RossCA
06-25-12, 08:43 PM
This year I paired up 5 of my locality CA king females. At the moment I have 4 different locales, but only bred 2 of them this year. One of the locales are a trio of wild caught "Grease kings" from the famous Long Beach field. Well, famous to the locals of Southern CA. The other locale is from West Los Angeles, which has become famous in the past several years for producing 3 different genetic morphs. I bred all 3 of those morphs this year.
I will start of with the now famous oil field in Long Beach CA, which is known for producing hypermelanistic kings. A lot of people consider these kings ugly, by cal king standards, but what makes these desirable is the fact they are a rarely seen morph in the wild and only found at a few locales in LA and Orange Co., because of the limited amount of habitat left in one of the most populated areas in the country. One particular oil field in Long Beach has produced many hypermelanistic kings in the past and has become well known through word of mouth, which I'm sure was not intended by the guys the first laid boards out in that field, but they just had to show their friends, and you know what that leads to. Everybody and their mom visiting the field on a regular basis. lol I can't blame them, though, there is something very special about finding snakes in a small area set aside and protected from development in the middle of a huge city. Recently they have started making big changes in this field. They have torn down old abandon buildings, and cleared out huge areas that were cemented. They also appear to be making a park and planted a community garden where I found my first Cal king there. I have no idea what is in store for this area, but it looks like it will soon be cut down to a much smaller size, or be developed completely.
An areal view. You can see boards spread out everywhere.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7444809798_1efe1d4e06_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444809798/)
lbc (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444809798/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
Recently me and my friend visited the oil field, and many of the boards that were once there, are now gone for one reason or another. The covered on big area with compose and one area is now a fenced in garden where I found my first hypermelanistic kingsnake.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7365507898_77b526a297_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7365507898/)
Photo-0718 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7365507898/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
Here's the first hypermelanistic king I found in 2006. This is a male.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/6881832038_0a95ceb113_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/6881832038/)
Grease king (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/6881832038/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
I bred him this year to this female I found in 2006. As you can see, she looks quite different from the male. The top part of her light bands have darkened considerably as soon as she matured. Both were found as babies.
http://www.herpwiki.com/photo/1798-large-lampropeltis_getula_californiae.jpg
Here they are paired up this spring.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7311881552_07b2723c83_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7311881552/)
Grease kings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7311881552/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
The female gravid and ready to pop. lol
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7444655214_6bd849370d_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444655214/)
IMG_7663 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444655214/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
After 40 days she laid 9 eggs.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7444957984_ffaf22c420_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444957984/)
IMG_7675 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444957984/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
I also bred the male to a wild caught female my friend found and gave to me. She is not considered hypermelanistic by most herpers that have hunted that field, but her head pattern is darker than your normal king.
http://www.herpwiki.com/photo/1799-large-lampropeltis_getula_californiae.jpg
I will start of with the now famous oil field in Long Beach CA, which is known for producing hypermelanistic kings. A lot of people consider these kings ugly, by cal king standards, but what makes these desirable is the fact they are a rarely seen morph in the wild and only found at a few locales in LA and Orange Co., because of the limited amount of habitat left in one of the most populated areas in the country. One particular oil field in Long Beach has produced many hypermelanistic kings in the past and has become well known through word of mouth, which I'm sure was not intended by the guys the first laid boards out in that field, but they just had to show their friends, and you know what that leads to. Everybody and their mom visiting the field on a regular basis. lol I can't blame them, though, there is something very special about finding snakes in a small area set aside and protected from development in the middle of a huge city. Recently they have started making big changes in this field. They have torn down old abandon buildings, and cleared out huge areas that were cemented. They also appear to be making a park and planted a community garden where I found my first Cal king there. I have no idea what is in store for this area, but it looks like it will soon be cut down to a much smaller size, or be developed completely.
An areal view. You can see boards spread out everywhere.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7444809798_1efe1d4e06_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444809798/)
lbc (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444809798/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
Recently me and my friend visited the oil field, and many of the boards that were once there, are now gone for one reason or another. The covered on big area with compose and one area is now a fenced in garden where I found my first hypermelanistic kingsnake.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7365507898_77b526a297_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7365507898/)
Photo-0718 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7365507898/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
Here's the first hypermelanistic king I found in 2006. This is a male.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/6881832038_0a95ceb113_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/6881832038/)
Grease king (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/6881832038/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
I bred him this year to this female I found in 2006. As you can see, she looks quite different from the male. The top part of her light bands have darkened considerably as soon as she matured. Both were found as babies.
http://www.herpwiki.com/photo/1798-large-lampropeltis_getula_californiae.jpg
Here they are paired up this spring.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7311881552_07b2723c83_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7311881552/)
Grease kings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7311881552/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
The female gravid and ready to pop. lol
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7444655214_6bd849370d_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444655214/)
IMG_7663 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444655214/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
After 40 days she laid 9 eggs.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7444957984_ffaf22c420_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444957984/)
IMG_7675 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deserthunterscal_kings/7444957984/) by RossAZ480 (http://www.flickr.com/people/deserthunterscal_kings/), on Flickr
I also bred the male to a wild caught female my friend found and gave to me. She is not considered hypermelanistic by most herpers that have hunted that field, but her head pattern is darker than your normal king.
http://www.herpwiki.com/photo/1799-large-lampropeltis_getula_californiae.jpg