frogriguez's Identifications

Speckled individual of the Black Kingsnake. Along the Gulf Coast, Black Kingsnakes east of the Mississippi River are genetically distinct from similar-looking Speckled Kingsnakes west of the river. Black Kingsnakes become less speckled and more black to the north. Although it can be frustrating to learn new names for organisms that look the same, it’s also exciting to know how much biodiversity really exists, what features of the environment have been important to diversification, and that things aren’t always what they appear to be.