This Speckled Kingsnake is showing a bit of its active side.
The speckled kingsnake's classification is Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Squamata, Family Colubridae, and Genus Lampropeltis.
The speckled kingsnake can be found all the way from Southern Iowa to the Gulf of Mexico. This snake lives in the wild and is most likely to live near water and grassy lands. In the classroom, the speckled kingsnake lives in a cage with a screen as its covering. There, it will eat small mice and baby rats.
This snake eats small rodents, other snakes, and lizards in the wild. As written in many books, the rattlesnake is its favorite snake to eat. The speckled kingsnake has to be very careful in the wild because of hawks and eagles. The speckled kingsnake is a prey of those two predators.
After reproduction, the female leaves the eggs to hatch on their own. Within about eight weeks, the baby snakes hatch. After about two or three years, the snake is mature enough to reproduce. At this age, the speckled kingsnake is considered an adult. Even though the snake reproduces, it does not stay with its mate. It lives alone and hunts alone. The time of death comes for the speckled kingsnake between the ages of 20 to 25.
Some interesting information: Snakes don't have eyelids, so when they sleep, they don't shut their eyes. There are about two clutches of eggs laid per breeding season. Within one clutch there are 6-25 eggs. The speckled kingsnake is also a relative of the milksnake. These snakes are immune to the poisonous bites of snakes such as rattlesnakes, moccasins, and copperheads. The speckled kingsnake also got its name because of the yellowish specks on its body.
This is a picture of the Speckled Kingsnake. Notice how the eyes are clouded ? This leads us to the conclusion that it is about to shed.