Snakes and spiders in Kern County, California
Kern County, home of Bakersfield, has 24 snake and 33 spider species on record, from 1,511 licensed snake and 381 spider records. Venomous species here: the western rattlesnake, the sidewinder, the Mohave rattlesnake, the Panamint rattlesnake, the western black widow, the desert recluse and the brown widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Kern County?
Yes. The western rattlesnake: 173 licensed records, 3% of all California records of it. The sidewinder: 101 licensed records, 5% of all California records of it. The Mohave rattlesnake: 97 licensed records, 23% of all California records of it. The Panamint rattlesnake: on record, no openly licensed records to count. The western black widow: 25 licensed records, 2% of all California records of it. The desert recluse: 6 licensed records, 15% of all California records of it. The brown widow: on record, no openly licensed records to count.
What snakes are in Kern County?
In all, 24 snake species are on the Kern County list. The most recorded are the gopher snake (269), the western aquatic garter snake (240) and the western rattlesnake (173).
| # | Species | Records | Share of California records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | 269 | 4% |
| 2 | Western aquatic garter snake Thamnophis couchii | 240 | 6% |
| 3 | Western rattlesnake venomous Crotalus oreganus | 173 | 3% |
| 4 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 112 | 10% |
| 5 | Sidewinder venomous Crotalus cerastes | 101 | 5% |
| 6 | Mohave rattlesnake venomous Crotalus scutulatus | 97 | 23% |
| 7 | Glossy snake Arizona elegans | 91 | 6% |
| 8 | Long-nosed snake Rhinocheilus lecontei | 86 | 8% |
| 9 | California kingsnake Lampropeltis californiae | 81 | 3% |
| 10 | Western shovel-nosed snake Sonora occipitalis | 50 | 3% |
| 11 | Northern rubber boa Charina bottae | 27 | 4% |
| 12 | Spotted leaf-nosed snake Phyllorhynchus decurtatus | 24 | 2% |
| 13 | Striped racer Masticophis lateralis | 23 | 2% |
| 14 | Western patch-nosed snake Salvadora hexalepis | 18 | 3% |
| 15 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 16 | 1% |
| 16 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 12 | 0% |
| 17 | Rosy boa Lichanura trivirgata | 11 | 3% |
| 18 | Western terrestrial garter snake Thamnophis elegans | 11 | 0% |
| 19 | California mountain kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata | 9 | 2% |
| 20 | Coast nightsnake Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus | 2 | 1% |
| 21 | Desert nightsnake Hypsiglena chlorophaea | 1 | 1% |
| 22 | Northern three-lined boa Lichanura orcutti | — | — |
| 23 | Panamint rattlesnake venomous Crotalus stephensi | — | — |
| 24 | Southern rubber boa Charina umbratica | — | — |
When are snakes out in Kern County?
Observation records of snakes in Kern County run mostly March through September, peaking in May with 30% of them, the same peak as California as a whole.
What spiders are in Kern County?
In all, 33 spider species are on the Kern County list. The most recorded are the western black widow (25), Drassyllus insularis (12) and Steatoda nobilis (12).
| # | Species | Records | Share of California records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | 25 | 2% |
| 2 | Drassyllus insularis | 12 | 6% |
| 3 | Steatoda nobilis | 12 | 1% |
| 4 | Habronattus tarsalis | 10 | 4% |
| 5 | Marbled cellar spider Holocnemus pluchei | 10 | 1% |
| 6 | Habronattus signatus | 9 | 6% |
| 7 | Koch's wolf spider Alopecosa kochi | 7 | 1% |
| 8 | Western lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris | 7 | 1% |
| 9 | Desert recluse venomous Loxosceles deserta | 6 | 15% |
| 10 | Bay Area blonde Aphonopelma iodius | 5 | 2% |
| 11 | McCook's split wolf spider Schizocosa mccooki | 4 | 2% |
| 12 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 3 | 0% |
| 13 | Colonus hesperus | 3 | 0% |
| 14 | Johnson jumper Phidippus johnsoni | 2 | 0% |
| 15 | Phidippus nikites | 2 | 6% |
| 16 | Ribbon jumping spider Metacyrba taeniola | 2 | 1% |
| 17 | Western parson spider Herpyllus propinquus | 2 | 1% |
| 18 | Buttonhook leafbeetle jumping spider Sassacus vitis | 1 | 0% |
| 19 | California red jumping spider Phidippus adumbratus | 1 | 1% |
| 20 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 1 | 0% |
| 21 | Hairy tufted jumping spider Phidippus comatus | 1 | 1% |
| 22 | Half-edged wall jumping spider Menemerus semilimbatus | 1 | 0% |
| 23 | Johnny Cash tarantula Aphonopelma johnnycashi | 1 | 3% |
| 24 | Western spotted orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis | 1 | 0% |
| 25 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | — | — |
| 26 | Brown widow venomous introduced Latrodectus geometricus | — | — |
| 27 | California flattened jumping spider Platycryptus californicus | — | — |
| 28 | Dysdera crocata | — | — |
| 29 | False black widow Steatoda grossa | — | — |
| 30 | Giant crab spider Olios giganteus | — | — |
| 31 | Habronattus pyrrithrix | — | — |
| 32 | Psilochorus utahensis | — | — |
| 33 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | — | — |
When are spiders out in Kern County?
Observation records of spiders in Kern County run mostly March through October, peaking in June with 18% of them; across California the peak is April.
What stands out in Kern County
Species for which Kern County holds a large share of all California records: the Mohave rattlesnake, 23% (97 of 430).
Common in California, not on the Kern County list
Among the snakes most recorded across California, these do not reach the county list: the aquatic garter snake (3,727 statewide) and the two-striped garter snake (1,620 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Kern County
Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the gopher snake. Coral snakes are not on the California list, but GBIF holds 3 coral snake records of any license in California (Sonoran coralsnake 3): treat any snake like this as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the long-nosed snake and the California mountain kingsnake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the false black widow and the triangulate bud spider.
Kern County among California counties
By licensed snake records Kern County ranks 14th of 58 California counties with any.
Other California counties with their own page: San Diego County, Lassen County, Shasta County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Humboldt County, Sonoma County and San Mateo County.
The whole state: venomous species in California, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.