HARMLESS. The Speckled Kingsnake is characterized by smooth scales, a single anal scale, two rows of scales on the underside of the tail, a light and dark pattern on the belly, and a black head, body, and tail profusely speckled with small yellow (sometimes cream or white) spots. The belly is yellow and irregularly patterned with black. Often the yellow speckling on the back fuses to form narrow bars in adults; these bars are always present in young specimens. Adult males have slightly longer tails and grow larger than females.
Adults normally grow 90.0-122.0 cm (36-48 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a male (KU 182290) from Ford County with a total length of 126.4 cm (49¼ inches) collected by Jeffrey T. Burkhart, T. Lucier, and D. Tolliver on 28 October 1978. The maximum length throughout the range is 182.9 cm (72 inches) (Conant and Collins, 1998).
Probably occurs statewide, though spotty in the western quarter of the state, where it is largely confined to riparian corridors. It is especially numerous in rocky areas of the Smoky Hills, Flint Hills, and Osage Cuesta physiographic provinces, and at wetlands like Cheyenne Bottoms, Neosho Waterfowl Refuge, and Jamestown Wildlife Area.
This species generally inhabits moist areas of open woodland, woodland edge, or lowlands but has been found in open prairie. In forested areas it frequents rocky ledges on hillsides, whereas on the open prairie it retreats to small mammal burrows.
Taggart (1992) collected 22 of these handsome snakes during one season in five counties, as follows: eleven in Ellis, four in Rooks, three in Trego, three in Russell, and one in Ness. He found them fairly common on open prairies near streams in the Smoky Hills (northern Low Plains) from May to September. In addition, on 13 July he discovered ten of these snakes by rolling over hay bales in a 80 acre hay field in Allen County.
Speckled Kingsnakes are active from April to October. During spring and fall, this species is active primarily during the day. The high air temperatures of summer cause this snake to become nocturnal.
During the winter, it crawls into burrows deep beneath the ground to avoid cold temperatures. Seven of nine examples of this snake found between 24 May and 24 July on the Konza Prairie were in open grassland habitat (Heinrich and Kaufman, 1985).
Speckled Kingsnakes mate in the spring and lay their eggs in summer. Male Speckled Kingsnakes engage in elaborate combat dances to establish dominance over others of their sex. The eggs, which range in number from two to seventeen (Fitch, 1985), generally hatch in the fall. Gloyd (1928) reported a female from Franklin County which deposited ten eggs on 22 June. Two of the eggs successfully hatched two months later. Collins (1974) maintained in captivity a female Speckled Kingsnake collected in Barton County which laid eleven eggs on 12 July. Eric M. Rundquist (pers. comm., 1989) recorded a clutch of twelve eggs laid on 14 June by a female from Butler County. Little is known of courtship in this species, but apparently the male bites the female to hold her during mating.
Speckled Kingsnakes use constriction to overpower prey. Their varied diet includes rodents, small birds, eggs (bird and reptile), lizards, and snakes (Collins, 1993).
Predators of the Speckled Kingsnake consist chiefly of large birds and small mammals. Like many snakes, this species rapidly vibrates its tail when threatened (Collins, 1993).
First reported in Kansas by Mozley (1877) based on a specimen at the University of Kansas collected by Joseph Savage in Douglas County. The earliest existing specimen (USNM 316) was collected at Shawnee Mission, Johnson County, in 1857 (no other associated data).
The systematics of the Speckled Kingsnake and its wide-spread closely related congeners (L. californiae, L. splendida, and L. getula [among other synonyms]) has received a lot of work since Blanchard (1921) (see Blaney 1971, 1977; Pyron 2009).
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this species of 33 years and four months.
References
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Rundquist, Eric M. 1998. Blind snake reproductive activity. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (111):16-17.
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Rundquist, Eric M. 1998. KDWP herp sting so far nets nine on Kansas and Federal charges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):5-6.
Collins, Joseph T. 1998. Results of the KHS silver anniversary fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (114):6-.
