Summary ²

The desert kingsnake (Lampropeltis splendida) is a species of kingsnake native to Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. It is nonvenomous, colored yellow and black. The desert kingsnake's diet consists of rodents, lizards, and smaller snakes, including rattlesnakes. They normally grow 3–4 feet long but have been known to grow up to 6.8 feet. They are docile creatures when coming face to face with humans. If they do not try to escape, often they will "play dead"

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Nicholas Pederson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/22498687@N02/7426720514
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampropeltis_splendida

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HerpMapper
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Snake Database
• The Reptile Database
• VertNet

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