Eastern Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Lampropeltis, Species: L. getula
Eastern and southeastern United States, ranging from New Jersey south to Florida and west to southeastern Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and east Texas.
Look up Eastern Kingsnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Lampropeltis, Species: L. getula
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face declines primarily due to habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and the pet trade.
Physical Description
Slender body with smooth scales, exhibiting dark black or dark brown coloration crossed by narrow, light yellow or white chain-like crossbands forming a distinctive reticulated pattern.
Size & Dimensions
The pictured specimen is a juvenile approximately 12 to 18 inches long. Adults typically range from 36 to 48 inches, with a maximum recorded length exceeding 82 inches.
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats including pine flatwoods, swamps, marshes, agricultural fields, prairies, and forested hillsides, often near water sources.
Diet & Feeding
Active forager feeding on rodents, birds, eggs, lizards, and other snakes, notably possessing an immunity to the defensive secretions of certain other serpentine species.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that typically mates in the spring (May to June) and lays clutches averaging 3 to 30 eggs in subterranean burrows, decaying logs, or loose soil during summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various water snake species (Nerodia) and other kingsnake variants; distinguished by smooth scales and distinctive chain-like light banding on a glossy dark background.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face declines primarily due to habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and the pet trade.
Cultural Significance
Highly regarded in folklore for immunity to certain regional defensive defenses and frequently appreciated by gardeners and agriculturalists for rodent control.
Notable Features
Famous for high resistance to constriction tactics and specialized dietary habits including predation on other serpents.