Scarlet Kingsnake

Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides

Range: Southeastern coastal plain and piedmont from North Carolina through Florida to Mississippi River.

Habitat: This burrowing, generally nocturnal snake is often found under loose bark of fallen, decaying trees.

Diet in the Wild: Small rodents, snakes, lizards, frogs, eggs, young birds and earth worms

Reproduction: It lays five to 16 eggs with the young being five to eight inches when hatched.

Description: Throughout the animal kingdom, we find examples of relatively harmless animals resembling dangerous animals. The venomous coral snake has a mimic in the scarlet kingsnake. Here are the differences between the two: The coral snake has a black rounded snout; the scarlet king has a sharp pointed red snout. As the heads are often hidden in the wild, a better distinguishing characteristic is the sequence of colored rings on the body. Both have black, yellow and red rings. In the venomous coral snake, yellow and red touch, just as they do on a traffic light, and this is a warning or danger signal, just like a traffic light. Yellow is caution, red is danger. Notice on the scarlet kingsnake, the yellow and red bands are separated by a band of black.

The average length is 20 inches with a maximum length of 27 inches.