Gray-Banded Kingsnake

ANIMAL:
Gray-Banded Kingsnake Lampropeltis alterna

Type of Animal:
Colubrid

Habitat:
Desert (especially w/ rocky areas)

Location(s):
Trans-Pecos/Chihuahuan Desert of W Texas, far SE New Mexico, N Chihuahua

Appearance:
Gray background w/ black/white accenting & red/orange banding, small wide head, large eyes

Food/Diet:
Lizards, snakes (including each other & venomous snakes), amphibians, rodents, rabbits, birds, eggs

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, wildlife centers, & herpetoculture

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Snakelet
Group: Solitary
 
Weight:
Male: 1.5 lbs
Female: 2 lbs
 
Gestation:
9-10 weeks

Life Span:
15-20 years

Body Length:
Male: 3 ft
Female: 4 ft
Young: 1 ft

Tail Length:
Male: 0.75 ft
Female: 0.5 ft

Main predators are larger snakes, raptors, bobcats, cats, coyotes, foxes, roadrunners, badgers, skunks, weasels, raccoons, ringtails, & peccaries.
 
These nonvenomous snakes kill prey by constriction.
 
Sexually mature at 1-3 years old.
 
Active at night (nocturnal).
 
These snakes are very shy & secretive in the wild.
 
Sometimes called Davis Mountain Kingsnake.
 
Females lay clutches of 3-13 eggs in early summer.
 
Juveniles shed more often than adults.
 
They hibernate in cooler weather.
 
When they hatch, they’re immediately on their own.
 
These snakes are primarily terrestrial.
 
These snakes highly beneficial due to eating rodents & venomous snakes.
 
Fights between males involve ritualistic biting & wrestling w/ intertwined bodies attempting to pin each other.
 
They spend much of the year underground, winter to stay warm & summer to prevent dehydration.

Fun Fact(s):
To defend themselves, they may hiss/bite/smear feces/discharge musk. Other times, they’ll play dead.
 
Name “king” comes from habit of eating other snakes.
 
Very common in pet trade & usually very docile species.
 
Almost impervious to snake venom.
 
Sometimes crossbred w/ other kingsnake species in captivity.

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