Florida's Snakes thumbnail photo of snake identification guide cover

Mole Kingsnake
(Lampropeltis calligaster)

NON-VENOMOUS

blotch icon
Blotched


Mole Kingsnake

photo of mole kingsnake showing red-brown blotches on reddish body

 Photo by Kenney Krysko (FLMNH). This photo may not be used without the express written permission of the photographer

Size:

Usually 2.5–3.5 ft. (max. ~4 ft.)

Identification:

Body is cream, tan, grayish, or sometimes reddish; back and sides are marked with irregular, red-brown blotches. Head is usually marked with a red-brown, Y-shaped blotch. In peninsular Florida, neck and sides of head may be marked with dark stripes. This secretive snake is rarely seen and has a limited range, so be sure to check the range map for help with identification. It could be mistaken for the venomous Pygmy Rattlesnake but is much larger and thinner for its length and has smooth scales and round eye pupils. This snake lays eggs.

Habitats:

Found only in parts of the panhandle and scattered sites in central Florida in oak-pine forest, flatwoods, dry prairie, grasslands, and agricultural areas.

Diet:

Frogs, lizards, snakes, young birds and bird eggs, shrews, moles, mice

map showing that mole kingsnakes are only found in parts of the panhandle and a relatively small region in central Florida north of Lake Okeechobee

Map by Monica E. McGarrity - may be used freely for education.


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