Speckled Kingsnakes average about three feet long as adults, and are found in the all but the western regions of Harris County. They are not commonly seen in developed areas, though, prefering to remain in areas that are less disturbed. Speckled Kingsnakes also will breed with the more southerly Desert Kingsnake, and intergrades between the two can be found in this area.

These beautiful little snakes almost seem to have been painted by an artist; each of their shiny black scales has a small yellow fleck of color, making them one of the most beautiful of Harris County snakes. Their diet also makes them very beneficial, and includes rodents, lizards and other things you may not want around...read on!

If you are the kind of person who does not like having snakes around your home, then kingsnakes are your allies. Kingsnakes are ophiophagous, which means that they eat other snakes, including venomous snakes like copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. As you might imagine, pit vipers don't allow this to happen without a fight, and kingsnakes are often bitten and envenomated as they capture and subdue their venomous prey. The miraculous thing is that this venom has no effect on the kingsnake! Perhaps someday these harmless serpents will hold the cure for snakebites by North American pit vipers!