Wikipedia

Kingsnake

For the DC Comics supervillain, seeKing Snake.

KingsnakesarecolubridNew Worldmembers of thegenusLampropeltis,which includes 26species.Among these, about 45subspeciesare recognized. They are nonvenomous andophiophagousin diet.

Kingsnakes
Temporal range:Miocene– recent
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[1]
Scarlet kingsnake(Lampropeltis elapsoides)
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Tribe: Lampropeltini
Genus: Lampropeltis
Fitzinger,1843
Synonyms

Ablabes, Bellophis, Herpetodryas, Ophibolus, Osceola, Phibolus, Pseudelaps, Zacholus

Description

Kingsnakes vary widely in size and coloration. They can be as small as 24 "(61 cm) or as long as 60" (152 cm).[2]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.[3]

Most kingsnakes have quite vibrant patterns. Some species, such as the scarlet kingsnake,Mexican milk snake,andred milk snake,have coloration and patterning that can cause them to be confused with the highly venomouscoral snakes.One of themnemonicrhymes 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",[4][5]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(the eastern or common coral snake),Micrurus tener(the Texas coral snake), andMicruroides 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

Lampropeltisincludes the Greek words for "shiny shield":[6]λαμπρόςlampro(s)( "shiny" ) +πέλτηpelt(ē)( "peltēshield") +-is(a Latin suffix). The name is given to them in reference to their smooth, enamel-likedorsal scales.[7]

The "king" in the common name (as with theking cobra) refers to its preying on other snakes.[8]

Taxonomy

Taxonomicreclassification of kingsnakes, as with manyherpetilesand other animals, is a neverending process. Unexpectedhybridizationbetween kingsnake species and/or subspecies with adjacent home territories is not uncommon, thus creating new color morphs and variations, and further providing classification challenges fortaxonomists;Often, different researchers will “agree to disagree”, one potentially citing a source that proves independent species-status to a group of wild snakes, while another will set out to prove that a discovered group is but a regional subspecies.[citation needed]

In the case ofL. catalinensis,for example, only a single specimen is known, thus classification is not necessarily finite; this individual could be the lone uniquely-colored snake out of a more uniformly-colored litter, or even be the one documented example of a presently-unknown, localized subspecies. The entire system actively unfolding indefinitely.[citation needed]

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. As a whole, kingsnakes are found coast-to-coast across North America, with some as far north as Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio; south of those areas, there are kingsnakes to be found in nearly every corner of the lower-48 United States. Kingsnakes are also found virtually coast-to-coast across México, all the way down to the México-Guatemala border. Further south from there, milksnakes become the more predominant kingsnake in Central America, such as theHonduran milk snake.

Predators

Kingsnakes are often preyed upon by large vertebrates, such asbirds of prey.Tarantulasalso 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.[9]

Behavior and diet

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

Kingsnakes useconstrictionto kill their prey and tend to be opportunistic in their diet. They are known to seek out and eat other snakes (ophiophagy), includingvenomous snakes,likerattlesnakes,cottonmouths,copperheads.Some known non-venomous prey species of the kingsnake includegopher snakes,corn snakes,hognoses,andbullsnakes,garter snakes,rosy boa,water snakes,andbrown snakes.Kingsnakes also eat many species oflizards,rodents,birds,andeggs.[10]Thecommon kingsnakeis known to be immune to the venom of other snakes and does eatrattlesnakes,but it is not necessarily immune to the venom of snakes from different localities.[10]

Kingsnakes such as theCalifornia kingsnakecan exert twice as much constriction force relative to body size asrat snakesandPython s.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.[11]

List of kingsnake species and subspecies

Mole kingsnake (Lampropeltis rhombomaculata)
California kingsnake(Lampropeltis californiae)
Eastern kingsnake(Lampropeltis getula getula)
Speckled kingsnake(Lampropeltis holbrooki)

Kingsnake species and subspecies include (listed here Alpha betically by specific and subspecific name):[12]

Additionally, Pyron and Burbrink have argued that theshort-tailed snake(Stilosoma extenuatum) (Brown, 1890) should be included inLampropeltis.[13]

References

  1. ^"Fossilworks: Lampropeltis".
  2. ^Markel, Ronald G. (1990).Kingsnakes and Milk Snakes.T.F.H. Publications, Inc.ISBN9780866226646.
  3. ^Powell, Robert;Conant, Roger;Collins, Joseph T.(2016).Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition.Boston and New York:Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.pp.375–381.ISBN978-0544662-490.
  4. ^Life's Better Outdoors, South Carolina Department of natural resourcesArchived2015-06-30 at theWayback Machine(see FAQ's. -- "are there any visual clues" ). Retrieved July 15, 2015
  5. ^Ignatavicius, Donna D.; Workman, M. Linda (2015).Medical-Surgical Nursing: Patient-Centered Collaborative Care, Eighth Edition.(pages 141-142)
  6. ^"Lampropeltis".Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.
  7. ^Tennant, Alan (2006).Lone Star Field Guide to Texas Snakes.Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 193.ISBN978-1-4616-3564-2.the smooth dorsal scales have an enamel-like surface to which the genus' Latin name,Lampropeltis,or "shining skin shield," refers.
  8. ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"King snake vs Rattlesnake Oro Valley Az".YouTube.2015-12-12.
  9. ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"Spider vs snake".YouTube.
  10. ^abConant, Roger (1975).A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition.Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 429 pp.
    ISBN0-395-19977-8(paperback). (GenusLampropeltis,p. 201.)
  11. ^"Snake Kills Bigger Snakes with World's Most Powerful Squeeze".2017-03-15. Archived fromthe originalon March 16, 2017.
  12. ^GenusLampropeltisatThe Reptile Database
  13. ^Pyron, R. Alexander;Frank T. Burbrink(2009). "Neogene diversification and taxonomic stability in the snake tribe Lampropeltini (Serpentes: Colubridae)".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution52(#2):524-529.

Further reading

  • Hubbs, Brian (2009).Common Kingsnakes: A Natural History ofLampropeltis getula. Tempe, Arizona: Tricolor Books.
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