Once again, i am not a snake person so i could very easily be wrong about any information provided here… but i believe this is a gopher snake. In California the only snakes you have to worry about are rattlesnakes… and they are generally quite self evident animals, heh. From my little bit of reseach this appears to be a San Diego gopher snake, Pituophis catenifer annectens. Gopher snakes are non-venomous and in my experience not all that inclined to bite when handled gently. Some are more nervous and contantly try to escape when handled… but this fellow seemed to be somewhat ok with me handling it. Gopher snakes have a very cool trick which i have read about but never seen… they can shake their tail to mimic a rattlesnake… if they do it in dry leaf litter it even *sounds* kind of like a rattle snake! The can also hiss and puff up their body, but this is more defensive behaviour i have never seen in real life. Apparently for this subspecies, hatchlings are round 15″/38cm and adults can reach 4-5′ (1.3-1.6m). I suspect this snake was a male, as i read that males are commonly found in spring when they are out actively searching for females to mate with. This snake had some physical issues… its tail ended fairly abruptly and it had what appeared to be matching wounds on both sides of its “neck” area. There are some ~detail shots at the end of the video so if you are ze sensitive type you might want to turn it off at XXXXXX This snake was found in the foothills of …

{Bull Snake is a species (Pituophis catenifer) and also a subspecies (Pituophis catenifer sayi) of large non-venomous colubrid snake, widespread in the western half of the United States and northern Mexico. | The epithet sayi is in honor of the renowned zoologist Thomas Say. |The species also goes by the name Gopher Snake. | It is inconvenient for the bull snake species to have the same common name as the bull snake subspecies. | The solution is to speak of the bull snake species or the bull snake subspecies whenever the distinction is important or to use the formal Latin names. | Similar situations are not particularly unusual in taxonomy. | A familiar example is the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and the nightshade genus (Solanum). | Bull snakes have one of the most expansive ranges of any species in the Pituophis genus. | They can be found throughout much of the western half of United States and northern Mexico. | This includes the US states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and California. | Bull snakes often exceed 6 feet (180cm) in length, and specimens of up to 100 inches (254 cm) have been recorded. | This makes them among the largest US snakes, although generally not as long as indigo snakes or as big around as rattlesnakes. | Males are generally larger than females. | They are usually yellow in color, with brown, black or sometimes reddish colored blotching. | Many color variations have been found, including albinos and white varieties. | Bull snakes eat small mammals, such as mice, rats, large bugs, as well as ground nesting birds, lizards, and the young of other snakes. | Juvenile bull snakes depend on insects, small lizards and baby mice. |The idea that bull snakes occasionally eat rattlesnakes is sometimes touted as a reason for humans not to harm bull snakes when encountering them in the wild, although a better reason is the bull snakes role in controlling warm-blooded vermin such as rodents. | Note that many snakes have evolved a natural immunity to venom, just as rattlesnakes themselves are immune to their own. |Though some Bullsnakes can be docile, and with some time become accustomed to handling, most Bullsnakes are quite defensive and known for their perceived bad attitude. |When threatened by anything as large as a human, a Bullsnakes primary defense is to flee, if possible. |Bullsnakes are often confused for rattlesnakes, and killed by laypersons. | Due to its coloration, dorsal pattern, and semi-keeled scalation; the Bullsnake superficially resembles the Western Diamondback Rattler ( Crotalus atrox ), which is also common within the same range. | The Bullsnake capitalizes on this similarity by performing a very impressive rattlesnake impression when threatened. | First, it hisses, or forcibly exhales through a bisected glottis, which flaps back and forth producing a very convincing rattle sound. | It will also take on a rattlesnake-like S-curve body posture, as if it is going to strike. | The Bullsnake will commonly vibrate its tail rapidly amongst the brush or leaves, and flatten its head to make it take on a more characteristic triangular-shaped head of the rattlesnake. | These defensive behaviors are meant to scare away threats, not sound an attack. |In contrast to rattlesnakes, which usually keep their tail elevated in order to sound the most efficient rattle, Bullsnakes tend to keep their tail in contact with the ground, in order to beat it against something to make a sound. |Their rattlesnake mimic is so impressive, that it is frequently the Bullsnakes very undoing when discovered by humans. |Bullsnakes customarily kill their prey by constriction before consuming it. |Bull snakes are extremely common in the exotic pet trade. | They are frequently captive bred for color and pattern. | They make easy-to-care-for, hardy captives, though their size can make them intimidating. | A 10 gallon tank will suffice for a one-year-old snake, but 