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Taggart, Travis W. 2000. KHS spring field trip sets record for attendance. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (120):5-5.
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Rundquist, Eric M. 2000. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16.
Collins, Joseph T. 2001. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2000. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):6-8.
Rundquist, Eric M. 2001. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16.
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Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of
America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory
and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6 pp.
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Taggart, Travis W. 2002. Results of the KHS 2002 fall field Trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):11-13.
Taggart, Travis W. 2002. Geographic distribution: Lampropeltis getula. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):14.
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and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59 pp.
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Collins, Joseph T. 2003. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2002. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):13-16.
Taggart, Travis W. 2003. KHS conducts first systematic road survey. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):11-12.
Platt, Dwight R. 2003. Lizards and snakes (Order Squamata) of Harvey County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):13-20.
Taggart, Travis W. 2003. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5.
Burr, Andrew. 2003. Coffey County herp count 2. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):7.
Collins, Joseph T. 2003. Douglas County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8.
Lokke, John L. and Jill Lokke. 2003. Cowley County herp count 2. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8.
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Schmidt, Curtis J. 2004. Natural history and status of the exploited Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) in western Kansas and a herpetofaunal inventory of the Smoky Valley Ranch, Logan County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 170 pp.
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Taggart, Travis W. 2004. Kansas Herpetological Society 2004 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (9):2.
Taggart, Travis W. 2004. Results of the 2004 KHS spring field trip to Logan County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (10):2-7.
Volkmann, Al. 2004. Cowley County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):10.
Washburne, M. 2004. Ellsworth County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):10.
Taggart, Travis W. 2005. Results of the KHS 2005 fall field trip [to Crawford County]. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (16):19-21.
Taggart, Travis W. 2006. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106 pp.
Westerman, Luke A. 2006. A remarkable record of prey ingestion by a Common Kingsnake. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (19):9.
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Wilgers, Dustin J., Eva A. Horne, Brett K. Sandercock, and Allan W. Volkmann. 2006. Effects of rangeland management on community dynamics of the herpetofauna of the tallgrass prairie. 62:378-388.
Taggart, Travis W., Joseph T. Collins, and Curtis J. Schmidt. 2007. Estimates of amphibian, reptile, and turtle mortality if Phostoxin is applied to 10,000 acres of prairie dog burrows in Logan County, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 5 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2008. KHS 2008 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (25):2-3.
Pyron, R. Alexander. 2009. Systematics and Historical Biogeography of the Lampropeltinine Snakes (Serpentes: Colubridae. Dissertation. City University of New York, College of Staten Island, New York. 135 pp.
Hubbs, Brian. 2009. Common Kingsnakes, a Natural History of Lampropeltis getula. Tricolor Books, Tempe, Arizona. 412 pp.
Murrow, Daniel G. 2009. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769.
Whitney, Chad. 2009. Geographic distribution. Lampropeltis getula (Common Kingsnake). Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):7.
Taggart, Travis W. 2009. Geographic distribution. Lampropeltis getula (Common Kingsnake). Journal of Kansas Herpetology (30):11.
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Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. 2010. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas. Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400 pp.
Murrow, Daniel G. 2010. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3.
Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. 2011. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of the Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas. Second (Revised) Edition. U. S. Forest Service.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4.
Taggart, Travis W. and Daniel Murrow. 2011. KHS to conduct summer field trip to western Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):5.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Results of the Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 Summer Field Trip to Scott State Park. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):2.
Whitney, Chad. 2011. Geographic Distribution: Lampropeltis holbrooki. Kansas: Finney and Hodgeman counties. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (40):8.
Rohweder, Megan R. 2012. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151 pp.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2012. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2012 Spring Field Trip to Bourbon County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2012 Summer Field Trip to Meade County State Park. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Spring Field Trip to Schermerhorn Park, Cherokee County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Summer Field Trip to Coldwater Lake, Comanche County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):5.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Fall Field Trip to Butler County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):6.
Mardis, Dexter and Kevin Scott. 2013. 2013 Kansas Herpetofaunal Counts. Collinsorum 2(3/4):7.
