Lampropeltis getula splendida
| Desert Kingsnake | |
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| Pair of Desert Kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula splendida | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Lampropeltis |
| Species: | L. getula |
| Subspecies: | L. g. splendida |
| Trinomial name | |
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Lampropeltis getula splendida (Baird & Girard, 1853) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ophibolus splendidus Baird & Girard, 1853 |
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Ophibolus splendidus Baird & Girard, 1853
Lampropeltis splendida Cope, 1860
Ophibolus getulus splendidus Cope, 1900
Lampropeltis getulus splendida Schmidt & Davis, 1941
The Desert Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula splendida) is a subspecies 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 with a maximum length of 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" by flipping over onto their backs and lying motionless. Some who domesticate kingsnakes, such as ranchers, do so in the hopes that the kingsnakes will feed on other snakes which might present more of a threat.
The snake's glossy dorsum is black or very dark brown colored, finely speckled with off-white or yellow. These pale flecks form dimly-defined narrow vertebral crossbands, between which the intervening rectangular areas are black. Pale yellow scales may predominate along the lower sides. The abdomen of both adult and young snakes is mostly black, with white or pale yellow blotches marking the outer ends of the ventral plates. The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 23 to 25 rows at midbody and the anal plate is undivided.
The desert kingsnake may occur in any rural habitat within its range. Despite its common name, it is most likely to be found in mesic areas, especially near water tanks or within riparian corridors.
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Wikipedia