King Snake? Cross?

[Barbcorn]

Hi guys, I'm new here. My friend passed away and I took his beloved snake, Barbara. I'm told she's a King snake but I can't seem to identify her morph and she doesn't really look like a King snake to my untrained eye. I thought I would post a photo or two of her and see what you guys think she is! She is a bit over 3.5 feet. She moves so fast so bear with these photos ha :) Thank you for your help!
She's such a doll

[hondo-dan]

Sorry for the loss of your friend. I'm no expert either but I'd lean more toward a pine or bull snake of some sort.

[BIGT FROM F.B.]

Looks like a Gopher Snake to me.

[millertime89]

I can kinda see Gopher but the facial markings are off. Can you get a full body shot?

Sorry for your loss. It really sucks losing someone you're close with.

[FWK]

Also sorry for your loss.

I'm a bit stumped on this one, Colubrid morphs frustrate me. It is not a Pit, the head is all wrong and Pits have a rather pronounced rostral scale that this animal does not demonstrate. My gut says it is a Rat Snake, perhaps some sort of Anrey Corn Snake morph? There are hundreds of Corn Snake morphs these days. It could be a King but the head just seems a bit to long and distinict from the neck, and it appears to be moving through your hands like a Rat Snake. I could swear I've seen this color/pattern combo before but I just can't put my finger on it. If I had the animal in hand I could tell you instantly rather it was a King or Rat, the physical differences are very obvious once you handle a few of each. The easiest way for you to be 100% sure would be to check the anal scale, a Rats anal scale is divided a Kings anal scale is single. I certainly wouldn't complain about seeing more pictures either, we love pictures and it looks to be a very good looking critter. Welcome to the forum :)

[pdomensis]

it appears to be moving through your hands like a Rat Snake.

I'd love to hear more about the different ways various colubrid species move through human hands. :bouncy:

[sharthun]

Very interesting snake!

[FWK]

I'd love to hear more about the different ways various colubrid species move through human hands. :bouncy:

If this is sarcasm it eludes me. I'm not really sure how to explain this other than to say Rat Snakes can articulate their body much more finely than Kings. A Rat Snake will move fluidly through your hands whereas a King is, relatively speaking, is more stiff. If you handle a few of each I'm sure you would understand what I'm getting at.

[CosmicOwl]

If this is sarcasm it eludes me. I'm not really sure how to explain this other than to say Rat Snakes can articulate their body much more finely than Kings. A Rat Snake will move fluidly through your hands whereas a King is, relatively speaking, is more stiff. If you handle a few of each I'm sure you would understand what I'm getting at.

Rat snakes are natural climbers with prehensile tails. When they're in your hands, they will usually have their tail wrapped around something as an anchor.

Edit: I think this could be a jungle corn(Corn x king snake), but the coloration looks off. Maybe a different species of king snake, instead of a cal king.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

The yellow head makes me think of a Russian Rat, but the body pattern seems off. More white than I'd expect for a Russian.

Desert King, maybe? Some of them can be yellow-y, but I'm not sure.

[Barbcorn]

Thanks for your sympathies, all :) Sorry for my ignorance but what is an anal scale? I've attached more pictures of her, but Barbara seems to really hate holding still, so i apologize that they are a bit blurry.

[MDT]

looks rat snake-ish to me, but i'm a python guy....

btw, the anal scale (or plate) is exactly what it sounds like :)
look down by the cloaca (where it poops). the scale that covers the cloaca (place where all the action takes place) is the anal scale/plate. it will either be a single scale or divided.

if you'd rather not get "that personal".....rat snakes have keeled (somewhat lightly though) covering their body and king snakes have smooth scales covering their body....

[millertime89]

Where are you located? Perhaps someone local to you would be willing to help you. Local groups have usually been my best resource when I've got a question that just can't be explained over the net.

[CosmicOwl]

I still think it's a jungle corn. Or perhaps an eastern milk snake with peculiar coloration. But the head shape/pattern and the yellow mouth make me think Jungle corn.

[moshirimon]

Hybrid. Mutt colubrid. Could be many things. If I had to guess what it was mixed with I'd say corn x king. (Jungle corn) as stated above

[FWK]

Rat snakes are natural climbers with prehensile tails. When they're in your hands, they will usually have their tail wrapped around something as an anchor.

Exactly. Rat Snakes also have a flat belly with well defined edges that allows them to hold onto uneven surfaces, say the bark of a tree or a brick wall. Kings are very round lol.

Edit: I think this could be a jungle corn(Corn x king snake), but the coloration looks off. Maybe a different species of king snake, instead of a cal king.

I had not considered a hybrid as a possibility but now that you mention it and after seeing the additional photos I'm inclined to agree.

looks rat snake-ish to me, but i'm a python guy....

btw, the anal scale (or plate) is exactly what it sounds like :)
look down by the cloaca (where it poops). the scale that covers the cloaca (place where all the action takes place) is the anal scale/plate. it will either be a single scale or divided.


^ this, but if it is a hybrid the anal scale would probably be inconclusive... Hybrids are beyond me, I've never handled one. I do not know what features would be passed down and which would not.

[BIGT FROM F.B.]

Now that I see the full pictures, it looks like a Ghost Corn/Eastern King cross to me.

[CosmicOwl]

Exactly. Rat Snakes also have a flat belly with well defined edges that allows them to hold onto uneven surfaces, say the bark of a tree or a brick wall. Kings are very round lol.



I had not considered a hybrid as a possibility but now that you mention it and after seeing the additional photos I'm inclined to agree.



^ this, but if it is a hybrid the anal scale would probably be inconclusive... Hybrids are beyond me, I've never handled one. I do not know what features would be passed down and which would not.
Rat snakes are very graceful and agile climbers. Perhaps more than some purely arboreal snakes. And they're always stronger than they would appear. They're just fun snakes to handle.

[Barbcorn]

Ok, so I have heard the term jungle king be tossed around in regards to her but the sources weren't too reputable. But this gives me confidence, it seems like she is probably corn x king cross. Thank you so much! I love this lil lady and Im glad I have some insight to what she is