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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Florida king snake |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata |
| FAMILY: |
Colubridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Lampropeltis (shining, beautiful scales)
getula floridana |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Brown
to dull yellow background with 40 or more creamy-yellow
crossbands; scales between crossbands start as black
and pale with age; degenerate lateral chain-like
pattern; ventral surface exhibits checkerboard pattern |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| SIZE: |
120-150 cm (4-5 ft); maximum recorded length is
176.5 cm (69.5 in.) |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| WEIGHT: |
text |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| DIET: |
Small
mammals, eggs, and other reptiles include snakes;
known to exhibit cannabilism |
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| INCUBATION: |
55-65 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
3-30
eggs |
| BREEDING
PERIOD |
text |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
2 years |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
10-15 years |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| RANGE: |
Florida peninsula (with Volusia county at its northern
boundary) excluding the Keys; not found outside
of Florida |
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| HABITAT: |
Hardwood
forests, oak hammocks, pinelands, prairies, bottomlands,
swamps, tidal wetlands and around farmlands |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
text |
| LOCAL |
text |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
text |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Like
many reptiles, the incubation temperature of the
snake's eggs may determine the offspring's sex;
warmer temperatures usually favor males, while cool
temperatures favor females. |
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| 2. |
Kingsnakes use quick, jerky movements so that their
bands flash, startling predators. Their bright colors
signal danger and often confuse predators, making
these snakes hard to follow. |
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| 3. |
Kingsnakes are known for eating other snakes - including
venomous species. Kingsnakes are apparently immune
to the venom of the snake species upon which they
prey. |
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| 4. |
Kingsnakes
kill their prey via constriction. |
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| 5. |
The
Florida kingsnake (L. g. floridana)
may interbreed with the Eastern kingsnake (L.
g. getula). |
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| 6. |
text |
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Many other important predators (i.e. birds-of-prey)
feed on young snakes. This means that snakes fulfill
roles as both predators and prey in regional food
chains. Kingsnakes are also valuable in their role
of curbing rodent populations, especially those
near human settlement. |
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|
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Areste,
Manuel and Cebrián, Rafael. Snakes of
the World. New York: Sterling Publishing Co.,
Inc., 2003.
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Coborn, John. The Atlas of Snakes of the World.
New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, inc. 1991. |
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Markel, R. and R. D. Bartlette. Kingsnakes
and Milksnakes. TFH Publications, Inc. 1990.
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| Mehrtens,
John M. Living Snakes of the World. New York:
Sterling Publishing Co., 1987. |
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| www.kingsnake.com |
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http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-guide/Lampropeltisgfloridana.htm
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