris K |
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Glossy Snakes - Genus Arizona |
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Striped adult intergrade Glossy Snake © Ross Padilla |
Striped juvenile intergrade Glossy Snake © Stuart Young |
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Ground Snakes - Genus Sonora |
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Variable Groundsnake found in Inyo County © Mardee
This snake is missing black pigment. Another groundsnake with more typical coloring - darker orange bands on a darker background - was found in the same area.
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