San Diego Night Snake (Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus klauberi)
Description: Adults can be 12 to 26 inches long. Most seen are 8 to 12 inches long, rarely over 16 inches. Hatchlings are about 7 inches in length. A small slender snake with a narrow flat head, smooth scales in 19 rows, and vertical pupils. Color varies, often matching the substrate, from light gray, light brown, beige, to tan or cream, with dark brown or gray blotches on the back and sides. Usually a pair of large dark blotches on the neck and a dark bar through or behind the eyes. Whitish or yellowish and unmarked underneath. H. o. klauberi is characterized by a three-part nuchal collar formed by two lateral blotches, not in contact with the eye stripe, and an elongate, irregular median nape spot.
Habitat: Found in a variety of habitats, often arid areas, from chaparral, Sagebrush flats, deserts, suburban lots and gardens, mountain meadows, grassland. Most commonly found in areas with abundant surface cover.
Range: This subspecies is found from the coast to the coastal slopes of the Peninsular, Transverse, and South Coast Ranges from near Santa Barbara County south to mid Baja California.
Diet: Eats a wide range of terrestrial vertebrates, mostly lizards and their eggs, sometimes small snakes, frogs, and salamanders.
Reproduction: Oviparous. After mating, females lay a clutch of 2 to 9 eggs from April to September. Incubation is probably similar to that of the Desert Nightsnake species, H. clorophaea, the eggs of which hatch in 50-65 days with hatchlings about 7 inches in length.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the wide distribution, large number of locations, presumed large population, and because the population is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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