Helms, Clinton. 2014. Nest Survival of Grassland Breeding Birds in a
Southern Mixed-Grass Prairie Wetland. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 100 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):11.
Houck, Mike. 2015. 2015 Fort Riley Herpetofaunal Count final report. Collinsorum 4(1):10-11.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Spring Field Trip to the Greenhorn Limestone of Russell County. Collinsorum 4(3):2.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Fall Field Trip Held In Washington County. Collinsorum 4(3):4.
Pittman, Galen L., Henry S. Fitch, and W. Dean Kettle. 2016. Vertebrate animals on the Fitch Natural History Reservation (1948-2002). Kansas Biological Survey Report Number 188, Lawrence. 48 pp.
Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. 2016. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2016. Spring 2016 KHS field trip to Clark County was a soggy success. Collinsorum 5(2-3):2-3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2016. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7.
Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. 2017. A Pocket Guide to
Kansas Amphibians,
Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69 pp.
Crother, Brian I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102.
Mardis, Dexter R. 2017. Results from three Herpetofaunal tallies at Wichita State University’s Youngmeyer Ranch in Northwestern
Elk County. Collinsorum 6(1):8-10.
Taggart, Travis W. 2017. Results of the 2017 KHS Spring Field Trip to Elk County, Kansas. Collinsorum 6(2-3):6-8.
Schmidt, Curtis J. 2017. Herp Count: Southeast Ellis County. Collinsorum 6(2-3):9.
Taggart, Travis W. 2017. Herp Count: Clark County State Lake. Collinsorum 6(2-3):9.
Mead, Joshua. 2018. Spatial Ecology of the Western Massasauga
(Sistrurus tergeminus) in a Large Interior Wetland. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 69 pp.
Houck, Mike. 2018. Herp Count: Fort Riley Military Installation. Collinsorum 7(1):17.
Burbrink, Frank T. and Marcelo Gehara. 2018. The biogeography of deep time phylogenetic reticulation. Systematic Biology 67(5):743–755.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2019. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192 pp.
Myers, Edward A., Alexander T. Xue, Marcelo Gehara, Christian Cox, Alison R. Davis Rabosky, Julio Lemos‐Espinal, Juan E. Martínez‐Gómez, and Frank T. Burbrink. 2019. Environmental heterogeneity and not vicariant biogeographic barriers generate community‐wide population structure in desert‐adapted snakes. Molecular Ecology 28(20):4535-4548.
Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. 2020. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86 pp.
Riedle, J. Daren. 2020. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data:
Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16.
Hullinger, Allison, Zackary Cordes, Daren Riedle, and William Stark. 2020. Habitat assessment of the Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps)
and the associated squamate community in eastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 123(1-2):137-150.
Schmidt, Curtis J and Avery Schmidt. 2021. Herp Count: KHS-2020-4. Collinsorum 9(3):12.
Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Hodgeman County: KHS-2020-09. Collinsorum 9(3):13.
Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Comanche County: KHS-2020-15. Collinsorum 9(3):13-14.
Taggart, Travis W., Dan Fogell, and Christopher Visser. 2021. Herp Count: Russell County: KHS-2020-25. Collinsorum 9(3):15.
Burbrink, Frank and Sara Ruane. 2021. Contemporary philosophy and methods for studying
speciation and delimiting species. Ichthyology & Herpetology 109(3):874-894.
Harrington, Sean and Frank T. Burbrink. 2022. Complex cycles of divergence and migration shape lineage
structure in the Common Kingsnake species complex. Journal of Biogeography 50(1):1-11.
Russell, Elisabeth. 2023. Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81 pp.
Ward, Jessica. 2023. Species profile: Speckled Kingsnake. Kansas Wildlife & Parks (March-April):44.
Gottsch, Parker, Steven Klioze, Norma Davenport, and Stephen P. MacKessy. 2023. Geographic distribution: Lampropeltis holbrooki. USA, Colorado. Herpetological Review 54(4):600.