KINGSNAKE vs YOUNG COTTONTAIL

An unusual photo opportunity in my neighbor’s front yard. Charlie & Bonnie Schwartz own a 5-acre lot and a custom designed home in eastern Joshua Tree. While Charlie was “visiting” to water the plants over a few days, he opted upon a very unusual situation.

A common Kingsnake had somehow, around the noon hour, stumbled into a very young Cottontail rabbit… or maybe the rabbit stumbled into the path of the Kingsnake… As you can see in the photo Charlie took of the fleeting event, it appears that the snake has a mouthful of bunny fur (shown at the right side) and the rabbit is contained within the crushing coils of the Kingsnake… who are not poisonous, but are constrictors. Its also obvious that the bunny is far too large for the snake to swallow whole. Charlie estimated the snake to be around 40 inches in length.

The Kingsnake apparently “let go” of the bunny either because it was too large to consume, or out of having been disturbed by a human with a camera taking advantage of the photo opportunity. Good shooting there Charlie…. thanks for the use of the photo.

This guy below is another Kingsnake wrapped around my left hand and arm and is just a little over 3-1/2 feet in length. My dog Cosa, a Chihuahua/Terrier mix, spotted it in our back yard and didn’t know what it was… so Cosa yelped and barked at it with considerable vigor and excitement. It was about 2 hours or so before sunset.

Noting it was not a poisonous snake, I reached down to grab it just behind its narrow head. It immediately writhed about wrapping itself around my left hand and arm. I went into the house to get the camera, took a few shots then walked down to my neighbor Charlie & Bonnie to show off my latest critter encounter. I had no idea what kind it was. But sure felt it squeeze a few times until it finally decided it was useless to squeeze my arm and fist.

What was really noted as extraordinary was its beautiful chocolate brown markings spaced with near pure white along the full length of its body. The “scales” felt quite smooth as if they were polished by a jeweler.

Then off to my other neighbor Tony & Cathy who’d never seen such an animal. Quite impressive. Back to the house with Cosa keeping an eye on it, we released it into the darkened wilderness near where we found it. I’m certain it retreated into an abandoned rodent hole for the night.

A Few Kingsnake Facts

• Kingsnakes earned their name because they prey on and eat other snakes.
• Kingsnakes are one of the most popular and collected species of snakes due to their adaptability as pets and ease of care.
• Kingsnakes are immune to the poisonous pit viper venom from other snakes including Coral snakes, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copperheads.

Hunting during the day, especially around sunrise and sunset, or through cool summer nights, the common Kingsnake will prey on just about any creature that it can overpower with its constricting coils. It feeds, most famously, on other snakes as well as on lizards, small turtles and tortoises, frogs, birds and small mammals such as small rodents. It also eats the eggs of reptiles and birds. Equipped with an enzyme the breaks down the venom from poisonous snakes, minimizing the damage it suffers from bites, it will eat rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouth water moccasins and even coral snakes. Its practice of eating venomous snakes makes it exceptional among the reptiles.

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