Photo by JD Willson

Description: The eastern kingsnake is fairly stout with a black back marked with a chain-like pattern of thin white or yellow bars. The belly has yellow or white patches on a black background.  Kingsnakes found on the Outer Banks are usually brown rather than black and have light speckles between the chain-like pattern. In the western-most mountains of North Carolina, the kingsnake’s chain-like markings are usually broken up into tiny spots.

Feeding/Diet: Eastern kingsnakes are strong constrictors that prey on a variety of other animals, including rodents, eggs, frogs, lizards, small turtles, salamanders, and snakes—even venomous species such as rattlesnakes and copperheads.

Activity/Behavior: Eastern kingnsakes are active during the daytime and are often found around farms and even in suburban areas, taking refuge under objects such as old boards or tin.

Habitat/Range: Eastern kingsnakes live in a variety of habitats but are often found near water.

Reproduction: Kingsnakes lay 10–24 eggs in early summer and the babies, hatching in August or September, resemble the adults.

Miscellaneous: Kingsnakes are immune to the venom of pitvipers such as copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes. The kingsnake is usually rather docile, but may bite and release a foul musk when first captured.

Photo by JD Willson

Photo by John White

This website created by: J. Willson, Y. Kornilev, W. Anderson, G. Connette and E. Eskew.
For comments or questions contact M. Dorcas: midorcas@davidson.edu.
M. Dorcas homepage: http://bio.davidson.edu/dorcas
Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina 28035-1719.

Text and maps from: Dorcas, M. E. 2004. A Guide to the Snakes of North Carolina. Davidson College - Herpetology Laboratory, Davidson, NC. – Copyright by Michael E. Dorcas.

Partial Funding for this website provided by a Associate Colleges of the South, National Science Foundation, and Duke Energy.