Lampropeltis getula, commonly known as the eastern kingsnake, common kingsnake, or chain kingsnake, is a harmless colubrid species endemic to the United States and Mexico. It has long been a favorite among collectors. Nine subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Description
Adult specimens of the speckled kingsnake, L. g. holbrooki, are the smallest race at in snout-to-vent length (SVL) on average, while L. g. getula is the largest at SVL on average. Specimens up to in total length (including tail) have been recorded. Weight can vary from in a small specimen of in total length, to in large specimens, of over in total length.
The color pattern consists of a glossy black, blue black, or dark brown ground color, overlaid with a series of 23-52 white chain-like rings. Kingsnakes from the coastal plains have wider bands, while those found in mountainous areas have thinner bands or may be completely black.
Common names
Common names for L. getula include eastern kingsnake, common kingsnake, chain kingsnake, kingsnake, Carolina kingsnake, chain snake, bastard horn snake, black kingsnake, black moccasin, common chain snake, cow sucker, eastern kingsnake, horse racer, master snake, North American kingsnake, oakleaf rattler, pied snake, pine snake, racer, rattlesnake pilot, thunder-and-lightning snake, thunderbolt, thunder snake, wamper, wampum snake. In North Carolina, it is also called the pied piper.
Geographic range
L. getula is found in the United States in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, portions of Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, south and southwest Illinois, southern Indiana, southern Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, southern and western Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, southern Ohio, Oklahoma, southern Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, southern Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is also found in northern Mexico, including all of Baja California. It has been introduced to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, where in 2014, the population had reached an estimated 20,000 individuals.
Habitat
The preferred habitats of L. getula are open areas, particularly grassland, but also chaparral, oak woodland, abandoned farms, desert, low mountains, sand, and any type of riparian zone, including swamps, canals, and streams. A study on the habitat use of the Eastern Kingsnake found that overall they prefer and can be found in sites with thick layer of leaf litter and dense shrubbery. From their observations throughout the course of research, they found that 79% of their tracked specimen spent the majority of their time concealed under the cover of soil and leaf litter.
Although commonly described as diurnal, some reports suggest that the Eastern Kingsnake are crepuscular or nocturnal during the hottest parts of the year. They will often retreat into rodent burrows as nocturnal retreats.
It has been found that Eastern Kingsnake home ranges often show little-to-no overlap.
Some studies show that Eastern Kingsnakes (L. g. getula), especially males, are territorial, and will engage invading snakes in combat if their territory is threatened.
Diet
L. getula eats other snakes, including venomous snakes such as copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix), which are responsible for more venomous snakebites than any other in the United States, as well as coral snakes (Micruroides and Micrurus), massasaugas (Sistrurus catenatus), and other rattlesnakes (Crotalus and Sistrurus). Among the non-venomous snakes preyed upon include common garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis), common watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon), ring-necked snakes (Diadophis punctatus), smooth earth snakes (Virginia valeriae), and worm snakes (Carphophis amoenus).
It has developed a hunting technique to avoid being bitten by clamping down on the jaws of the venomous prey, but even if envenomated, it is immune. It also eats amphibians, turtle eggs, bird eggs (including those of the northern bobwhite [Colinus virginianus]), lizards (such as five-lined skinks [Plestiodon fasciatus]), and small mammals (such as white-footed mice [Peromyscus leucopus]), which it kills by constriction.
Due to their diet of eating other snake species, kingsnakes are a key factor in the spread of ophidiomycosis. This is a relatively new snake fungal disease originating from the fungus, Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. This disease has a variety of impacts on snakes and the extent of this impact is still being researched.