Harmless · Native to the United States · Popular pet

California kingsnake

Lampropeltis californiae (Blainville, 1835)

Also called Cal king; formerly Lampropeltis getula californiae
Data updated October 2026

California kingsnake with glossy black and white bands crossing dry ground among rocks
Fig. 1 — Banded adult on dry, rocky ground, showing the glossy black-and-white rings.
Striped form of the California kingsnake with a single pale stripe down a dark back
Fig. 2 — Some California kingsnakes are striped lengthwise instead of banded.

At a glance

A glossy, banded or striped constrictor of California and the Southwest. It eats rodents, lizards and other snakes, including rattlesnakes, whose venom it resists. It is harmless to people and one of the most widely kept pet snakes.

01

Identification

California kingsnakes are slim, smooth-scaled snakes with a glossy shine and a head barely wider than the neck. Color varies a lot. The most familiar form has crisp bands of black and white or cream that circle the body, while brown-and-cream snakes are also common. Some individuals carry one pale stripe down the back instead of bands, and odd mixes of dots, bars and zigzags turn up too.

  1. 01Two-tone bands or a stripe. Dark and pale only, either as rings around the body or a single lengthwise stripe. No red.
  2. 02Smooth, glossy scales. The name Lampropeltis means “shiny shield.”
  3. 03Small, narrow head. Round pupils and a head that blends into the neck, unlike the broad head of a rattlesnake.

Commonly confused with

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 3 ft (91 cm)

Most adults measure about 2.5 to 4 feet (76–122 cm), and wild snakes rarely pass 4 feet. Sources give upper sizes from about 5 feet to, in captivity, a little over 6 feet. Hatchlings are about 8 to 12 inches (20–30 cm) long. Because they are slender, they often look smaller than they are.

03

Range & habitat

California kingsnake moving through chaparral scrub and rocks
Fig. 3 — Rocky outcrops and chaparral are classic habitat, but it lives in almost every habitat in California.

California kingsnakes range across most of California and into southwestern Oregon, Nevada, southern Utah, Arizona and northwestern Mexico, including Baja California. They live in nearly every habitat in that region: deserts, chaparral, rocky outcrops, grassland, oak and pine woodland, marsh edges, farmland, ranches and brushy suburbs. An introduced population on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands has become invasive.

04

Diet & predators

California kingsnakes are constrictors that eat almost any animal they can overpower and swallow whole, usually headfirst. Rodents, lizards, frogs, salamanders, birds and eggs are all taken. They are best known for eating other snakes, including rattlesnakes, whose venom they strongly resist. When attacking a snake, a kingsnake coils around the front of its body and squeezes.

Feeds on

  • Mice, rats and other rodents
  • Lizards
  • Snakes, including rattlesnakes
  • Frogs, birds and eggs

Preyed on by

  • Hawks and other birds of prey
  • Medium-sized mammals
  • Other kingsnakes
Wild mouse on the ground
Prey — mice and other rodents.
Red-tailed hawk perched on a branch
Predator — hawks.

05

Behavior & seasons

California kingsnakes live mostly on the ground but climb and swim well. They prefer cooler weather: in spring and fall they forage by day, and in the heat of summer they shift to dawn, dusk and night. In winter they enter brumation, a hibernation-like slowdown.

When threatened they hiss, vibrate the tail in dry leaves so it buzzes like a rattle, release a strong musk, or roll into a ball with the head hidden. They are solitary, and males may fight during the breeding season.

06

Reproduction

California kingsnakes lay eggs. Mating usually happens within a few weeks of coming out of brumation in spring, and the breeding season runs from about March to August depending on location. About six weeks after mating, the female lays a clutch, on average 8 to 10 eggs, under plants or logs and leaves them. The eggs hatch roughly six weeks to two months later, sooner in warmer weather. Females breed about once a year.

07

Conservation

The California kingsnake is not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Its populations are thought to be large and stable because it does well in so many habitats, including farmland and suburbs. Road traffic and habitat loss affect local populations, and state collecting rules apply to wild snakes. Outside its native range it is a problem: the Gran Canaria population preys on native island lizards.

In captivity

As a pet

California kingsnakes are among the most commonly kept pet snakes and were one of the first snakes bred regularly in captivity. Captive-bred snakes come in many color forms. Choose a captive-bred animal from a breeder or rescue rather than taking one from the wild. With good care they often live more than 20 years.

  • Enclosure. An adult needs at least a 50-gallon tank; a 4 × 2 × 2 ft enclosure is better. Kingsnakes are skilled escape artists, so the lid must lock.
  • Heat. A warm end of about 85°F and a cool end in the 70s°F, with a hide at each end. Avoid hot rocks.
  • Substrate and water. Aspen, cypress mulch or coconut coir; a sturdy water bowl; keep the cage dry.
  • Food. Thawed frozen or freshly killed mice, about weekly for adults. Live adult mice can injure the snake.
  • House alone. Kingsnakes eat other snakes, including their own kind, so keep one per enclosure.

See a reptile vet if your snake stops eating for a long stretch, loses weight, has trouble shedding, or shows bubbles or discharge at the mouth or nose. More in our pet care guides.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages