VENOMOUS:
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus)
Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes are 15 - 36 inches long, but can reach 48 inches- 60 inches with a heavy body. They have elliptical pupils, keeled scales, and a rattle on the tail. Scales are keeled. These snakes are gray, brown, olive-green, golden, reddish brown, tan or yellow. They also have dark blotches. The underbelly is pale. Juveniles have a bright yellow tail with no rattle.
Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri)
Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes are about 30 - 44 inches long, but can grow as long as 54 inches with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, and keeled scales. These snakes are brown or olive and are marked by dark blotches. Their underbelly is pale. Juveniles have no rattle and a yellow tail.
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnakes are about 1 - 4 feet in length with elliptical pupils and keeled scales. These snakes are grey, brown, olive, tan, or yellow and are marked by diamond-shaped dark blotches on their backs.
Mojave Desert Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes cerastes)
Mojave Desert Sidewinders are about 17 - 33 inches long with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, and keeled scales. It looks like they have “horns” on their eyes. These snakes are cream, tan, brown, pink, or gray in color and are marked by dark blotches on their backs.
Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber)
Red Diamond Rattlesnakes are about 2 - 4.5 feet long with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, and keeled scales. These snakes are pink, red, tan,or brown. Diamond-shaped blotches, Their underbelly is usually yellow and unmarked.
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus)
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes are about 2 - 3.5 feet long with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, and keeled scales. These snakes are off-white, yellow, gray, tan, pink, orange, or brown.
Panamint Rattlesnake (Crotalus stephensi)
Panamint Rattlesnakes are about 2 - 3 feet long with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, and keeled scales. These snakes are tan, yellow, orange, gray, off-white, or brown marked by dark speckled bands.
Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus)
Great Basin Rattlesnakes are about 3 - 4 feet long with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, keeled scales, and a rattle on their tail. These snakes are grey, tan, or yellow in color abd are marked by dark blotches. Their underbelly is pale.
Northern Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus)
Northern Mojave Rattlesnakes are about 24 - 51 inches long with a heavy body, elliptical pupils, and keeled scales. These snakes are a greenish gray, yellow, tan, olive green or brown. They have dark diamond-shaped markings and a rattle on their tales.
NON VENOMOUS:
California Red-Sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis)
California Red-Sided Garter Snakes are about 18 - 55 inches in length with large dark eyes, keeled scales, and stripes. Their heads are a red or orange color and their underbelly is a blue gray and may have dark markings.
California King Snake (Lampropeltis californiae)
California King Snakes are about 2.5 - 3.5 feet long with smooth scales. These snakes have alternating bands of yellow, black, brown, and white; including their underbelly.
Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer)
The Pacific Gopher Snake is about 2.5 - 9 feet long and has heavily keeled scales. These snakes are a tan color with large dark blotches. Their underbelly is cream to yellow with dark spots.
Ring-Necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
The Ring-Necked Snake is usually 6-7 inches long, but they can grow as long as 10 inches. These snakes are black or gray with a yellow or orange ring around their neck. Underbelly may be red, yellow, or orange with a row of dark half-moons down the middle. Smooth scaled.
California Striped Racer (Coluber lateralis lateralis)
The California Striped Racer is about 30 - 48 inches long, sometimes 60 inches long with a thin body, large eyes, and smooth scales. These snakes are olive brown, gray, or black in color and are marked by 2 pale yellow or cream stripes. Their underbelly is cream or pale yellow with pink near the tail.
Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
The Common Garter Snake is usually 1.5-2 feet long, but they can grow as long as 4 feet with a thin body and round pupils. These snakes are olive, yellow, black and gray and are marked by three yellow stripes. Between the stripes are dark rows of blotches similar to a checkerboard pattern. Scales are keeled.
Western Yellow-Bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon)
Western Yellow-Bellied Racers are under 3 feet long with a slender body, large eyes, and smooth scales. These snakes are a solid brown, blue gray, or olive color. Their underbelly is pale yellow or white with no markings.
Common Sharp-Tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
The Common Sharp-Tailed Snake is about 18 inches long with a thin body and a sharp pointed tail. These snakes are olive, gray or brown marked by dark or orange colored flecks and blotches.
Two-striped Gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii)
The Two-Striped Garter Snake is about 14 - 40 inches long with a medium body and keeled scales. These snakes are olive, brown, or dark gray in color. Their underbelly is a pale orange yellow.
San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia)
The San Francisco Garter Snake is about 18 - 55 inches long with keeled scales and large eyes and are marked by red, green, yellowish, blue stripes. Their underbelly is a blue green.
California Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans occidentalis)
The California Glossy Snake is about 3 - 4 feet long with a muscular body and smooth glossed scales. These snakes are tan or light brown in color and are marked by dark blotches. Their underbelly is pale.
Desert Striped Whip Snake (Coluber taeniatus taeniatus)
The Desert Striped Whip Snake is about 24 - 67 inches long with a thin body, large eyes and smooth scales. These snakes are brown, olive, black, or dark gray which fades to yellow or pink near the tail.
California Night Snake (Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha nuchalata)
California Night Snakes are about 12 - 26 inches with a long slender body, smooth scales, and vertical pupils. These snakes are light gray, beige, tan, cream, or light brown and are marked with dark brown or gray blotches. Their underbelly is usually white or yellow.
Alameda Striped Racer - (Coluber lateralis euryxanthus)
Alameda Striped Racers are about 3 - 4 feet long and can grow as long as 5 feet with a thin body, large eyes, and smooth scales. These snakes are dark in color with a wide solid yellowish orange stripes. Their underbelly is cream with pink or orange near the tail.
Rosy Boa (Lichanura orcutti)
The Rosy Boa are about 17 - 44 inches long with a heavy body and smooth glossy scales. Vertical pupils. Orange, brown, red, or rust colored stripes. The underbelly is usually dark and may be marked with speckles and flecks.
Variable Ground Snake (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata)
Variable Ground Snakes are about 8 - 12 inches with a round body and glossy smooth scales. These snakes can be striped, banded, or solid in color.
Mountain Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans elegans)
Mountain Garter Snakes are about 8 - 43 inches long with a slender body and keeled scales. Their coloring can be brown, black, or dark olive. They also have 3 yellow, orange, or white stripes. Underside is pale with few, if any, markings.