Kingsnakes

What is a Kingsnake

Kingsnakes are a type of colubrid snake. A colubrid is a snake that is a member of the family Colubridae. Colubridae is a broad classification of snakes that includes about two thirds of all snake species on earth. These species are found on every continent, except Antarctica. King snakes are non venomous snakes. They are constrictors which means they kill their prey by a method called constricting. Constricting means killing prey by suffocating it. They hold their prey tightly enough and thus keeping it from taking air into its lungs. They do this by wrapping one or two coils around the prey.



Size

Adult Kingsnakes normally range in length from 1 - 1.5 meters but some have grown up to 2.1 meters.



Name

The name Kingsnake has been derived from the Common King Snake's habbit of preying upon and eating its fellow snakes including rattlesnakes and copperheads to whose venom they are immune and it won't affect them.



Distribution

Kingsnakes are found in six of the seven continents. They can survive everywhere else except Antarctica.



Life span of Kingsnakes

These snakes can survive for more than 30 years in captivity.



Diet of a Kingsnake

They are opportunistic  hunters. Their diet include small mammals, birds, bird eggs, snakes, bird eggs and amphibians. Occasionally some species of Kingsnakes are cannibalistic, which means they will feed upon their own young.