RCReptiles.com

[reptilehunter]

Wild side

by Lea Boyd/ lea@coastalview.com



He wears rings from head to tail, and in the reptile world he owns the throne. He seeks out rattlesnakes with his sense of smell and, thanks to his resistance to rattlesnake venom, attacks them without hesitation. He coils his ringed body around the rattlesnake, squeezing and eventually swallowing his prey whole and often while still alive. Without question, the California kingsnake has earned his royal name.

Although California kingsnakes hold the position as top predators where other scaled creatures are concerned, they are harmless in terms of their human neighbors. Kingsnakes are normally gentle and can be handled without fear, but have been known to hiss, coil up and excrete musk and feces when they feel they are being attacked.

Along with other members of the suborder serpentes, kingsnakes have acquired a bad reputation that can be traced back as far as their wicked role in the Garden of Eden. Some people despise the legless reptiles to such an extent that they can be diagnosed with ophidiophobia, the irrational, overwhelming fear of snakes.

But kingsnakes and other serpents do have a number of fans today and throughout history. The ancient Aztecs of Central America worshipped a mythical serpent call Quetzalcoatl, who was considered the “Master of Life.” Rock pythons are worshipped in some African cultures, in which killing a python is punishable as a serious crime. Some Carpinterians respect snakes as well. Farmer Craig Kendrick said, “I love snakes. Any animal that eats rodents is the farmer’s friend.”

“They’re great for rodent control,” Department of Fish and Game biologist George Gross confirmed. “People who kill them because they don’t like snakes, well, I hope they like gophers and field mice.”

And they play their role in the ecosystem with style! Unlike gopher snakes and rattlesnakes that have embraced the camouflage fashion, kingsnakes enjoy a flamboyant coloration that includes alternating rings of black or brown and white or yellow. Mountain kingsnakes are particularly ostentatious with red rings thrown into the mix. The California king snake, Lampropeltis getula californiae, a subspecies of the common king snake, Lampropeltis getula, is often seen basking in Carpinteria back yards and is easily identifiable for its horizontal stripes. Gross calls the California king snake “one of the prettiest snakes I’ve ever seen!”

The kingsnakes’ flashy rings keep them looking good year round, but their beauty comes with a price. As a popular pet trade species, they are often removed from their homes and tossed into the illegal pet trade. According to Gross, desert populations of kingsnakes are targeted most heavily. Santa Barbara County populations are considered very stable. Kingsnakes can legally be removed from the wild only if the pet-seeking adult holds a valid fishing license.

Kingsnakes are common throughout a number of habitats including chaparral, grassland, forest, woodland, deserts and even suburban areas. They may have secured their regal name by preying on rattlesnakes, but they also eat a variety of snakes, rodents, birds, eggs and lizards. Few animal species regularly prey on kingsnakes, but hawks, bobcats and bears have all been known to turn the king of the snakes into a royal meal.

Like many reptiles, female kingsnakes lay their eggs and leave the hatchlings to fend for themselves. Each clutch can be as large as 20 eggs, and the hatchlings that emerge from the nest are eight to 13 inches long.

To determine if a kingsnake is male or female an experienced herpetologist, a person who studies reptiles or amphibians, can use a process known as “popping.” All males snake have two penises called hemipenes which are manually everted in the “popping” process.

Lea Boyd is a native Carpinterian currently transplanted in San Diego. She loves tortoises, tropical paradise, coconut popsicles and the word sassafras.
[b][/b]