California Mountain Kingsnake
Lampropeltis zonata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colúbrids)
- GenusLampropeltis (Kingsnakes and Milk Snakes)
- SpeciesLampropeltis zonata (California Mountain Kingsnake)
The California mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake that is endemic to North America. It is a coral snake mimic, having a similar pattern consisting of red, black, and yellow on its body, but the snake is completely harmless. Seven subspecies are recognized, with five found in the U.S., including the nominotypical subspecies, and two in Mexico. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a California Mountain Kingsnake sighting in Yosemite National Park, based on 107 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Yosemite National Park
California King Snake
Lampropeltis californiae
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans
Western Aquatic Garter Snake
Thamnophis couchii
Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Striped Racer
Masticophis lateralis
Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus
Sharp-tailed Snake
Contia tenuis
North American Racer
Coluber constrictor
Coast Night Snake
Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️🌙 When They're Spotted
Active throughout day and night · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a California Mountain Kingsnake in Yosemite National Park?
About 19% of wildlife watchers report a California Mountain Kingsnake sighting in Yosemite National Park, based on 107 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see California Mountain Kingsnake in Yosemite National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for California Mountain Kingsnake in Yosemite National Park in our monthly data.