Reptile & Amphibian Forums

was wondering if there's a common trait that distinguishes kingsnakes. From the many pics that i've saw they all vary.Some look very like corals.How do i recognise a kingsnake?

As long as you're in the US, you can look at the bands. The bands on tricolor kings and milks go... 'red black yellow' and on corals they go 'red yellow black'... so... 'Red and yellow, kill a fellow, red and black, venom lack'.
This doesn't work in South and Central America, which have a greater variation of coral snakes, and many more kinds of mimics.

Another ways you can tell the differance; The coral has a stark black snout followed by a broad yellow band across the head. Also, the venom glands make a coral's head appear more rounded. The shape is longer and narrower (more typically colubrid) in kings and scarlett snakes. It is really the most important thing to learn the difference in head shapes. Color is not 100% reliable. I have a nice photo of Greg Longhurst holding a Florida coral that had Black & yellow Bands with only a couple of very tiny red spots. Also with all the (questionable) advances in cross-breeding species, there are a lot of snakes (like Jurrasic milks)that are blurring the lines on identification (the good news there is nobody that I know of has done this with corals). Note; every thing but head shape goes out the door with corals south of the border.
Frank

Oh yeah, that Goini coral. And there was that melanistic coral a few years back that was mistaken for a ringneck. If you're actually field herping, it sounds like learning the head shape would be very very important.

If you look at any good book on central to S. American snakes, The whole ID thing becomes a nightmare. Between the many different color and pattern varients (even in the same species), plus the other snakes that mimic the corals; Oxyrhopus, Plioceras, Lystrophis,Erythrolamrus and Chilomeniscus just to name a few... It makes you glad to be an American...where all our corals (excluding anomalies)behave and folow the same format.
The coral I refered to earlier was caught in Margate Florida in the late 70's. I collected a Scarlett king with the same black and yellow (also in Margate). I heard about, but did not see a solid black coral....Life gets interesting....don't it?
Frank

life is getting confusing u mean.. yea i'm more into field herping.I don't think Malaysia has that many varieties.We have the blue coral snake which is pretty easy to id. I guess i better get to studying snake heads then sigh..

Lucky you! But it does breakdown to the study of scalation and dentation (know your teeth...CAREFULLY). The only alternative is disection...(not recomended for pets). The differences can be subtle but fortunatly, distinct enough that they can be spotted, if you know what to look for.
Frank