Snakes in Jamul, California

Jamul is a small city just east of San Diego. The natural habitats around the city are home to 22 of the state's over 80 species and subspecies of snake. The native snake species vary greatly in size and appearance. Most of the snakes in the area are harmless to humans but three are considered venomous.

  1. Large Snakes

    • Of the snakes native to San Diego County, found near the city of Jamul, eight grow in excess of 4 feet. The largest native snake is the red racer, which grows to 102 inches in length. Almost as long, at around 85 inches, are the San Diego gopher snake and the Californian king snake. The California glossy snake and the yellow-bellied racer both grow over 70 inches in length. The remaining three large-snake species range from 48 to 65 inches in length and are the California mountain king snake, San Diego mountain king snake and long-nosed snake.

    Medium-Size Snakes

    • Of the 22 native snake species in San Diego County, seven are medium size, ranging between 2 and 4 feet in length. The California striped racer grows between 40 and 48 inches in length. The coastal rosy boa, Baja California lyre snake, coast patched-nose and desert patched-nose snakes are just a few inches shorter, at 44 to 46 inches in length. The other two medium-sized species are the two-striped garter snake that grows to 40 inches and the San Diego ring-necked snake that grows to 34 inches.

    Small Snakes

    • Of San Diego County's snake species, four rarely grow to more than 2 feet in length. The northern desert night snake and the San Diego night snake grow to around 2 feet. The southwestern threadsnake grows to between 7 and 16 inches in length. The smallest snake species in the area is the western black-headed snake. It is slender-bodied and grows to between 3 and 15 inches in length.

    Venomous Snakes

    • Those living in or around Jamul in San Diego County may come into contact with three venomous snake species. The southwestern speckled rattlesnake is a thick-bodied, venomous snake that grows to between 23 and 52 inches in length. The southern pacific rattlesnake is one of two subspecies of the western rattlesnake found in the area; the other is the red diamond rattler. The southwestern pacific is the smallest at between 30 to 44 inches in length. The red diamond is the largest local rattlesnake and grows to between 30 and 65 inches in length.