California King Snake
Posted by Contributor on Jan 6, 2009 in Snakes • No commentsIndividual variations within the species could be very special, and California king snake variety makes a perfect illustration of such cases. Thus, the morphology variability makes the California king snake more difficult to identify correctly when one doesn’t have enough knowledge about the possible individual feature manifestations. Thus, some snakes could be almost black in color with a yellow line in the middle of the central body area, while other California king snake subspecies could be dark brown but with yellow or whitish rings disposed in a vertical body pattern. A more clear description can be made when analyzing the size of the snake: it can grow up to 70 inches long, with a two or three inch split tail.
- Image by mhaithaca via Flickr
California king snake groups are no different from other snake sub-categories in anatomy of the halved jaws joint by elastic tissue only. Without this natural mouth advantage, the snake couldn’t swallow a prey that is very often bigger than the predator’s diameter. When it comes to behavior traits, California king snake would choose hidden abodes in solitary natural background where the possibility to come across larger predators remains reduced. It feeds on small animals like frogs, lizards, rodents and even little birds. The only period when California king snake is found in the company of its species mates is winter when these creatures hibernate together in large numbers.
California king snake specimens are known for their eating each other or feeding even on venomous snakes. This is a non-poisonous species that loops around, constricts and then squeezes the prey until it suffocates it. As for the consume of venomous snakes, people used to think that snakes have an innate immunity to venom, now more advanced research studies in the matter indicate not immunity but high tolerance towards it. It is possible for people to get bitten when coming across the California king snake, but it will only strike if if feels endangered.
California King Snake Disadvantages
Some of the California king snake’s disadvantages like bad eyesight and a poor ability to focus could be counted among other things; these small inconveniences are due to the anatomical position of the snake’s eyes on the sides of the head. If the prey is smart enough to stay still in the presence of this California king snake, it has higher chances to remain unspotted. Movement is the element that makes hunting possible for the snake but it is worth saying that this creature has a superior sense of hearing as it can recognize low frequency sounds and various vibrations. Definitely such abilities make hunting a lot easier.
