Speckled Kingsnake

The Speckled Kingsnake is my second most encountered large snake species in Missouri, next to the EYB Racer. Some are aggressive when cornered, while others don’t bite at all and repeatedly try to get away. Like most Colubrids, the Speckled Kingsnake vibrates its tail against the ground, sounding like a rattlesnake if it vibrates against dry leaves. The snake in the photo above was attacked by something, missing his left eye and the tip of his lower jaw. As such, it’s unlikely that natural selection will allow him to lead a long life. The Speckled Kingsnake is a true constrictor. It aggressively coils around and squeezes its prey while holding the animal’s head with its mouth. On my last trip to Missouri I was lucky enough to stumble across a Kingsnake that had just killed a mouse.

If you shoot Nikon, my Nikon 105mm Macro Lens is far and away my favorite herping lens. The image quality and usefulness of the 105mm focal length are evident. The distinguishing feature is it’s the vibration reduction. It lets me handhold for shots in shady conditions like the forest, and for tricky angles like laying on my belly.