Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake

Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake

Natural History

The Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake is a medium length (18 - 42 inches),

non-poisonous, slender snake with colorful red, black and cream banding and a rather wide flat head. The amount of red in the bands varies greatly and in some cases (as can be seen in the photo at right) does not completely separate the black bands). Black bands often become narrow or disappear on the snake's sides.

Kingsnakes can typically be distinguished from the poisonous coral snake by their color bands. Coral snakes typically have red and yellow banding that touch while in kingsnakes, the red is next to black. Due to the wide variability in snake coloration do not expect this rule to always hold true however.

Sonoran Mountain Kingsnakes typically dwell in mountains ranging from oak-juniper and pinyon-juniper forests to woodlands of pine and oak, but may descend to lowland areas in moist canyons. They eat lizards, other snakes, small mammals and frogs. Females lay a clutch of 2-9 eggs in June or July.

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