Reptiles
California Kingsnake
Lampropeltis californiae · also called Cal king
The California kingsnake is one of the most familiar snakes in the western United States, and one of the more formidable, at least if you are another snake. It is a glossy, banded, non-venomous constrictor that hunts and eats rattlesnakes, and it can survive their bites.
Overview
Lampropeltis californiae lives across the western US and into Mexico, in deserts, grassland, chaparral, and suburbs. It is usually 90–120 cm long, with smooth shiny scales in bold brown-and-cream bands, a lengthwise stripe, or many other patterns. It kills by constriction.
The rattlesnake-eater
California kingsnakes routinely eat other snakes, including venomous ones. Their blood serum carries a protein that neutralises pit viper venom, and their hunting method pins the rattlesnake’s head before it can bite, so a kingsnake can kill and swallow a rattler bigger than itself.
A calm snake
Threatened, it musks, rattles its tail in dry leaves, hisses, and rolls into a ball with its head hidden. It is harmless to people.
In captivity
Along with the corn snake, it is a standard first pet snake — hardy, easy to feed, and bred in hundreds of colour lines. Because it eats other snakes, it must be kept alone.
Status
Least Concern and stable, common even in farmland and gardens.
California Kingsnake: common questions
Are California kingsnakes venomous or dangerous?
No. The California kingsnake has no venom and kills its prey by constriction, wrapping coils around an animal and tightening until its circulation fails. It is not dangerous to a person; a bite from a large one feels like a scratch and a set of pinpricks, and the snake is far more likely to musk, rattle its tail, and try to escape than to bite. Its name comes from its diet, not its danger. In snake-keeping, "king" snakes are the ones that eat other snakes, and this species is one of the most enthusiastic.
How can a kingsnake eat a rattlesnake without being killed?
Two things protect it. First, the kingsnake's blood serum contains a protein that binds to and neutralises the main tissue-destroying enzymes in pit viper venom, so a bite received while overpowering a rattlesnake causes far less damage than it would to another animal. Second, the kingsnake's method is to seize the rattlesnake behind the head and immediately throw coils around it, pinning the head so the rattlesnake often cannot get a proper bite in at all. Even a fairly large rattlesnake, once wrapped, is quickly subdued and swallowed head first.
What is the difference between a California kingsnake and a milk snake?
They are close relatives in the same genus, Lampropeltis, and both are non-venomous colubrid constrictors. The California kingsnake is the western species, usually patterned in bold brown-and-cream or black-and-white bands or a single lengthwise stripe, and it grows to about 1.2 metres. Milk snakes are a group of species and subspecies spread across the Americas, typically smaller and often ringed in red, black, and white or yellow, and some of them mimic the venomous coral snake. All of them share the kingsnake habits of eating rodents, lizards, and other snakes and of doing well in captivity.
Do California kingsnakes make good pets?
They are one of the standard recommendations for a first snake, along with corn snakes and ball pythons. They stay a manageable size, tolerate handling well once used to it, feed reliably on mice, do not need high humidity or elaborate setups, and are available captive-bred in a huge range of appearances. The one firm rule is that they must be kept singly, because a kingsnake housed with another snake will eventually try to eat it. A secure escape-proof enclosure is also essential, as they are strong and persistent at pushing at lids and gaps.