Lampropeltis californiae
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) is a nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the western United States and northern Mexico, and is found in a variety of habitats. Due to ease of care and a wide range of color variations, the California kingsnake is one of the most popular snakes in captivity.
Wild California kingsnakes are typically encountered at a length of 2.5–3.5 feet (76–107 cm), though they can grow larger; California kingsnakes on Isla Ángel de la Guarda, Baja California, Mexico, have been documented growing to 78 inches (2 m). A wide range of color morphs exist in the wild; they are usually found with alternating dark and light bands ranging in color from black and white to brown and cream. Some populations may have longitudinal stripes instead of bands. Most California kingsnakes live to be around ten to fifteen years old, even surpassing twenty if well cared for in captivity.
California kingsnakes stripes and bands are essential to their survival as the patterns camouflage the snakes body to hide from predators. Their predators include hawks, eagles, coyotes, skunks, foxes, bobcats, and other kingsnakes.
The California... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | SeaWorld San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Six Flags Great Adventure | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 7 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Planète Sauvage | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Chimelong Safari Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 13 | Safari Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Oakland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Wildlife West Nature Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | São Paulo Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 19 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 20 | Zoo La Barben | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 21 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 22 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 24 | Parc de l'Auxois | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 25 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 29 | Hogle Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Lake Hartwell Wildlife Safari | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Minsk Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 32 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 33 | Seville Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 34 | California Living Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | Paphos Zoo | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 36 | Erie Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Monterey Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Zoo de Córdoba | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 39 | Hattiesburg Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 41 | VigoNature | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 42 | Sequoia Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 43 | Trevor Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | Orange County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Downtown Aquarium, Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 47 | Aquarium of the Bay | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 48 | Lindsay Wildlife Experience | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | Bird Alliance of Oregon | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 50 | Sea Life München | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a California King Snake sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 67 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 10th most-seen of the 21 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a California King Snake in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months. Those are among San Francisco's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California King Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
6th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate California King Snake sightings, San Francisco ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Phoenix (United States, about 10%), San Diego (United States, about 10%) and Mesa (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the California King Snake that you can see in San Francisco (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Gopher Snake (about 10%), Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (about 10%) and Ringneck Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California King Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in San Francisco (67 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
