California King Snake arrives at Seaview Wildlife!

Image shows our new California King Snake

Jake Cousin works full-time as an Animal Keeper/Presenter at Seaview Wildlife Encounter; however, on one of his two days off each week Jake volunteers at the RSPCA on the Island where he's involved with various projects including the rescue of both wild and domesticated animals. Recently the IOW RSPCA rescued a California King Snake - possibly lost or released by a hobbyist. These snakes are not native to the UK and therefore cannot be allowed to breed in the wild. Fortunately, we had just recently decided to increase our reptile collection at Seaview Wildlife Encounter - so when we heard about the newcomer we requested 'first option' on him!


Image shows Jake Cousins introducing our new California King Snake to 'his' temporary abode until his new vivarium in the Reptile Display area is ready for his relocation.


In the wild, the California King Snake is found in most of California and Arizona. It is a non-poisonous snake that loops around, constricts and squeezes its prey until it suffocates. That sounds quite threatening (and it is if you're an unsuspecting rodent, small reptile, bird or amphibian!), but they are non-venomous and make popular pets amongst human hobbyists! As adults these snakes average three to four and a half feet in length (1 - 1.4 metres), but can sometimes grow to five feet or more. Their girth measurement grows to about 5 inches in diameter.