Scarlet Kingsnake
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| Scarlet Kingsnake | ||||||||||||||||
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| Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides (Holbrook, 1838) |
The Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides) is a type of king snake that is found in the Eastern portion of the United States, particularly Florida. It is a subspecies of the Milk Snake Lampropeltis triangulum. It is significantly smaller that some of the other king snakes, usually well under 20 inches long.
The snake has a pattern of black, red, and yellow bands that mimics the venomous Coral Snake. The key to differentiate between the two is found in the popular phrase "red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black venom lack". Another version of the rhyme is "If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow; if red touches black, you're alright, Jack", or "Red and black is a friend of Jack". In other words, if the red bands don't touch the yellow bands, you are normally dealing with a Scarlet King Snake.
Juvenile specimens of this snake often have rings that look more "off white" than yellow.