The desert kingsnake is only found in the United States.

Featuring a black or brown body with light-colored speckles all over it, the desert kingsnake may look intimidating, but it is one of the friendliest species around with no teeth and no venom. Plus, they won’t attack if they are afraid! Instead, they’ll roll over and play dead, hoping the threat will leave them alone.

5 Amazing Desert Kingsnake Facts

• While these snakes will eat a wide variety of rodents and lizards in their diet, they will also eat rattlesnakes if the opportunity arises.
• The desert kingsnake lays eggs after fertilization between March and June. Clutch sizes range from 5-12 eggs, and the snake will sometimes bury them up to 1 foot underground to keep the shells from drying out.
• They can only be found in the wild in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, preferring a temperature of 83-87 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In captivity, they need to be fed at least 1-2 mice weekly to satisfy their appetite.
• Though their scientific name comes from their “splendid” colors, they are also bred as albino snakes.

Where to Find Desert Kingsnakes

These snakes may have seemingly steady numbers, but they aren’t found in very many locations. They only live in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico in the United States. Though these states are close to the border, there are no reports of it in Mexico. They prefer a rural habitat, seeking out areas near water, despite the fact that these states are notorious for their desert environments.

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If you keep the desert kingsnake as a pet, their daytime temperature should be 83-87 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, the temperature should not fall below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Desert Kingsnake Scientific Name

The desert kingsnake has the scientific name Lampropeltis splendida. The name is Greek in origin. “Lampropeltis” essentially means “radiant small shields,” while “splendida” is meant to be a description of their splendid colors.

This snake is part of the Reptilia class and the Colubridae family.

Population & Conservation Status

Researchers estimate the total population of desert kingsnakes to be over 10,000 in the United States. The conservation status is “Least Concern,” and the population is stable.

Appearance and Description

The colors of these snakes are black and yellow. While the main body has a glossy black or sometimes brown hue, the speckles along it are some shade of white or yellow. The flecks of contracting color matches the pale scales along the lower side of the kingsnake, though the abdomen is predominantly black in both full-grown snakes and juveniles. They have 23-25 rows of smooth dorsal scales, and they typically reach lengths of 3-4 feet in size.

Though albino desert kingsnakes exists, they are primarily bred for the pet trade, only reaching 12-14 inches in total size when they are sold.

How to identify a desert kingsnake:

• 3-4 feet long at full-grown size.
• Up to 25 rows of dorsal scales with smooth texture.
• Black or brown body with speckles of white or yellow throughout.

Desert Kingsnake Pictures

How Dangerous Are They?

Though this snake may seem intimidating, they are not dangerous to humans at all. They have a carnivorous diet, but they aren’t venomous. They don’t even have teeth to bite you! If you end up seeing one, they won’t likely attack when provoked even. Instead, they will become motionless and turn onto their backs in an effort to appear dead. When the threat has passed, they resume their daily routine.

Desert Kingsnake Behavior and Humans

The docile and friendly nature of desert kingsnakes makes them excellent pets, and they are easy to find with local breeders in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. They aren’t harmful to humans, and they often bond deeply with their keeper when they are handled properly and fed a healthy diet. Some desert kingsnakes even cozy up to their keeper as a way to get warmer.

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