20 gallon or larger tanks are required for larger specimens. | Their care is similar to that of a corn snake. | They must be provided with a hide of some sort and a fake plant or vine is also recommended. | The temperatures should stay between 75 and 85. | This can be achieved using a heat mat under the tank, or a heat lamp above the tank (which also provides a great basking spot). | Only half of the tank should be heated so the snake has a chance to move to the cooler area if desired. | Fresh water should be provided at all times. | Snakes should be fed an appropriate sized prey item (roughly 1 and a half times the width of the snake) every 7-10 days. | If properly cared for, these snakes can live 20-25 years. | Gopher Snake is a species (Pituophis catenifer) and also a subspecies (Pituophis catenifer sayi) of large non-venomous colubrid snake, widespread in the western half of the United States and northern Mexico. | The epithet sayi is in honor of the renowned zoologist Thomas Say. |The species also goes by the name Gopher Snake. | It is inconvenient for the Gopher snake species to have the same common name as the Gopher snake subspecies. | The solution is to speak of the Gopher snake species or the Gopher snake subspecies whenever the distinction is important or to use the formal Latin names. | Similar situations are not particularly unusual in taxonomy. | A familiar example is the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and the nightshade genus (Solanum). | Gopher snakes have one of the most expansive ranges of any species in the Pituophis genus. | They can be found throughout much of the western half of United States and northern Mexico. | This includes the US states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and California. | Gopher snakes often exceed 6 feet (180cm) in length, and specimens of up to 100 inches (254 cm) have been recorded. | This makes them among the largest US snakes, although generally not as long as indigo snakes or as big around as rattlesnakes. | Males are generally larger than females. | They are usually yellow in color, with brown, black or sometimes reddish colored blotching. | Many color variations have been found, including albinos and white varieties. | Gopher snakes eat small mammals, such as mice, rats, large bugs, as well as ground nesting birds, lizards, and the young of other snakes. | Juvenile Gopher snakes depend on insects, small lizards and baby mice. |The idea that Gopher snakes occasionally eat rattlesnakes is sometimes touted as a reason for humans not to harm Gopher snakes when encountering them in the wild, although a better reason is the Gopher snakes role in controlling warm-blooded vermin such as rodents. | Note that many snakes have evolved a natural immunity to venom, just as rattlesnakes themselves are immune to their own. |Though some Bullsnakes can be docile, and with some time become accustomed to handling, most Bullsnakes are quite defensive and known for their perceived bad attitude. |When threatened by anything as large as a human, a Bullsnakes primary defense is to flee, if possible. |Bullsnakes are often confused for rattlesnakes, and killed by laypersons. | Due to its coloration, dorsal pattern, and semi-keeled scalation; the Bullsnake superficially resembles the Western Diamondback Rattler ( Crotalus atrox ), which is also common within the same range. | The Bullsnake capitalizes on this similarity by performing a very impressive rattlesnake impression when threatened. | First, it hisses, or forcibly exhales through a bisected glottis, which flaps back and forth producing a very convincing rattle sound. | It will also take on a rattlesnake-like S-curve body posture, as if it is going to strike. | The Bullsnake will commonly vibrate its tail rapidly amongst the brush or leaves, and flatten its head to make it take on a more characteristic triangular-shaped head of the rattlesnake. | These defensive behaviors are meant to scare away threats, not sound an attack. |In contrast to rattlesnakes, which usually keep their tail elevated in order to sound the most efficient rattle, Bullsnakes tend to keep their tail in contact with the ground, in order to beat it against something to make a sound. |Their rattlesnake mimic is so impressive, that it is frequently the Bullsnakes very undoing when discovered by humans. |Bullsnakes customarily kill their prey by constriction before consuming it. |Gopher snakes are extremely common in the exotic pet trade. | They are frequently captive bred for color and pattern. | They make easy-to-care-for, hardy captives, though their size can make them intimidating. | A 10 gallon tank will suffice for a one-year-old snake, but 20 gallon or larger tanks are required for larger specimens. | Their care is similar to that of a corn snake. | They must be provided with a hide of some sort and a fake plant or vine is also recommended. | The temperatures should stay between 75 and 85. | This can be achieved using a heat mat under the tank, or a heat lamp above the tank (which also provides a great basking spot). | Only half of the tank should be heated so the snake has a chance to move to the cooler area if desired. | Fresh water should be provided at all times. | Snakes should be fed an appropriate sized prey item (roughly 1 and a half times the width of the snake) every 7-10 days. | If properly cared for, these snakes can live 20-25 years. |||||||||||||||}