Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Interesting article on a battle between a Kingsnake and a coachwhip in Arizona. We all know Kings are excellent at taking down snakes, but look at the size difference between the King and coachwhip. Amazing. I'm not sure if the King in the photo is a splendida or what, but a very interesting encounter by the author of this article that stumbled across this battle.

Steve
Link

Talk about eyes being to big for his belly. Great pictures.

I have a story almost identical to that one . Except it ttok place in my rack and not in the desert LOL. Here is the account as I posted it in December on the Indigo forum

I purchased one of Dean's YT's he produced this year and he is a beauty. I was told he eats live but I figured I could switch him over pretty quick ... I was wrong. The problem was I had zero access to live food small enough for him to eat. Anyway I tried everything I could and nothing. So in desperation I had a Outer Banks King juvenile that was even more stubborn than the YT and he was starting to get weak etc... I did what some may call unthinkable but I felt that YT needed a meal quick as it was going on 8 weeks. I put the juvenile OBK in there which is only 10" long maybe and they YT went after it fast ! Thats when the OBK found some renewed strength . The YT had the king in his mouth about 1/3 the way from the head so the king took the rest of his body and wrapped around the YT's neck and was literally strangling the cribo ! I manged to unwrap the king but in turn the king bit onto the top of the cribo's head and began to work his way down. Now he only could swallow up to where his body was stuffed into the cribo's mouth. I carefully peeled the king off and ...(gulp) euthanized it so it would give the cribo no more trouble. I felt terrible about it but the OBK was doomed to die regardless and that YT needed to eat and live was the only answer. The YT then gobbled him up problem free and 1 week later I offered a scented fuzzie with snake guts on it (I had a few dead in the egg Brooksi kings in the freezer)and BAM he ate it right up ! He did this agin last night as well . I took extreme measures to get this YT to eat and again I feel bad but now the YT is chowin so the trade off isnt half bad.
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Keith Hillson

I think if I would have let them go that Outer Banks may have taken him out !

Keith
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It is a california king. But great series of pics.
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1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Yea Brian, I was curious myself because the author stated that it was a splendida, but the snake in the picture doesn't look like a Desert King because of the banding. I wasn't sure if it might be a yuma King, because of the location being in Pinal County, which according to a Kingsnake distribution chart, listed in one of my books, has Pinal county right in the heart of L.g. yumensis range. Then again I don't even know what a yuma King is supposed to look like, LOL
Anyway, I see you have a Black Kingsnake "Nigra". Out of all the common Kings, that's one I hardly ever see for sale or in collections. I'm a big fan of native species in my home state, with Virginia having both the Eastern and black king, though a very limited range for nigra in Va. Where did you get yours from? Wild caught or CB? Thanks,

Steve

A Yuma king looks a little more like a Splendida than a cali king. The king in the series of photos is a cali king. Nice big bands on the body that continue on to the belly. It is a coastal phase cali. Yellow and chocolate coloring.

Here is a link to a picture of a yuma king.

http://www.simplysnakes.com/image27.htm

My black king is a KY locale snake, Hopkins county. She was hatched out from some eggs laid by a W/C gravid female last year.

I like the black kings as well, and am looking to add a speckled king to my collection as well. Either MO or KY locale, whichever I find first.

Yuma king

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1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Thanks for the link to the yuma king. Very nice looking king themselves.
I know what you mean by black Kings and speckleds. Sometime in the future, I'm sure I'll end up with a nigra & holbrooki, to add to my getula collection. With the speckleds I'm looking for the black with white specks instead of yellow. There is a specimen at the Norfolk/va. zoo that is an awsome looking holbrooki. Black with white specks on every scale. A true salt & pepper look. That animal has set the standard for what I want LOL
Next time I'm in Ky I'll have to do some hunting for nigra and such. I have friends & family throughout the state. Jefferson co., columbia area near green river, (used to spend alot of time there swimming/fishing/camping. Take care,

Steve