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 every kind of native snake in California along with a few well-established non-native species.

Click on a name link to go to the main page for more pictures and information about a particular snake and its habitat.

More Lists and Information Abouit California Snakes

	© Jared Heald

Adult	Juvenile	Adult	Juvenile
Northern Rubber Boa Charina bottae		Southern Rubber Boa Charina umbratica

			© Brad Alexander

Rosy Boa Lichanura orcutti


Desert Glossy Snake Arizona elegans eburnata		California Glossy Snake Arizona elegans occidentalis	Mohave Glossy Snake Arizona elegans candida

© Dick Bartlett	© William Flaxington

Baja California Ratsnake Bogertophis rosaliae		Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis


		Adult	Juvenile
Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis annulata annulata		Western Yellow-bellied Racer Coluber constrictor mormon

			© Chad Lane

Red Racer (Red Coachwhip) Coluber flagellum piceus		San Joaquin Coachwhip Coluber flagellum ruddocki

© Dick Bartlett

Baja California Coachwhip Coluber fuliginosus		California Striped Racer Coluber lateralis lateralis	Alameda Striped Racer Coluber lateralis euryxanthus

© Zachary Lim

Forest Sharp-tailed Snake Contia longicauda		Common Sharp-tailed Snake Contia tenuis

© Adam Clause

Desert Striped Whipsnake Coluber taeniatus taeniatus	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 vandenburgii

	© Jason Jones

Desert Nightsnake Hypsiglena chlorophaea deserticola	San Diego Nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha klauberi	California Nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha (torquata) nuchalata


California Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata	Coast Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis multifasciata	Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake Phyllorhynchus decurtatus


California Kingsnake Lampropeltis californiae


Sonoran Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer affinis	San Diego Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer annectens	Pacific Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer catenifer	Great Basin Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer deserticola


Santa Cruz Island Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer pumilus	Long-nosed Snake Rhinocheilus lecontei

		© Zachary Lim

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		Sierra Gartersnake Thamnophis couchii


Diablo Range Gartersnake Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus		Mountain Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans elegans

	© Jared Heald

Coast Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans terrestris

	© Ken Griffiths	© William Flaxington

Wandering Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans vagrans			Marcy's Checkered Gartersnake Thamnophis marcianus marcianus


Giant Gartersnake Thamnophis gigas		Two-striped Gartersnake Thamnophis hammondii

		© William Flaxington

Northwestern Gartersnake Thamnophis ordinoides

	© Alan Barron

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		Yellow-bellied Seasnake Hydrophis platurus


Southwestern Threadsnake Rena humilis humilis		Desert Threadsnake Rena humilis cahuilae

	© William Flaxington

Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake Crotalus atrox		Mohave Desert Sidewinder Crotalus cerastes cerastes	Colorado Desert Sidewinder Crotalus cerastes laterorepens

		2005 Ken Pitts	© Bruce Edley

Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake Crotalus pyrrhus

	© Patrick Briggs		© David Tobler

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus helleri		Great Basin Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus lutosus

		© Chad Lane	© Connor Long

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus oreganus

	© 2005 Jeremiah Easter		© Ben Smith

Red Diamond Rattlesnake Crotalus ruber		Northern Mohave Rattlesnake Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus

		© Joel Lingenfelter	© Adam G. Clause

Panamint Rattlesnake Crotalus stephensi

Non-Native Snake Species Established in California

		© Richard Porter	© Richard Porter

Florida Watersnake Nerodia fasciata pictiventris	Common Watersnake Nerodia sipedon


Brahminy Blindsnake Indotyphlops braminus

Return to the top