The King Of Snakes
The King Of Snakes
Image Source: "Californiakingsnake" by Calibas - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Californiakingsnake.jpg#/media/File:Californiaki
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California King Snake
AKA="Cal king"
1. The “king” in their name refers to their willingness to eat other snakes, even venomous
ones, including rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths-kingsnakes are able to eat venomous snakes because they are highly resistant to their venom.
3. Generally black or brown with white or yellow bands running the entire length of their
bodies though they can vary widely in color and pattern. The bands differ in number and width.
4. Some have stripes that run from head to tail-stripes are much less common than bands and can sometimes be broken up into dot-dashes or even separated into spots.
5. The lenght of the snake is 2.5 to 4 ft and Weighting up to 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms).
6. The California king snake is diurnal (active duringthe daytime), but when it is hot, they can occasionally become nocturnal (active at night).
7. They are mostly terrestrial (ground dwellers), but they will climb low branches and shrubs.
8. California king snakes are usually solitary animalsexcept when they hibernate during cold weather.
9. When disturbed, California king snakes can give offa strong musk odor. They will often smear an aggressor with fecal matter when handled. It also occasionally vibrates its tail quickly, hisses, and rolls into a ball, hiding its head as a defense posture.
10. They use constriction to subdue their prey and are capable of swallowing a whole rattlesnake while it is still alive.
11. Grabs prey with their teeth and wrap coils of their body around the prey and squeeze-do not crush the prey and break bones but rather squeeze tightly so that the prey cannot breathe and suffocates.
12. Can unhinge their jaw to swallow the prey whole utilizing rhythmic muscular contractions that pull the prey down into the snake’s throat and stomach.
13. A special tube on the bottom of its mouth stays open to one side of the mouth so they can breathe while swallowing . Highly sensitive forked tongue and Jacobson’s organ.
14. Odor particles are collected by the forked tongue and transported back to the Jacobson organ in the top of the mouth.
15. The Jacobson’s organ is a patch of sensory cells (chemoreceptor) that detects both social chemical communication by pheromones and helps snakes hunt and track their prey.
16. Variations in color and pattern may break up the snake's body outline so it is less
noticeable to predators.
and even other types of kingsnakes.
18. Molt/shed several times a year to accommodate growing. Snake appears duller just before shedding and eyes become cloudy. Snake will seek out and rub against rough surfaces to dislodge old skin. Once a tear is made in the skin the snake will crawl out of old skin leaving a shed behind. They appear more brightly colored after shedding. Shedding typically takes a week or longer.
19. Humans benefit from kingsnakes because they control rodent and frog populations, in addition to eating rattlesnakes.
20. Interestingly, wild California kingsnakes frequently eat other snakes, and being immune to rattlesnake venom often include these pit vipers in their diet.
21. When disturbed, Kingsnakes will often coil their bodies to hide their heads, hiss, and rattle their tails which, if done in dry vegetation, can produce a sound somewhat resembling that of a rattlesnake's rattle.
22. Albinism is common in captive individuals, as are aberrant color patterns such as "reverse-stripe" or "highwhite". California Kingsnakes are also hybridized with other types of snake, such as other subspecies of the Common Kingsnake, Milksnakes, and Cornsnakes, to produce additional variations in color and pattern.
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