Common Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula complex)

• Eastern kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula)

• Black kingsnakes (Lampropeltis nigra)

Description:    The Eastern and Black Kingsnakes are medium to large, stout kingsnakes averaging 3.5 ft (~1 m), with the largest specimens reaching a total length of 7 ft (2.1 m), weighing up to 5 lbs. They both have smooth, glossy scales, reflecting their genus name, “Lampropeltis,” which translates to “shining shield.”

• Eastern kingsnakes (L. getula): This species has a highly contrasting pattern of white-to-yellow bands or chain-like crosslines on a dark brown to black body. Patterns vary geographically and with age, with some individuals more banded, others more “chained,” and some adults appearing very dark in coloration.
• Black kingsnakes (L. nigra): This species shows reduced banding, with some individuals lacking it altogether. They are typically speckled across the entire body, with some adults being patternless and uniformly black.

Both species have contrasting black-and-white patterned bellies. Juveniles appear as small versions of the adults.

Taxonomic Notes:    The taxonomy of the Lampropeltis getula complex has undergone significant revision. Historically, multiple subspecies were described based on patterns and geography. However, molecular analyses show that the eastern forms are distinct species. Recent work supports recognition of Lampropeltis getula (Eastern Kingsnake), L. floridana (Florida Kingsnake), and L. meansi (Apalachicola Kingsnake) as separate species. Importantly, Lampropeltis nigra (Black Kingsnake), once considered a subspecies of L. getula, is now recognized as a distinct species west of the Appalachian Mountains. Thus, L. nigra (Black Kingsnake) and L. getula (Eastern Kingsnake) are the two distinct species found in Georgia, with hybrid zones occurring at overlapping ranges in the northwestern part of the state, and will be the two species of focus moving forward.

Range and Habitat

• Eastern Kingsnake (L. getula): Ranges from southern New Jersey south through peninsular Florida, westward into Alabama, and is found across Georgia and South Carolina. They are most frequently encountered in sandy uplands, but also occur in pine flatwoods, mixed hardwood forests, river floodplains, and habitats near wetlands.
• Black Kingsnake (L. nigra): Ranges east of the Mississippi River, extending north to West Virginia, west to Illinois, and south to northwest Georgia and southeastern Louisiana. Unlike eastern kingsnakes, they are absent from South Carolina. Black Kingsnakes are strongly tied to moist habitats such as river floodplains, bottomland hardwoods, agricultural edges, and mixed forests, and unlike eastern kingsnakes, are less likely to be found in sandy uplands.

Both of these species are most often abundant in areas with extensive cover, such as logs, stumps, or other cover objects.

Habits:    Because both species are closely related, their habits are very similar. They are primarily diurnal to crepuscular, with activity patterns strongly tied to temperature and season. In Georgia and South Carolina, kingsnakes are most surface-active during spring and early summer (April-June), often basking along habitat edges or moving between refugia and foraging sites. However, they may shift to nocturnal activity during the hottest summer months. In the early parts of spring, they can be found emerging or basking just outside their winter refugia sites, often in stump holes or large debris piles. They regularly use both upland and wetland habitats within their established home ranges, which are relatively large for a colubrid (males up to ~500 ha, females ~100 ha in Georgia).

Kingsnakes are dietary generalists and opportunistic predators. Studies here at the UGA Savannah River Ecology Laboratory have documented predation on a wide range of vertebrates, including rodents, birds, lizards, amphibians, turtle eggs, and other snakes. They are well known for their ability to eat venomous pit vipers, such as copperheads and rattlesnakes, and for their resistance to their venom. Constriction is the primary feeding strategy, and kingsnakes are among the strongest snakes on the planet relative to their body size.

When cornered, they may vibrate their tails, release foul-smelling musk, or bite readily. However, they will always resort to seeking refuge when available. They are completely harmless to humans.

Breeding occurs in spring, with mating following emergence from winter refugia. Females have clutches of 6-25 eggs in early summer in rotting logs, mammal burrows, or under woody debris. Incubation lasts ~60 days, with hatchlings emerging in late summer at 8-13 in (20-33 cm). Babies emerge appearing as miniature versions of the adults.

Kingsnakes play an important ecological role in regulating populations of snakes, small mammals, turtles, and birds. In turn, they are preyed upon by raptors, raccoons, possums, and larger snakes (e.g., indigos, racers, other kingsnakes). However, their secretive habits and defensive behaviors reduce predation risk. Work at the UGA Savannah River Ecology Laboratory shows large local population declines despite protection, with potential causes including shifts in prey availability, habitat structure, and hydrology.

Conservation status:    Although still widespread, some southeastern populations have declined. At the protected Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the abundance and body condition of kingsnakes near a large isolated wetland declined over three decades. Because collecting, roadkill, and direct habitat degradation are minimal there, those factors were excluded, and hypotheses considered included drought, community shifts (predator and prey presence), invasive fire ants, or disease. In non-protected sites, road mortality, persecution by humans, feral cats, and habitat degradation and fragmentation are major sources of population declines. They are protected by law in both Georgia and South Carolina, but not in many other states where they are found.

Pertinent references

• Winne, C. T., J. D. Willson, B. D. Todd, K. M. Andrews, & J. W. Gibbons. 2007. Enigmatic decline of a protected population of Eastern Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula) in South Carolina. Copeia 2007(3):507-519
• Steen, D. A., J. M. Linehan & L. L. Smith. 2010. Multiscale habitat selection and refuge use of Common Kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula, in southwestern Georgia. Copeia 2010(2):227-231
• Wund, M. A., M. E. Torocco, R. T. Zappalorti & H. K. Reinert. 2007. Activity ranges and habitat use of Lampropeltis getula getula (Eastern Kingsnakes). Northeastern Naturalist 14(3):343-360
• Steen, D. A. & L. L. Smith. 2009. Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula getula) home ranges exhibit limited overlap. Southeastern Naturalist 8(3):553-558
• Krysko, K. L., L. P. Nuñez, C. E. Newman & B. W. Bowen. 2017. Phylogenetics of the kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula complex) in eastern North America. Journal of Heredity 108:226-238