- Where to see one
- 5 U.S. zoos in our directory hold speckled kingsnake, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the speckled kingsnake
The speckled kingsnake is a nonvenomous snake endemic to the central and southern United States, from southern Iowa to the Gulf of Mexico. It usually grows to about 120 cm, with a black body and a small yellow-white speck on nearly every scale, earning it the name salt-and-pepper snake. It prefers wetter habitats than other kingsnakes, such as swamps and rivers, but also ventures into woodlands and grassy fields. It kills by constriction, eating birds, rodents, frogs, lizards and other snakes. When threatened it shakes its tail like a rattlesnake, though it is usually docile.
Speckled Kingsnake facts
- It is nicknamed the salt-and-pepper snake for one speck on nearly every dorsal scale.
- It shakes its tail like a rattlesnake to deter predators, despite being nonvenomous.
- Males wrestle, thrashing and intertwining, to assert dominance and territory.
- Its diet includes other snakes, which it kills by constriction.
Where to see speckled kingsnake in the U.S.
5 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 5 zoos holding speckled kingsnake by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
