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Two different encounters with what appears to be the same species of snake on the Osmanthus trail. The first picture shows three snakes from the second encounter and the second picture shows two snakes from the first encounter. All the snakes appear to be 24” (63.5 cm) or more.

Video: https://youtu.be/J1QCjOmIcf0

Consorting pair with some caterwauling and scraping at a well-used community scrape.

The female is "Mira" (NE 195), a resident female/mother observed in this general area since the Spring of 2022 and mother of at least one previous litter.

The male is NE 201 (ear tag) "7" (yellow number tag on collar), only observed in this area since Dec 2023 (or least identifiable by tag/collar since that time); my only two prior observations of "7" were both at this particular community scrape.

Timing of this consorting/possible mating activity would correspond with the earlier end of the breeding pulse in the West (Feb through July), corresponding with the May through Oct birth pulse (avg gestation of ~ 92 days) (Logan and Sweanor, in Hornocker and Negri, Cougar Ecology and Conservation, Chapter 8).

HP-5

Speckled kingsnake (or Desert?) wrapped around a Prairie kingsnake... intergrade breeding or defending of territory...??? The prairie ks was much smaller than the speckled ks. Grateful to notice this before getting too close to disturb them.

This individual, like the previous animal, was also a juvenile specimen, found under very similar conditions with a 25 degree day followed by a quick cooling after dark. The night I found thi
s guy I site another 2 with the same area

85 degrees (maybe slightly cooler) at about 5,000 feet elevation at 4:50pm. Chocolate colored, green-eyed, young panamint crossing a backcountry road in Death Valley. Chapstick for reference of its’ size.