Kingsnakes

Kingsnakes are typically vibrant, with contrasting colors and patterns. Some species are commonly mistaken for the venomous coral snake, due to similar coloring. Kingsnakes have smooth scales, a single anal plate, round pupils, and a spoon-shaped head with a rounded jaw. 

Kingsnakes are active hunters and use their sense of smell to find their next meal, mainly targeting rodents, birds, bird eggs, and lizards. In wet climates, they’ll eat turtle eggs and frogs. Kingsnakes are also famously known for eating other snakes. As constrictors, kingsnakes squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole.

Kingsnakes are found throughout North America, making their homes in grasslands, suburbia, and rocky areas in fields and deserts. Kingsnakes are terrestrial, meaning they reside primarily on land rather than venturing into water or trees. However, in wetter areas, such as the eastern and southern United States, they’ll spend more time in swamps and riverbanks.

Though the lifespan of kingsnakes in the wild is unknown, they can live up to 20 to 30 years in captivity and reach sexual maturity between two and four years of age. In the spring, females lay clutches of three to 24 eggs in debris, rotting logs, or other secluded places. The mothers then leave the eggs, hatching on their own two to three months later.

If you find a kingsnake in your home, relocate it far away from residential areas, and seal up any openings or cracks in your walls and windows where it could slither back in. 

If you encounter many of these snakes, keep your lawn and bushes trimmed, and keep debris out of your yard. Use snake repellent, build a snake fence, or call Hughes Exterminators for professional snake control and removal.