Lampropeltis Calligaster
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''Lampropeltis calligaster'' is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
kingsnake Kingsnakes are Colubridae, colubrid New World members of the genus ''Lampropeltis'', which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagy, ophiophagous in diet. Description Kingsnakes ...
known commonly as the prairie kingsnake or yellow-bellied kingsnake.


Geographic range

Prairie kingsnakes are found across 13 states in the
midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
and
southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
.


Description

Prairie kingsnakes are light brown or grey-brown in color, with dark reddish-brown blotching down the
dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...
length of their bodies. Their
ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
side is pale or yellowish. They are capable of growing to lengths of 76–110 cm (30–43 in), with males longer and heavier on average than females. They are easily mistaken for some species of
colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. Colu ...
snakes of the
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Pantherophis ''Pantherophis'' is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes endemic to central and eastern regions of North America. It consists of the North American ratsnakes, the fox snake, foxsnakes, and the cornsnakes. The genus, which contains 10 recognize ...
'', which can have similar markings. Dorsal marking may fade with age. The mole kingsnake (''Lampropeltis rhombomaculata'') and the South Florida mole kingsnake (''Lampropeltis occipitolineata'') were previously considered subspecies, but DNA analysis found them to be distinct species.


Etymology

The generic name, ''Lampropeltis'', is derived from Greek ''Lampro''s, meaning "shiny", and ''pelta'', meaning "shield", likely in reference to the genus' smooth and shiny dorsal scales. The specific name, ''calligaster'', is derived from Greek ''Kallos'', for "beauty", and ''gaster'', for "belly".


Diet

Fitch (1978) found that prairie voles were most commonly consumed, but prairie kingsnakes also ate other small mammals, reptiles, and northern bobwhite eggs. Prairie kingsnakes are nonvenomous constrictors, so they coil around their prey and suffocate it until dead.


Behavior

They are typically docile. Like most colubrids, if harassed they will shake their tail, which, if in dry
leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall, or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that has fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituen ...
, can sound like a
rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genus, 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 sm ...
. They are not typically prone to biting and may excrete a foul-smelling
musk Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. ' ...
if handled. In central Illinois, they emerge from hibernation in late March and enter hibernation mid-October. Females maintain an average body temperature nearly two degrees
Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale "Celsius temperature scale, also called centigrade temperature scale, scale based on 0 ° for the melting point of water and 100 ° for the boiling point ...
higher than males, which may help females grow faster, reach earlier reproductive maturity, or develop larger clutch sizes. When aboveground, prairie kingsnakes can maintain an average body temperature that is similar regardless of whether they are exposed or under cover, indicating that they can
thermoregulate Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...
under cover while being concealed from predators. Richardson et al. (2006) radio-tracked prairie kingsnakes in Illinois and found that they were usually underground during the day, so they are probably mostly
nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...
. Richardson et al. (2006) also found that
home range A home range is the area in which an animal lives and moves on a periodic basis. It is related to the concept of an animal's territory which is the area that is actively defended. The concept of a home range was introduced by W. H. Burt in 1943. ...
s of male prairie kingsnakes averaged over four times larger than those of females, home ranges often included the individual's hibernation site, and home ranges were the same from one year to the next. Males and females move with the same frequency and travel equivalent distances per move. Prairie kingsnakes may use road embankments, rock ledges, and mammal burrows in grasslands that are indistinguishable from those used throughout their active period to individually hibernate.


Habitat

Prairie kingsnakes primarily use
prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
,
pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...
, and
shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
s, less often use forests, and appear to never use croplands or cross roads, which may fragment their habitat and be barriers to movement. They will also use edges between grasslands and roads or forests, especially females that may use warmer road edges to help with egg production.


Reproduction

Many adult females do not breed within a given year. Egg laying has been reported in June through July, with clutch sizes averaging 10 eggs that hatch in late August or September. Prairie kingsnakes often double in length during their first year of life and reach
sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans, it is related to both puberty and adulthood. ''Puberty'' is the biological process of sexual maturation, while ''adulthood'', the condition of being socially recognized ...
after two to three years.


References


Prairie Kingsnake
Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa {{DEFAULTSORT:Lampropeltis Calligaster calligaster Endemic reptiles of the United States Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the Southeastern United States Reptiles described in 1827 Taxa named by Richard Harlan