Lampropeltis calligaster
Encyclopedia
Lampropeltis calligaster is a species
of kingsnake
known commonly as the prairie kingsnake.
and southeastern United States
, from Nebraska
to Virginia
, Florida
to Texas
.
or grey
in color, with dark grey, dark brown
, or red
dish-brown blotching down the length of its body. They are capable of growing to lengths of 30-40 inches (76.2-101.6 cm). They are easily mistaken for various species of rat snake
of the genus
Pantherophis
, which share habitat, and can have similar markings. Some specimens have their markings faded, to appear almost a solid brown color. Juveniles usually have a brown stripe down the back of the body. They have two black spots behind the head and smaller black spots down the back on both sides of the stripe.
with loose, dry soil, typically on the edge of a forest
ed region, not far from a permanent source of water. Their diet
consists primarily of rodent
s, but they will also consume lizard
s, frog
s and occasionally other snake
s. They are nonvenomous, and typically docile. Like most colubrid
s, if harassed they will shake their tail
, which if in dry leaf litter can sound remarkably like a rattlesnake
. They are not typically prone to biting, and if handled will often excrete a foul smelling musk
. When threatened, they flatten and appear to have white spots.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of kingsnake
Kingsnake
Kingsnakes are a type of colubrid snake that are members of the Lampropeltis genus, which also includes the milk snake along with another four species and 45 sub-species....
known commonly as the prairie kingsnake.
Geographic range
It is found throughout the midwesternMidwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, from Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Description
Lampropeltis calligaster is generally a light brownBrown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
or grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
in color, with dark grey, dark brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
, or red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
dish-brown blotching down the length of its body. They are capable of growing to lengths of 30-40 inches (76.2-101.6 cm). They are easily mistaken for various species of rat snake
Rat snake
Rat snakes are medium to large constrictors that can be found through a great portion of the northern hemisphere. They feed primarily on rodents and birds and, with some species exceeding 3 m , they can occupy top levels of some food chains. Many species make attractive and docile pets and one,...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Pantherophis
Pantherophis
Pantherophis is a genus of non-venomous colubrid snakes found in North and Central America. All are powerful constrictors and help control rodent populations.The species of Pantherophis were previously included in the genus Elaphe...
, which share habitat, and can have similar markings. Some specimens have their markings faded, to appear almost a solid brown color. Juveniles usually have a brown stripe down the back of the body. They have two black spots behind the head and smaller black spots down the back on both sides of the stripe.
Behavior
Prairie kingsnakes' preferred habitat is open grasslandGrassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
with loose, dry soil, typically on the edge of a forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
ed region, not far from a permanent source of water. Their diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
consists primarily of rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, but they will also consume lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s and occasionally other snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s. They are nonvenomous, and typically docile. Like most colubrid
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
s, if harassed they will shake their tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
, which if in dry leaf litter can sound remarkably like a rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
. They are not typically prone to biting, and if handled will often excrete a foul smelling musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
. When threatened, they flatten and appear to have white spots.
Subspecies
- prairie kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (HarlanRichard HarlanRichard Harlan was an American naturalist, zoologist, physicist and paleontologist....
, 1827) - South Florida mole kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster occipitolineata Price, 1987
- mole kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculataLampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculataLampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata known commonly as the mole kingsnake or brown kingsnake is a subspecies of the prairie kingsnake .-Geographic range:...
(HolbrookJohn Edwards HolbrookJohn Edwards Holbrook American zoologist, herpetologist, physician, and naturalist, was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, the son of Silas Holbrook, a teacher, and Mary Edwards....
, 1840)