One of the 26 snakes on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Colubridae
California Kingsnake
Lampropeltis californiae
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The California kingsnake is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is distributed across the states of California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Arizona in the United States, and in Baja California and Sonora in Mexico. It has also been introduced to the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, where it is an invasive species and a control programme is under way. Until recently it was considered a subspecies of Lampropeltis getula.
Size
75 cm – 1.5 m
Lifespan
25 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- GeneralInvasive on Gran Canaria, where it is wiping out the endemic lizards and skinks.
- On Gran Canaria it is one of the most serious invasive species in Spain: it arrived through terrarium escapes, was detected at the start of this century and has caused declines of more than ninety per cent in the Gran Canaria giant lizard, the Gran Canaria skink and the wall gecko, three Canarian endemics.
- The island government of Gran Canaria runs a permanent capture programme with traps and detection dogs, and has already removed tens of thousands of snakes without managing to eradicate it.
- It eats other snakes and is resistant to the venom of the American rattlesnakes, a trait it shares with the other kingsnakes.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Scrub, grassland, open woodland and desert of the western United States and north-western Mexico
- Sexual maturity
- 3 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 70 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 9 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampropeltis_californiae
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 12 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with California Kingsnake — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Common Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Racer
Coluber constrictor
Western Hognose Snake
Heterodon nasicus
Smooth Snake
Coronella austriaca
Red Cornsnake
Pantherophis guttatus
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about california kingsnake.
Comments
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the california kingsnake.
Be the first to comment.