Harmless · Native to Texas, New Mexico and Mexico · Kept as a pet

Gray-banded kingsnake

Lampropeltis alterna (Brown, 1902)

Also called alterna
Data updated October 2026

Gray-banded kingsnake stretched across soil, showing wide orange bands edged in black on a pale gray body
Fig. 1 — Adult with wide orange bands split by narrow black rings on a pale gray ground color.
Gray-banded kingsnake moving among wood and a water dish in a planted enclosure
Fig. 2 — A captive adult. Band width and color vary a great deal between individuals.

At a glance

A slender gray kingsnake with orange-red bands from the rocky Chihuahuan Desert. It is active at night and spends most of its life deep in rock crevices, so it is rarely seen. It is harmless to people.

01

Identification

Look for a gray body crossed by black bands, often with orange-red bands between them. The pattern varies a great deal. Some animals have wide orange-red saddles. Others have thin orange bands or none at all, with only narrow black and white rings on gray. The head is broad and slightly wider than the neck.

  1. 01Gray ground color. Light to dark gray, crossed by black bands that are often edged in white.
  2. 02Variable orange-red bands. Wide in the form called “blairi”, thin or missing in the form called “alterna”.
  3. 03Kingsnake build. Smooth, glossy scales and a broad head on a slender body.

02

Size

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

Most adults are about 3 feet (91 cm) long. A few reach about 4 feet (120 cm). Hatchlings measure 7 to 12 inches (18–30 cm).

03

Range & habitat

Gray-banded kingsnake on bare soil
Fig. 3 — In the wild this snake lives on rocky desert slopes and in deep crevices.

Gray-banded kingsnakes live in the Chihuahuan Desert. In Texas they occur in the Trans-Pecos, from the Del Rio and Langtry area west to the Hueco Mountains in Hudspeth County. The range continues into northern Mexico. In New Mexico there are only a handful of verified records, from Eddy County and possibly Otero County.

They are found on rocky slopes, canyons, limestone ridges and boulder piles. Most of their life is spent below ground in deep cracks and fissures, which is why so few are seen. Most sightings are on roads and road cuts at night.

State guides: Texas

04

Diet

Lizards are the main prey. Gray-banded kingsnakes also take small rodents, frogs, other snakes and the eggs of ground-nesting birds. They hunt at night, when they can corner sleeping lizards in crevices, under rocks and in burrows where the prey has little room to escape.

Feeds on

  • Lizards
  • Small rodents
  • Frogs
  • Other snakes
  • Eggs of ground-nesting birds

05

Behavior & seasons

This is a secretive, nocturnal snake with a calm temperament. It is most active in the warm months; one long-term field study in West Texas found June nights, especially around the new moon, to be the best time to find it.

Like other desert snakes it spends the cool season inactive underground, roughly from November through March. When are snakes active in Texas?

06

Reproduction

Gray-banded kingsnakes lay eggs. A female usually lays 4 to 13 eggs, which hatch in about nine weeks. Hatchlings are 7 to 12 inches (18–30 cm) long and are on their own from the start.

07

Conservation

The species is listed as Least Concern overall. Much of its habitat is remote and rugged. In New Mexico, where it is known from very few specimens, it is listed as a threatened species.

08

In captivity

Its color variety has made the gray-banded kingsnake a long-standing favorite with keepers, and most animals in the pet trade are captive-bred. In general terms it needs a secure, escape-proof terrarium with a warm end and a cooler end, a dry substrate and tight hiding places among rocks or bark. Captive animals are usually fed rodents.

Breeders typically give a cool winter rest of several weeks, which mirrors the dormancy it has in the wild. In zoos it can live 15 to 20 years. Read more about reptile care

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages