Kingsnakes are

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

members of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Lampropeltis'', which includes 26

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

. Among these, about 45

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagous in diet.

Description

Kingsnakes vary widely in size and coloration. They can be as small as 24" (61cm) or as long as 60" (152cm). Some kingsnakes are colored in muted browns to black, while others are brightly marked in white, reds, yellows, grays, and lavenders that form rings, longitudinal stripes, speckles, and saddle-shaped bands. Most kingsnakes have quite vibrant patterns. Some species, such as the scarlet kingsnake, Mexican milk snake, and

red milk snake ''Lampropeltis triangulum syspila'', commonly known as the red milk snake or red milksnake, is a subspecies of the milk snake ''(Lampropeltis triangulum)''. The nonvenomous, colubrid snake is indigenous to the central United States. Geographi ...

, have coloration and patterning that can cause them to be confused with the highly venomous

coral snake Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera (''Calliophis'', ''Hemibungarus ...

s. One of the

mnemonic A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding. Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and image ...

rhymes to help people distinguish between coral snakes and their nonvenomous lookalikes in the United States is "red on black, a friend of Jack; red on yellow, kill a fellow". Other variations include "red on yellow kill a fellow, red on black venom lack", and referencing the order of traffic lights "yellow, red, stop!" All these mnemonics apply only to the three species of coral snakes native to the southern United States: ''

Micrurus fulvius ''Micrurus fulvius'', commonly known as the eastern coral snake, Behler John L.; King, F. Wayne (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 color plates. LCCCN 7 ...

'' (the eastern or common coral snake), ''

Micrurus tener ''Micrurus tener'', commonly known as the Texas coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to the southern United States and northeastern and central Mexico. Five subspecies are recognized as bein ...

'' (the Texas coral snake), and '' Micruroides euryxanthus'' (the Arizona coral snake). Coral snakes found in other parts of the world can have distinctly different patterns, such as having red bands touching black bands, having only pink and blue bands, or having no bands at all.

Etymology

''Lampropeltis'' includes the Greek words for "shiny shield": ("shiny") + (" ''peltē'' shield") + (a Latin suffix). The name is given to them in reference to their smooth, enamel-like

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publ ...

. The "king" in the common name (as with the king cobra) refers to its preying on other snakes.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic reclassification of the kingsnakes is an ongoing process and different sources often disagree, one source granting full species status to a group of these snakes that another source considers a subspecies group. In the case of ''L. catalinensis'', for example, only a single specimen exists, so classification is not necessarily finite. In addition,

hybridization Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

between species with overlapping geographic ranges is not uncommon, confusing taxonomists further.

Range

Kingsnakes are native to North America, where they are found all over the United States and into Mexico. This genus has adapted to a wide variety of habitats, including tropical forests, shrublands, and deserts.

Predators

Kingsnakes are often preyed upon by large vertebrates, such as

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although m ...

s also sometimes prey on them; however, a considerable threat also comes from other kingsnakes. All species of kingsnakes are known snake- and reptile-eaters, and likely won't turn down a chance to prey on their local competitors.

Behavior and diet

Kingsnakes are primarily terrestrial, but they are also known to be capable climbers and swimmers. Kingsnakes use

constriction Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill or subdue their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom. The snake i ...

to kill their prey and tend to be opportunistic in their diet. They're known to seek out and eat other snakes (

ophiophagy Ophiophagy (Greek "snake eating") is a specialized form of feeding or alimentary behavior of animals which hunt and eat snakes. There are ophiophagous mammals (such as the skunks and the mongooses), birds (such as snake eagles, the secretarybird ...

), including

venomous snake Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...

s, like

rattlesnakes Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera '' Crotalus'' and '' Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small an ...

, cottonmouths, and copperheads. Some known non-venomous prey species of the kingsnake include

gopher snake ''Pituophis'' is a genus of non venomous colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes, which are endemic to North America. Geographic range Species and subspecies within the genus ''Pituophis'' are found t ...

s, corn snakes, bullsnakes, garter snakes,

rosy boa ''Lichanura'', the rosy boas, are a genus of snakes in the family Boidae. They are distributed across the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in ...

