[ID: Two pictures of Tolkien the cream and dark brown california kingsnake with some of his body in a hide, some on the branch behind him and his head resting on his water bowl]
If you live in North America, you may have heard the phrase: ‘Red touches black, you’re alright Jack’. This saying is in reference to the kingsnakes, which bear a striking resemblance to the more deadly coral snake. Although kingsnakes are harmless to humans, that phrase doesn’t apply to rattlesnakes! Kingsnakes are immune to rattlesnake venom, and has been known to hunt and eat them.
(Image: A California kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) consuming a diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) by Dan Weisz)
If you like what I do, consider buying me a ko-fi!
Today’s snake is the Mexican black kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula nigrita). It is a non-venomous colubrid snake and a subspecies of the common kingsnake. It is found in Southern California, Mexico, Sinaloa, and Arizona.
I know this is a day late and a dollar short on Unus Annus takes but, as a MASSIVE snek nerd I’m still UTTERLY amused by Mark’s advice about snakes to “Look and Observe” because they’re so hard to spot. And yeah, I know it’s the running joke of the video of “Mark gives terrible animal survival advice on purpose”, and most snakes are really hard to spot but... BRUH... the boys are in the California woods; where the nope rope they’ll likely encounter is fucking THIS...
For those who aren’t aware, that Unus Annus-styled noodle is a California Kingsnake; one of the most common snake species where Mark and Eef have literally set up camp. (And for those who might be worried, Cal Kings are thankfully nonvenemous and utterly harmless, so our two beloved idiots are in no danger should they encounter one.)
So... yeah.. I don’t think you’re gonna have a hard time spotting one of these things Markimoo... 😂
Strain of hypo is unknown but judging by pictures of her mother she'll likely lighten up a bit. I can't get over how small she is and I'm loving her personality already ❤️
Also, William Hamilton is a kingsnake breeder and interacting with him on this transaction was a pleasant experience.
I think I'm falling in love with kingsnakes. Hopefully my last pickup for this year, she's a little 4 month old albino banded California kingsnake. I really like how her pattern is reduced so the yellow is much thicker than I'm used to seeing on banded albino cal kings.
Her name is Mischa and she's a gorgeous little delight.