Range:

Central to southeastern Arizona down into Mexico

Habitat:

Mountainous habitat between 2800 and 8800 feet above sea level, especially in brushy areas or conifer forest with nearby water. A mixture of rocks, tree trunks, and undergrowth provides concealment.

Characteristics:

A subspecies of the Sonora Mountain King Snake. Has bands of red, white, and black. Head is wide and flat. Closely resembles, and is often mistaken for the poisonous coral snake.

 

Behavior:

Is a constrictor. Seizes its prey, encircles it in its body coils until the prey suffocates, then swallows the prey whole.

Reproduction:

Egg layers, laying three to six eggs per clutch.

Interesting Facts:

These snakes are often killed because they mimic the venomous coral snake. King snakes provide a valuable service to humans by consuming large amounts of rodents that could be spoiling stored food, fouling buildings with feces and urine and spreading diseases to humans such as hantavirus.