📸 PhotoPhoto: en:User:Dawson · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Common Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula (Common Kingsnake · コモンキングヘビ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its average length of 130 cm is around the height of a lower-grade elementary school child (Comparison).
- 💡 Animal Diversity Web notes that the Common Kingsnake is one of the most popular pet snakes after boas, and plays a role in reducing populations of venomous snakes that can be dangerous to humans.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Common Kingsnake is a non-venomous snake whose appearance and habitat vary greatly by subspecies, living widely from forests to deserts and cities.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Hatchlings measure 20–28 cm in length; the Eastern Kingsnake has yellow or white crossbands on a glossy black body, while the speckled subspecies has yellow dots scattered over a black body.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Active by day, it preys mainly on other snakes including venomous ones such as rattlesnakes, and also eats lizards, mice, and quail eggs. It climbs trees and swims well, and males entwine their bodies to fight during the mating season.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2019) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/67662588/67662645
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 3S4VP
- • iucnredlist.org — 67662645
- • wikidata.org — Q747093
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Lampropeltis getula getula.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Lampropeltis getula
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Andy Wilson · CC0 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Lampropeltis californiae)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.