Four snakes & a skink, habitats, habits and identifying traits, can you tell a Gopher snake from a Rattler?

California Whip Snake, or commonly known as Stripped Racer.

While working on his lot my next door neighbor came across a California Whipsnake, it was about 6-feet long and a shiny silver color. He picked it up and relocated it across the road in the wooded area next to the ranch fence. I had seen these snakes before but the sightings are few and far between, they are not as rare as they are elusive, I'm of the mind there are many around.

Another lady by me saw what she first described as a Rattlesnake lurking between her bushes on the levee. As she described it at first it sounded more like a gopher snake, both are actually our friends as they keep the rodent population under control. She then continued describing it and it began to sound more like a Skink, the clue was when she said it appeared to have tiny legs but it looked like a snake.

Gopher Snakes are common on our island, I saw one in the garden against the fence in the semi-long grass. It was about 4 feet long and just minding its own business, it keeps the rodents under control and I like having them around. I suspect there are many more of them in the local area as well.

Yesterday my wife was in the driveway, she is deathly afraid of snakes, and my saying they are our friends is absolutely not a comfort to her. She saw what she described as a California King Snake, newly hatched it was very small, about 6-inches in length and the diameter of a pencil. It sported Black, Orange, and White bands headed North West, I succeeded in convincing her it did not live on our property but on the neighbors and she would most likely never see it again. I declined to tell her if there was one newly hatched there was certainly more.

During the spring we have black Water Snakes, I cannot figure out how they tolerate the 50 degrees F. river water. (10 Celsius) I have seen them several times swimming with the current holding their heads high above the water. I have mostly seen two at a time swimming side by side, I did, however, see one swimming underwater chasing a fish not too long ago. I also caught one while Trout fishing on the Kings river many years ago, I saw a rattlesnake on the same backpacking jaunt but that's fairly common in that area.

These are the snakes I or someone close to me has seen, granted there is some that are killed on the road always carried away by one of the scavenging predators or the Vultures will dine where it lays.  (I find it strange that I have never seen a Turkey Vulture as the victim of a vehicle.) The roadkill seems to be mostly during the springtime I suspect it has something to do with warming up. In this blog I will describe each of the 5 local snakes, they are undramatic for the most part merely going about their day to day routines paying little attention to the human interlopers.

First is the California Whip Snake (also known as the Striped Racer), they are a beautiful animal, the one I saw was a shiny silver much like the color of the Tin Man in the movie "The Wizard of Oz", the original film. The official color is Cream or White, variances do occur and it depends upon the local as to the color. They are not big snakes, long but not hefty in the girth, a one-inch diameter would be a big sample. They have a stripe laterally that is 2 scales wide running on each side of their body the entire length, with a yellow underside. In contrast, the Alameda Striped Racer looks much like a common Gartner Snake and may be easily confused. Under the head are many black dots which stand out on the pale yellow background, a light stripe connects the eye and the nose.

The California Whipsnake is not a danger to humans, they have no venom that is toxic to most of us. They are not above eating their own, as well as Lizards (Fence lizards are numerous), small Birds, other Snakes, Skinks (numerous here) and Frogs. They are active during the daylight hours holding their heads high above the weeds, rocks, and wood piles searching for unsuspecting prey.

Providing protection from predators the Whipsnakes habitat includes rocky outcroppings, wood piles, mammal burrows, and high chaparral. Mating takes place during the spring, it takes a huge part of their choice of environment, preferring to stay in a secure spot they use the habitat for mating also. Kingsnakes, Raccoons, Skunks, Opossums, Coyotes, Foxes and Hawks, are the main predators, urban sprawl, wildfires, and extremely high grass are their natural enemies.

Photograph of a Western Skink

Second up is the Skink, it's a strange looking animal being somewhere between evolving from Snake to Lizard or the other way around. My neighbor saw one, my wife and I have seen many but one, in particular, sent my dear almost into a Lunar Orbit. Working outside during the springtime, I was in the garden and she was messing with planters on the front porch when I heard a blood-curdling scream and the sight of her running wildly across the driveway. She had come across a large Skink laying in the bottom of an equally large clay pot, just staying cool. Once again my effort to persuade her they are our friends also led me nowhere, so I reverted to my good standby, "you will most likely never see another one". The one she saw on the Riverside porch convinced her I was full of baloney.

Two species live in California, Gilberts and the Western Skinks, there are numerous sub-species in our area the Variegated Skink resides, its larger population resides in Africa. The Juveniles have bright blue tails changing to their adult colors although some individuals retain some blue their entire lives. The small to medium sized Lizards are covered in scales re-inforced by bone, the scales are smooth and shiny in the shape an egg pointed on each end. Most lizards scales are rough and raised up, this is not typical of skinks. They have stripes running along the length of their bodies from head to the tip of the tail Brown, Light Brown and Dark Brown are the typical colors of the Skinks in our area, and the reason I recognize them as the Western Skinks.

They prefer to live near the wetlands, living along rocky outcroppings, wood piles, and moist woody areas in direct sunlight. They may often be seen during the daylight but prefer to scamper under moist leaves and debris or other cool areas such as a clay pot. Small bugs are their primary diet, Crickets, Beetles, Sowbugs, Grasshoppers, Ladybugs, and Spiders are just a sample of their wide variety of prey. They dig burrows and build them several times their own length.

Mating in June and July the females lay 2-6 eggs, deposited in nest chambers many several centimeters deep in loose moist soil under flat stones, wood debris, or rocky outcroppings. The lifespan of a Skink is 10 years, reaching sexual maturity at the ripe old age of 2, although most do not mate until the age of 3, the eggs hatch at the end of the summer. We should start looking for the little around this time of year, September.