, water snakes, and

brown snakes Brown snake may refer to: * species of the genus ''Pseudonaja'', highly venomous snakes native to Australia * species of the genus '' Rhadinaea'', the graceful brown snakes, snakes endemic to North America and Central America * species of the genus ...

. Kingsnakes also eat many species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia altho ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s, and eggs.Conant, Roger (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 429 pp.
(paperback). (Genus ''Lampropeltis'', p. 201.) The

common kingsnake ''Lampropeltis getula'', commonly known as the eastern kingsnake, Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. (First published in 1958). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 42 ...

is known to be immune to the venom of other snakes and does eat

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small an ...

s, but it is not necessarily immune to the venom of snakes from different localities. Kingsnakes such as the

California kingsnake The California kingsnake (''Lampropeltis californiae'') is a nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the western United States and northern Mexico, and is found in a variety of habitats. Due to ease of care and a wide range of color variations, the ...

can exert twice as much constriction force relative to body size as

rat snake Rat snakes are members – along with kingsnakes, milk snakes, vine snakes and indigo snakes – of the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. They are medium to large constrictors and are found throughout much of the Northern Hemi ...

s and pythons. Scientists believe that such strong coils may be an adaptation to eating snakes, and other reptile prey, which can endure lower blood-oxygen levels before asphyxiating.

List of kingsnake species and subspecies

Kingsnake species and subspecies include (listed here alphabetically by specific and subspecific name): *Guatemalan milk snake, '' Lampropeltis abnorma'' ( Bocourt, 1886) *

Gray-banded kingsnake The gray-banded kingsnake (''Lampropeltis alterna''), sometimes referred to as the alterna or the Davis Mountain king snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and ...

, ''Lampropeltis alterna'' ( A. E. Brown, 1901) *Mexican milk snake, '' Lampropeltis annulata'' Kennicott, 1860 *

, ''Lampropeltis californiae'' ( Blainville, 1835) *Prairie kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis calligaster'' ( Harlan, 1827) *Santa Catalina Island kingsnake, ''Lampropeltis catalinensis'' ( Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921) * Scarlet kingsnake or scarlet milk snake, ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' ( Holbrook, 1838) *Short-tailed snake, '' Lampropeltis extenuata'' ( R.E. Brown, 1890) *Central Plains milk snake, ''Lampropeltis gentilis'' ( Baird & Girard, 1853) *Common kingsnake, ''

Lampropeltis getula ''Lampropeltis getula'', commonly known as the eastern kingsnake, Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. (First published in 1958). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 42 ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1766) **Brooks' kingsnake, '' L. g. brooksi'' Barbour, 1919 **

Florida kingsnake ''Lampropeltis getula floridana'' or the Florida kingsnake is a snake subspecies native to southern Florida. On average, they grow between 3.5–5 ft but 6 ft individuals have been recorded. Care Like other kingsnakes, this species i ...

, ''L. g. floridana'' (

Blanchard Blanchard is a French family name. It is also used as a given name. It derives from the Old French word ''blanchart'' which meant "whitish, bordering upon white". It is also an obsolete term for a white horse. Geographical distribution As of 2014, ...

, 1919) **Eastern kingsnake, '' L. g. getula'' (Linnaeus, 1766) ** Apalachicola Lowlands kingsnake, '' L. g. meansi'' Krysko & Judd, 2006 **

Mexican black kingsnake The Mexican black kingsnake (''Lampropeltis getula nigrita'') is part of the larger colubrid family of snakes, and a subspecies of the common kingsnake, which is debated by herpetologists to contain as many as 10 unique varieties.Wilson, Don (200 ...

, ''L. g. nigrita'' Zweifel & Norris, 1955 *Greer's kingsnake, ''Lampropeltis greeri'' (

Webb Webb most often refers to James Webb Space Telescope which is named after James E. Webb, second Administrator of NASA. It may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Webb Glacier (South Georgia) * Webb Glacier (Victoria Land) * Webb Névé, Victor ...

, 1961) *

Speckled kingsnake The speckled kingsnake (''Lampropeltis holbrooki'') is a nonvenomous species of kingsnake endemic to the United States. Description The speckled kingsnake usually grows up to in total length (including tail), but the record total length is . ...

