For the past couple years I have occasionally visited an area of Levy County in search of kingsnakes. On my first visit, in 2006, I found this girl crossing the road:
Subsequent visits produced almost nothing as far as kings, though I did find some of the Gulf Hammock endemics, bluestripe garters and ribbons, and Gulf Hammock rat snakes.
A friend who lives in the area gave me this female he captive hatched from a wild-caught gravid king:
I finally found another king out there this year, in early May. This guy is measured at 63" and is one of the largest kings I have found:
I tried breeding him with my two female kings from the same area, but they weren't interested (and he sure tried!). I'm sure they will breed next year.
I'm unsure of the genetic status of these kings. They definitely have Florida kingsnake in them, I just don't know that they have much, if any eastern king influence. The eastern kings in FL aren't really patterned like these, and don't really look like these. Most people are used to lighter colored Florida kings, but there are Florida kings in South Florida that are as black as these. Either way, I like them, and they get big.
