If you live in the City of Los Angeles or are considering moving there, you may be wondering, are there snakes in Los Angeles? If so, how many? Are any of them dangerous?
At least a dozen species of snakes live in and around Los Angeles, including one venomous species, the Southern Pacific rattlesnake. However, snakes rarely come into the city. You are only likely to see them if you live in suburban or rural areas surrounding Los Angeles.
This article will explore the top ten most common snakes found in Los Angeles. This includes their appearances, habitats, diets, and behaviors.
1. Gopher Snake
The gopher snake, or (Pituophis catenifer), is the most common species in all of California. It’s diurnal (active during the day) and often found in yards and gardens. Its markings resemble a rattlesnake, but it doesn’t have the signature triangular head or rough scales.
It’s usually yellow or light brown with large dark brown blotches along its back and smaller dark spots on its sides. It grows to 36-84 in (91–213 cm).
Interestingly, the gopher snake mimics the rattler in more than its patterning. When threatened, it puffs up and coils back on itself like a rattlesnake about to strike. Although it has no rattle, it will wiggle its tail to mimic the rattlesnake.
2. California Kingsnake
The California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus) is another prevalent species in California. It is a visually striking snake with white or yellow bands on a brown or black background. This snake grows up to 83 inches (210 cm).
Its main prey is birds and small mammals, but it is also known to eat other snakes. Because it is immune to their venom, it will even eat rattlesnakes! This is where the kingsnake gets its name; it is the “king” of snakes.
This species lives in all habitats, from coastal to the forest, marshes, grasslands, shrublands, and high mountain elevations. It’s one snake you might even see in suburbia! It is known to bite aggressively when accosted.
3. California Striped Racer
The California striped racer, a.k.a. Alameda Whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis), is a long, thin, fast-moving snake with a black body and bright yellow stripes on its sides. It dwells in coastal scrublands, grasslands, and rocky areas especially. It has a pale cream or yellow underbelly, a wide elongated head, and large eyes. Adults are usually 30-50 inches (76-127 cm) but can grow larger.
This snake inhabits coastal regions, grasslands, mountains, and desert dunes across most of California. Its favorite food is lizards, but it is also known to eat frogs, small rodents, insects, and other (juvenile) snakes.
They are active during the daytime and have a unique hunting behavior of holding their head up and moving it side to side to spot prey over grass and other obstacles. They are also good climbers and may sometimes be found in trees.
4. California Mountain Kingsnake
The California mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) is a stunning black, white, and red-banded snake that looks much like the highly venomous Arizona coral snake. However, the mountain kingsnake is harmless, and the coral snake lives in Arizona. This snake reaches lengths of 20-50 in (51-127 cm) and has a smooth, cylindrical body with a narrow head.
It is a shy and secretive species that lives in rocky, coastal, and forested regions and likes to spend a lot of time underground. However, it can be seen in the open during the day when the weather is hot, mainly if there is a creek or small body of water nearby. It is active both at night and during the day.
This snake preys primarily on lizards, other small snakes, baby birds, and eggs. It’s also known to climb trees.
5. Two-Striped Garter Snake
The two-striped garter snake (Thamnophis hammondii) is a widespread snake that grows to more than 3 feet (1 m) in length. It is brown or grayish with a pale belly and a light yellow stripe on either side. It has large eyes and smooth scales.
This snake is active during the day and is primarily aquatic. It hunts underwater or on creek, pond, and lake edges. It prefers areas with dense plant growth and small open spaces for basking. When threatened, it usually flees into the water.
The two-striped garter snake’s diet consists mainly of frogs, tadpoles, fish, leeches, earthworms, and fish eggs.
6. Ringneck Snake
The Ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus) is also found in most of California but is very shy and likes to hide under rocks and other objects. These snakes are small and gray with a ring of color around the neck, usually red or orange. Their bellies and the ends of their tails are also bright red or orange with black spots.
They grow to only about 16 in (42 cm). They can dwell in pretty much any habitat, but they spend most of their lives out of sight under leaf litter, logs, or rocks. They eat insects, amphibians, small reptiles, and other juvenile snakes.
When the ringneck snake is frightened, it turns over and shows its brightly colored belly. It also secretes a musk and empties its bowels to scare off potential predators.
7. Yellow Belly Racer
Like other racers, the yellowbelly racer (Coluber constrictor) is a slender, fast-moving species. This snake had large eyes and smooth, shiny, grayish or green-brown scales. Its belly is pale yellow, as the name suggests. It grows to about 3 ft (91 cm) long.
The yellowbelly racer dwells in open areas like fields, grasslands, forest edges, deserts, scrublands, and sometimes marshes. They eat small mammals, lizards, other snakes, amphibians, birds, bird eggs, rabbits, and turtles.
These snakes are a particularly nervous species known to flee for cover when threatened. However, if caught, they thrash so intensely that they can break off their tails. If cornered, they will bite.
8. Blackhead Snake
The blackhead snake (Tantilla planiceps) is a dainty species that reaches only 3.5-15 inches (9-40 cm). As the name suggests, it has a black head, flattened due to its subterranean lifestyle. The rest of its body is a dull, reddish brown, usually with a thin white band around the neck.
The blackhead snake spends most of its life under rocks, logs, plant debris, or animal burrows. It inhabits grasslands, woodlands, shrubland, and deserts and often lives near streams in rocky areas. This shy little snake is rarely seen by humans.
Its diet consists mainly of insects, including millipedes and centipedes. It is harmless to humans and can usually be handled without biting or showing aggression.
9. Red Coachwhip
The red coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) is a common snake that lives all over southern California. It is a long, slim snake with several color variations, including reddish, brown, tan, gray, or even pink. It has black markings on its head and neck that can appear as bands. The rest of its body has brown or tan banding and/or blotches. It grows 24-54 inches (62cm – 138 cm).
This snake inhabits open grassland, desert, scrubland, and rocky areas. It does not like regions with a lot of vegetation and prefers to dwell underground in animal burrows. It has a broad diet of birds, bird eggs, small mammals, amphibians, and other reptiles. It will also scavenge dead animals.
This shy snake will flee confrontation when possible but will also rattle its tail like a rattlesnake and bite when cornered.
10. Southern Pacific Rattlesnake
Los Angeles does have one native species of venomous snake, the Southern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis). This snake dwells in less populated areas, including forests, grasslands, scrublands, and deserts. You will not likely see one unless you go to a nature reserve.
The Southern Pacific rattlesnake can grow over 40 in (101 cm) long. It has a triangular head and, as you might expect, has a rattle at the end of its tail. Its coloring is usually brown, tan, and gray, with rough scales. It has dark stripes starting on the head, covering each eye, and extending back along the sides. Its back is a light tan or gray, covered in large brown or gray spots rimmed with a darker brown or black.
Though this snake is not considered aggressive, it will bite when startled or threatened. Due to its exceptional camouflage, you might not even notice this snake until it strikes! For this reason, if you go out in nature, you should take precautions to avoid rattlesnakes!