How Long Do King Snakes Get ?
King snakes have a wide array of adaptation. You will find them in the southern regions of Canada all the way up to the grasslands of South America. Desert basins, wetlands, valleys, riverine, hills, shrubs, coastal estuaries, mountain foothills and densely vegetated areas are home to king snakes. |
Although they are predominantly found on land, these snakes should not be underestimated for their quick climbing abilities. They can easily glide through trees and mountains making them strong predators. They are excellent swimmers too, giving them a flexible weaponry to defend themselves and kill their prey.
Constriction is the most common method used by king snakes to kill and attack their prey. They make use of their strong muscles to constrict and suffocate the prey causing asphyxiation and bone fractures leading to instant death. They are found hiding underneath fallen litter, logs, mountain foothills and even rodent burrows during daytime.
An adult king snake can grow up to a length of seven to eight feet. A scarlet king snake is the only exception in this species. It is only a couple of feet long after complete maturation making it one of the shortest of its kind. King snakes have a very long life span of up to twenty years. The female lays four to twenty eggs on loose soil, logs or even rodent burrows. The young ones hatch seven to twelve weeks later, and are roughly eight to thirteen inches in length. They reach complete sexual maturation at the age of three to four years.
King snakes are easy to tame and make great pets. However, their huge length could be a cause of concern for owners if they do not have enough space to accommodate these reptiles.
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King snakes are quite harmless and belong to the Colubridae family. Their genus is Lampropeltis which loosely translates to shiny and small shield. The scales of the king snakes are shiny and they prey on other venomous snakes. Milk snake is a popular sub species of the king snake variety.