Lampropeltis calligaster

Lampropeltis calligaster
Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Lampropeltis
Species:	L. calligaster
Binomial name
Lampropeltis calligaster (Harlan, 1827)
Synonyms
Coluber calligaster Harlan, 1827 Ablabes triangulum var. calligaster Hallowell, 1856 Ophibolus calligaster Cope, 1900 Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata Conant & Collins, 1991

Lampropeltis calligaster is a species of kingsnake known commonly as the prairie kingsnake or yellow-bellied kingsnake.^[1][2]

Prairie kingsnakes are found mostly in the midwestern and southeastern United States although they can be found in other areas.^[1] Their additional range extends west from southeast Nebraska to eastern Texas.

It is light brown or grey in color, with dark grey, dark brown, or reddish-brown blotching down the length of their bodies. They are capable of growing to lengths of 76–102 cm (30–40 in). They are easily mistaken for various species of rat snake of the genus Pantherophis, which share habitat, and can have similar markings. Some specimens have their markings faded, to appear almost a solid brown color. Juveniles usually have a brown stripe down the back of their bodies. They have two black spots behind the head and smaller black spots down the back on both sides of the stripe.

The generic name, Lampropeltis, is derived from Greek Lampros, meaning "shiny", and pelta, meaning "shield", likely in reference to the genus' smooth and shiny dorsal scales. The specific name, calligaster, is derived from Greek Kallos, for "beauty", and gaster, for "belly".^[3]

Prairie kingsnakes' preferred habitat is open grassland with loose, dry soil, typically on the edge of a forested region, not far from a permanent source of water. Their diet consists primarily of rodents, but they will also consume lizards, frogs and occasionally other snakes. They are nonvenomous, and typically docile. Like most colubrids, if harassed they will shake their tail, which if in dry leaf litter can sound remarkably like a rattlesnake. They are not typically prone to biting, and if handled will often excrete a foul-smelling musk. When threatened, they flatten and appear to have white spots.^{[citation needed]}

They are often found in abandoned structures, underneath logs, debris, and inside of tree trunks. They are typically unseen by people not searching for them due to their secretive nature. The mole kingsnake is fossorial as their name would suggest. However, when they are found aboveground they are found in open areas such as fields, cultivated lands, thickets, and edge habitats.^[4]

Elements of the mole kingsnake's reproduction corresponds, in part, to the general colubrid mating pattern. Egg laying has been reported in June through July, with clutch sizes ranging from 6–17 eggs.^[5]

• Florida Museum of Natural History: Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata
• Prairie Kingsnake, Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa