Should i worry about this snake?

[Buddys mom]

I found this baby when clearing up the area near our chickens. It's no longer than a foot and does not have a diamond shaped head. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a head shot. Does anyone know what kind this is and if I should get rid of it or let it be.

 

[1cock2hens]

What color was the tip of the tail? I'm guessing a garter snake

 

[Buddys mom]

Kind of orange.

 

[Qwerty3159]

I don’t think it’s a garter.

Frankly I have no idea what kind of snake that is. I consider myself more familiar than the average person with the snakes of this country but I am stumped. There are only a few species with that striping that are from California, including ground snakes and California king snakes, but that looks like neither.

However, the only venomous snakes of California are all rattlesnakes, which this is definitely not, so I would say let it be. Certainly not a threat to chickens or humans.

 

[Buddys mom]

Yeah. I googled the heck out of it and couldn't come up with an answer. We have the Mojave Green rattler and my neighbor had one in her yard a few weeks ago but it doesn't look like that either.

 

[HeritageFan]

I’m -pretty sure- it’s a young king snake w an unusual morph-
King snakes come in LOTS of colors/ patterns.

I’ve never seen one that color, but here’s one w (kind) of a similar pattern-

 

[Buddys mom]

That might be it. It has the break in the middle of the pattern like that one. Maybe the color is different because we are in the desert.

 

[Qwerty3159]

I was thinking it might be a baby coachwhip (which is basically a desert version of the black racer) but the pattern isn’t quite correct for that either. I’m seconding the idea that is a color variation of king snake, which are also harmless and great to have around as they spend a lot of time eating other snakes (including venomous ones)

 

[Buddys mom]

Ok. Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[Krugerrand]

Hard to tell from the picture. The skin looks so dull, I'm wondering if it was about to molt.