The Night Snake (Hypsiglena family) is a small, harmless and technically venomous snake that inhabits most of Baja California. Near La Ventana, we have three species: the Cape Night Snake, the Baja California Night Snake and the Coast Night Snake. They are all relatively similar.
The picture below is of a Coast Night Snake that I found in mid January. It can be difficult to tell night snakes apart and I can only offer limited help. The Coast Night Snake is the most common, and the Baja California Night Snake typically has more spots of dark brown and is slightly larger than the other two.When I said “technically venomous,” I was talking about how these snakes are rear-fanged with a weak venom that is just strong enough to help subdue its prey (small lizards, snakes and frogs). They are reluctant to bite, and completely harmless to humans and pets. Similarly, the most well-known snakes in North America, garter snakes, are also mildly venomous in this way and pose absolutely no threat to humans.