The speckled kingsnake (''Lampropeltis holbrooki'') is a non
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
kingsnake
Kingsnakes are Colubridae, colubrid New World members of the genus ''Lampropeltis'', which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagy, ophiophagous in diet.
Description
Kingsnakes ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the United States.
Description
The speckled kingsnake usually grows up to in total length (including tail), but the record total length is . The common name is derived from its pattern, which is
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
, with small
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
-
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
specks, one speck in the center of almost every
dorsal scale
In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...
. It is also known as the "salt-and-pepper snake".
Geographic range
The speckled kingsnake is found in the central and southern United States from southern
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
to the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. Its range overlaps that of the desert kingsnake, ''
Lampropeltis splendida
The desert kingsnake (''Lampropeltis splendida'') is a species of kingsnake native to Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, United States. It is not Venom (poison), venomous, colored yellow and black. The desert kingsnake's diet (nutrition), diet consi ...
'', and it is known to
intergrade
In zoology, intergradation is the way in which two distinct subspecies are connected via areas where populations are found that have the characteristics of both. There are two types of intergradation: primary and secondary intergradation.
Primar ...
with that species.
Habitat
The speckled kingsnake prefers wetter
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s than other kingsnakes, such as swamps and rivers, but it does commonly venture to dry areas such as woodlands and grassy fields.
Diet
The
diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
of the speckled kingsnake consists of
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
s,
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s,
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
s, frogs,
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
s, and other
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s. It kills by constriction.
Behavior
When threatened, the speckled kingsnake shakes its tail like a rattlesnake to deter predators. It frequently expels
musk
Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') 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 sub ...
and
feces
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
or bites when threatened. It is usually docile, often striking only one or two times after capture, and is frequently kept as a pet. It is commonly
captive bred.
Taxonomy and etymology
This snake was first described by American herpetologist
John Edwards Holbrook
John Edwards Holbrook (December 31, 1796 – September 8, 1871) was an American zoologist, herpetologist, physician, and naturalist, born in Beaufort, South Carolina, the son of Silas Holbrook, a teacher, and Mary Edwards. Although Holbrook's memo ...
in 1842. At that time, he called it ''Coronella sayi'' under the mistaken impression that it was the species previously described by
Schlegel
Schlegel is a German occupational surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anthony Schlegel (born 1981), former American football linebacker
* August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), German poet, older brother of Friedrich
* Brad Schlege ...
as ''Coluber sayi''. In 1902,
Stejneger
Leonhard Hess Stejneger (30 October 1851 – 28 February 1943) was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles ...
pointed out that because ''Coluber sayi'' is a different snake, ''
Pituophis catenifer sayi
''Pituophis'' is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes, which are endemic to North America.
Geographic range
Species and subspecies within the genus ''Pituophis'' are found ...
'', the name ''sayi'' could not be applied to this snake. Therefore, he proposed the name ''Lampropeltis holbrooki'', honoring Holbrook.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Lampropeltis getula holbrooki'', p. 125).] It was for many years considered a subspecies of ''L. getula'', but has been elevated to full species status as ''L. holbrooki''.
References
Further reading
*
Behler JL, King FW (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (''Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki'', p. 619 + Plate 560).
*
Conant R, Bridges W (1939). ''What Snake Is That?: A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains''. (With 108 drawings by Edmond Malnate). New York and London: D. Appleton-Century. Frontispiece map + viii + 163 pp. + Plates A-C, 1-32. (''Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki'', pp. 77–78 + Plate12, Figure 35).
*
Holbrook JE (1842). ''North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. III.''
econd Edition Philadelphia: J. Dobson. 128 pp. + 30 plates. (''Coronella sayi'', pp. 99–101 + Plate 22).
*Hubbs, Brian (2009). ''Common Kingsnakes: A Natural History of Lampropeltis getula''. Tempe, Arizona: Tricolor Books. 436 pp. .
*
Schmidt KP, Davis DD (1941). ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (''Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki'', pp. 176–177, Figure 50 + Plate 19).
*
Stejneger L (1902). "The Reptiles of the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona". ''Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus.'' 25: 149–158. (''Lampropeltis holbrooki'', new name, p. 152).
*
Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). (''Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki'', pp. 387–391, Figure 118 + Map 33 on p. 373).
External links
''Lamproletis getula'' The
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
Red List of Threatened Species.
''Lampropeltis holbrooki'' The Reptile Database.
Speckled Kingsnake Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3009241
Lampropeltis
Reptiles described in 1902
Taxa named by Leonhard Stejneger