Kestrels are the main predators of Skinks, as well as Hawks, and the usual mammal suspects, Possums, Racoons, Skunks, and Coyotes. They do bite, and hard, although not poisonous when they clamp down on a finger it hurts badly and may break the skin. Normally shy it is advised not to handle them if you must use a net or loop snag as used to catch snakes.

Gopher Snakes live in nearly every mainland state, looking much like Rattlesnakes, they will bite but are harmless to humans other than a hard bite. These are the snakes seen most during the daylight hours in California, hot days will cause them to wait until dusk to venture out. The snakes are commonly seen crossing roads early in the morning before the sun rises and heats up the surface, a hot asphalt road may be deadly to them.

Often mistaken for Rattlesnakes they are instantly killed, its a mistake, here I go again, they are our friends. We see them around our dwellings because we attract mice and rats which comprises the bulk of their diet, I like them due to their ability to catch gophers. It is prudent to learn how to distinguish between the only venomous snake in California (The Rattlesnake) and our garden buddy the Gopher Snake, this Link describes the difference.

Gopher Snake Photo.

Resembling rattlesnakes with the patterned brown and tan markings the length of the body, thick midsection and nearly diamond shaped head it certainly takes a double look when encountered unexpectedly. They will coil up (as seen in this short video Link), becoming aggressive when they feel threatened they will strike an bite us, the best advice is to respect them and give them plenty of space. Never handle any Snake unless you can identify it as being harmless, I will not pick up any Snake, Skink, or Lizard, I claim respect not fear. I have known several people that have been bitten by a Rattlesnake, all suffered injuries to the same part of the body, the hand, and all were men, without exception they attempted to pick them up and lost a finger or two in some instances.

Moving along to the California King Snake, a medium size snake displaying Orange (or red), white, and black bands. There are numerous color schemes of the snakes, from all white to the brightly colored ones in the area I reside in. King Snakes are common throughout the state residing in every county, and near most bodies of water. Normally their habitat is below 1,000 meters (3280 feet) they are found up to 2,500 meters (8200 feet) in the Tehachapi Mountains. Living in forests, deserts, wetlands, in the woods, chaparral, and bushy suburban areas these animals are adaptable.

They hibernate in deep burrows entering a period of reduced activity and slowed metabolism. In cooler regions King Snakes hunt during daylight hours and when the temperature rises they prefer to become nocturnal, hunting at night. It's a non-poisonous non-native snake introduced from Spain either by accident or intentionally released, it is a very common occurrence worldwide for invasive species to be introduced in this way. They are constrictors wrapping themselves around the body of prey and squeezing until the last breath is taken, It is, however, immune to the venom of poisonous Snakes. Shedding 4-6 times a year they turn a milky white color and are rendered blind, juveniles shed once a month because of its rapid growth rate. When they are distressed the King Snake curls up hiding its head and shakes it's tail rapidly while hissing in the direction of the threat.

A California King Snake, they are a variety of colors.

As other Snakes, the Kings have many enemies common to other snakes, coyotes, opossums, hawks, owls, skunks, and too many more to list. Humans are predators also but for a different reason, are popular as pets due to their gentle demeanor. As predators, they hunt and feed on turtle eggs, birds, reptiles, small mammals, and surprisingly the Western Diamond Back Rattlesnake. As I said previously they are immune to the venom, and are a welcome addition to the wildlife in my garden, even though we have no Rattlesnakes nearby, that may well be the reason. Laying 5-12 eggs from May through August they hatch 10 weeks later 8-13 inches long, (20-33 cm) just the size my wife saw, which means there are more.

Last is the California Black Water Snake, heavy bodied and 2- 4-1/2 feet in length (60 cm- 122 cm) they begin life banded brown and grey with a tan background. Older snakes may appear to be completely brown, or totally black in color, with white, beige, or yellow belly they are common in a varied amount of colors. When stressed they will strike repeatedly emitting feces and a foul-smelling musk sure to make us take a hasty exit.

Freshwater is their preferred habitat ditches, ponds, lakes, wetlands, and slow-moving streams and rivers. The individuals I have seen have been obviously caught in the spring run-off and carried with the current downstream. They are an invasive species, not welcome in California and if one is spotted or captured the Department of Fish and Game requests us to give them a call and they will come and get it. They make bad pets mostly because they are ornery, mean, and they smell bad, talk about an insult. They displace the native Garter Snakes dining on them as well as aquatic species such as fish and amphibians.

Compare Gopher Snakes to Rattlesnakes.

It is a best practice to give any Snake a lot of room, observe from a distance, do not attempt to pick them up unless knowledge of Snakes is one of your strong points. I can recognize many but I do not know all of their characteristics, I simply let them be. It is not uncommon for some of us to have an almost paralyzing fear of them, and that is fine. That extreme fear has it's drawbacks if it is one that overcomes the victim to the point of not being in a reasonable state of mind.

We must watch where we step, drive, and park our vehicles, many people have been bitten by the dreaded Rattlesnake when exiting their car with a snake underneath it. Pay attention to where we pull off of the road, look 10 feet (3 meters) ahead, carry a walking staff and thrash tall weeds if walking next to the trail is needed. Snakes can look like "cowpies" in a pasture, in the event we are walking across one pay particular attention to them, look at the piles closely.

Thanks for reading and sharing my blog, it's a bit long, leave a comment, I like snakes and the further they are from me the more I like them.

jacquesandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com