Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the largest growing king?

I have a calking and i'm now looking into going Bigger.

Hello,

That would be either an eastern chain king or a florida (brooksi) king.

Some of the goini intergrades get large as well.

However .... if you look at getting a eastern from some of the S. Georgia lines they get pretty damn big... but again the brooksi's can be right up there with them which can hit between 5-6'.

I have noticed the carolinas (north and south) easterns seem to be a bit smaller, although they do retain a brighter adult contrast and coloration overall ... in general.

Obviously there are individual exceptions to the rule.

>>What is the largest growing king?
>>
>>I have a calking and i'm now looking into going Bigger.

Lampropeltis Triangulum Micropholis (Ecuadoran Milksnake) - 72"
(but not a kingsnake)

L. Getulus Getulus (Eastern Chain Kingsnake)
L. G. Floridana (Florida Kingsnake)
L. G. Goini (Lower Appalachicola/Blotched Kingsnake)

are usually the largest kingsnakes apx 60"

Milk snakes are kings in many languages, just not English.
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I decided my old sig was too big.

No doubt like the other's have mentioned,......the Eastern, the Goini, and floridana/brooksi attain the largest size of the getula complex,....but there really isn't any "one" in particular, as it depends on many factors. The snake's inherited genetics from the parent stock, size of prey, and frequency of these meals, along with the temperature at which it is exposed to either in the wild, or in captivity will all contribute to the ultimate size of any particular snake.

As for the milksnakes,....the southernmost subspecies....Ecuadoran, Andean, and the Black Milksnake are generally considered to be the largest of the 25 subspecies, 26 if temporalis is included, although there are possible exceptions to almost any general rule. A good example of this would be that some years back, Louis Porras and Shannon Brown were featured in a reptile magazine, and were photographed holding a very exceptional sized Honduran Milksnake that was just shy of eight feet in length.

Additionally, there are some other latin American milks that are capable of growing quite large as well.

A 72" inch Ecuadoran Milksnake(micropholis) is no doubt a large milksnake, but when you consider there are no(zero) pure micropholis available in this country, they very likely could get somewhat larger than the 6 ft. mark mentioned if there were a number of these specimens kept in captivity. The only animals available to date, are a natural Andesiana/micropholis intergrade from the intermediate elevation of the Popayan area where their two ranges overlap.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Just thought I'd mention that L. g. nigra and L. c. calligaster also both pass the 5 foot mark, and just might hit 6 feet. I've seen some whoppers of each here in Tennessee; unfortunately you cannot collect them here.