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California Kingsnake
The California Kingsnake is a nonvenomous snake that resides mainly in the western United States and Northern Mexico. Due to ease of care and a wide range of colour variations, the California Kingsnake is one of the most popular snakes in captivity.



This species lives in a wide variety of habitats, including woodland, grassland, deserts, marshes, and even suburban areas.



The California Kingsnake commonly fees on rodents, other reptiles, birds, and amphibians. All kingsnakes are non-venomous, but are powerful constrictors and generally kill their pray through suffocation.



The California Kingsnake lays eggs as opposed to giving live birth like some other snakes. They typically lay between 5-12 eggs and the hatchlings usually emerge 40-65 days later. They are approximately 8-12 inches long in length. Adult California Kingsnakes are most commonly 2.5 – 3.5 feet in length.

Fun Facts

California Kingsnakes can vary in all different colours even though they are all the same species. They shed 4-6 times per year and become blind when shedding.

scientific classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

Genus

Lampropeltis

Species

L. getula

did you know?

Over half of the population of California Kingsnakes are in captivity.
The California Kingsnake is very adaptable to whatever habitat it is put into.
During the winter, the California Kingsnake will burrow underground and enter a state similar to hibernation.

Where to find us

The California Kingsnake can be found in Safari Niagara's reptile exhibit.
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