, ''Lampropeltis holbrooki'' Stejneger, 1902 *Madrean mountain kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis knoblochi'' Taylor, 1940 *Nuevo León kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis leonis'' ( Günther, 1893) *Mexican kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis mexicana'' (

Garman Garman is a surname or first name. Notable people with the name include: Sports * Ann Garman, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Judi Garman (born 1954), American softball coach * Mike Garman (born 1949), American baseball pl ...

, 1884) *Ecuadorian milk snake, ''

Lampropeltis micropholis ''Lampropeltis micropholis'', commonly known as the Ecuadorian milk snake, is a species of milk snake. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and possibly Venezuela. References * {{Taxonbar, from=Q18618730 micropholis ''M ...

'' Cope, 1860 *Black kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis nigra'' (

Yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal. The ...

, 1882) *South Florida mole kingsnake, ''

Lampropeltis occipitolineata ''Lampropeltis occipitolineata'', commonly known as the south Florida mole kingsnake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. Wit ...

Price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...

, 1987 *Central American milk snake, ''Lampropeltis polyzona'' Cope, 1860 *Arizona mountain kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis pyromelana'' (

Cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A c ...

, 1866) **Utah mountain kingsnake, ''L. p. infralabialis'' W. Tanner, 1953 **Arizona mountain kingsnake, ''L. p. pyromelana'' (Cope, 1866) *Mole kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis rhombomaculata'' (Holbrook, 1840) *Ruthven's kingsnake, ''

Lampropeltis ruthveni ''Lampropeltis ruthveni'' (common name: Ruthven's kingsnake) is a species of kingsnake in the family Colubridae. The species was described by Frank N. Blanchard in 1920 and named after American herpetologist Alexander Grant Ruthven. Beolens B, ...

'' (Blanchard, 1920) *Desert kingsnake, '' Lampropeltis splendida'' (Baird & Girard, 1853) * Milk snake, ''Lampropeltis triangulum'' ( Lacépède, 1789) *'' Lampropeltis webbi'' Bryson,

Dixon Dixon may refer to: Places International * Dixon Entrance, part of the Inside Passage between Alaska and British Columbia Canada * Dixon, Ontario United States * Dixon, California * Dixon, Illinois * Dixon, Greene County, Indiana * Dixon, In ...

& Lazcano, 2005 *

California mountain kingsnake The California mountain kingsnake (''Lampropeltis zonata'') is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake that is endemic to North America. It is a coral snake mimic, having a similar pattern consisting of red, black, and yellow on its body, but the ...

, ''Lampropeltis zonata'' ( Lockington, 1876 ''ex'' Blainville, 1835) **San Pedro kingsnake, ''L. z. agalma'' (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923) **Todos Santos Island kingsnake, ''L. z. herrerae'' (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923) **Sierra Nevada mountain kingsnake, ''L. z. multicincta'' (Yarrow, 1882) **Coast Ranges mountain kingsnake, ''L. z. multifasciata'' (Bocourt, 1886) **San Bernardino mountain kingsnake, ''L. z. parvirubra'' Zweifel, 1952 ** San Diego mountain kingsnake, ''L. z. pulchra'' Zweifel, 1952 **Saint Helena mountain kingsnake, ''L. z. zonata'' (Lockington, 1876 ''ex'' Blainville, 1835) Additionally, Pyron and Burbrink have argued that the

short-tailed snake The short-tailed snake (''Lampropeltis extenuata'') is a small harmless colubrid snake. Fossorial and seldom seen, it is found only in sandy, upland parts of Florida where it is listed as Threatened and is protected by state law. Etymology The ...

(''Stilosoma extenuatum'') (Brown, 1890) should be included in ''Lampropeltis''. Pyron, R. Alexander; Frank T. Burbrink (2009). "Neogene diversification and taxonomic stability in the snake tribe Lampropeltini (Serpentes: Colubridae)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 52(#2):524-529.

References

External links

Desert USA: Common KingsnakeCommon Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula
Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1364033 Lampropeltis Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger