Species
Black kingsnake
Lampropeltis nigra
A mostly black kingsnake of northwest Georgia, speckled with yellow, that hunts other snakes.
Photo Dominic (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 90 to 120 cm long
- Habitat
- Woods, fields, stream edges and rocky hillsides
- Diet
- Snakes, lizards, rodents and eggs
- In Georgia
- Northwest Georgia
- Venomous
- No
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Glossy black with small yellow or white speckles, sometimes faint bands
- Told apart from
- Eastern kingsnake, which has bold chain-like bands
- Where to look
- Under cover and crossing roads
Behaviour
Like its relatives it is a constrictor that eats other snakes, and it tolerates the venom of pit vipers.
Why they matter
It keeps populations of other snakes, including copperheads, in check.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Usually 6 to 14
Nest — In rotting logs or soil
Incubation — About 60 to 80 days
Hatchlings — Banded
Maturity — At about three years
Lifespan — Over 10 years
Living around people
- It is harmless and eats rodents and venomous snakes.
Misconceptions
- Black snakes should be killed to keep away copperheads. Kingsnakes eat copperheads.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species breeds, and where it spends the rest of the year. The notes say what it is doing each month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Sheltering | Sheltering | Emerging | Active | Mating | Laying | Active | Hatching | Young active | Active | Sheltering | Sheltering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 11 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
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