Common Kingsnake

Breeding:
Mates’ mid-March (Florida) to June. Clutches of  3-24 creamy with to yellowish
elongated eggs, 1 ¼ - 2 ¾ “ long, are laid mid-May (Florida) to August. Incubation lasts 8 ½ - 11 ½ weeks, depending on temperature. Hatchlings are 9 – 12” long.

Habitat:
Diverse: New Jersey pine barrens to Florida Everglades; dry rocky wooded hillsides to river swamps and coastal marshes, and prairie, desert, and chaparral; sea level to 6,900’.

Range:
S. New Jersey to s. Florida, west to se. Oregon and s. California, south to s. Baja
California and Zacatecas, México.

Subspecies:
Eastern chocolate brown to black with bold light chainlike pattern, 21 scale rows; s. New Jersey to n. Florida, west to extreme e. West North Carolina, and s. Alabama.
California, chocolate brown to black with bold light cross bands or a back stripe, 23-25
scale rows; sw. Oregon south to extreme s. Baja California, east to s. Utah and w.
Arizona. Florida, scales tipped with chocolate brown, yellowish at base, chainlike pattern of narrow crossbands, often obscure, 23 scale rows; c. and s. Florida; isolated population in Duval and Baker counties, ne. Florida.
Speckled, dark brown or black scales with central light spot, remnants of crossbands
present, 21 scale rows; s. Iowa and w. Illinois south to e. Texas, Mississippi, and c. and sw. Alabama.
Black, shiny black with small light dots forming faint or broken chainlink pattern, 21
scale rows; e. Illinois to extreme sc. Ohio and w. West Virginia, south to nw. Georgia and n. Alabama.
Mexican, uniformly black or black with small light spot on each side scale and some back scales, 23-25 scale rows; w. Sonora and extreme nw. Sinaloa, México, into se. Arizona.
Desert, back dark brown or black with narrow light crossbands, scales on sides have
central crossbands, scales on sides have central light spot, 23-25 scale rows; c. Texas
west to se. Arizona south to c. México.

Active during the day, especially early in the morning or near dusk, but becomes nocturnal in the warm summer months. It is primarily essential., occasionally climbing into shrubs. A strong constrictor, it eats snakes- including rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and coral snakes- as well as lizards, mice, birds and eggs. Record longevity exceeds 24 years.