Description: Scarlet kingsnakes have a tricolored pattern of black, red, white, and various shades of yellow bands that appear to mimic the venomous coral snake in a form of Batesian mimicry. A method to help differentiate between venomous and non-venomous tricolor snakes in North America is found in an enormous variety of popular phrases, which are usually some variation of "Red touches black, friend of jack, red touches yellow, kill a fellow", "red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack", or "if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow; if red touches black, you're all right, Jack". For tri-colored snakes found east of the Mississippi River, all of these phrases can be replaced with the simple phrase, "Red face, I'm safe", in reference to the red snout of scarlet kingsnakes as opposed to the prominent black snout of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius).
Scarlet kingsnakes are born with white, black, and red banding. As they mature, they develop varying shades of yellow within geographic areas where this is expressed. In addition, the yellowing is not uniform, but rather this pigmentation proceeds from lighter to darker from the lowermost scales upward to the dorsum, or "back", presenting a multiple yellowish band. Early expression of yellowing appears as early as 3 months and continues through the first 3 years. As adults age, a gradual darkening of the yellowish banding occurs. The yellow pigmentation varies from lemon, to school-bus yellow, to tangerine, to apricot.
Habitat: hey are found in pine flatwoods, hydric hammocks, pine savannas, mesic pine-oak forests, prairies, cultivated fields, and a variety of suburban habitats; not unusually, people find scarlet kingsnakes in their swimming pools, especially during the spring. They can be found underneath the loose bark on rotting pines (which is a favorite place for them to hide during spring or during heavy rains), under the bark on dying or decaying pines and their stumps, and decaying wood.
Range: This snake's range extends from southeastern Virginia and the Coastal Plain of North and South Carolina southward through Georgia to southern Florida, and westward to eastern Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Diet: they hunt for their favorite prey, small snakes and lizards, especially skinks. Hatchling scarlet kingsnakes show a strong predisposition for little brown skinks (Scincella lateralis), often to the exclusion of other prey items. One study showed that elongate squamates made up about 97% of these snakes diets, potentially due to their small mouths.
Reproduction: The scarlet kingsnake is polygynandrous, meaning both males and females will mate with multiple partners. Their breeding season is March-June, and females have multiple egg clutches that incubate for 40-65 days. Lampropeltis elapsoides is an oviparous species of snake that lays eggs in clutches of 4-12, usually under rotting wood and between rocks and logs. These eggs are white and slender, with most adhering to one another. Eggs typically hatch within 2-2.5 months, though times may vary.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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