Speckled Kingsnake - Galveston Island, Texas.

Top:  Close up of speckled kingsnake     Bottom:  Eric holding it
I have always been fascinated with kingsnakes.  As a child I used to hunt for snakes regularly in southern Ontario.  I only ever found garter snakes though, which was probably a good thing given the number of venomous ones there are in that neck of the woods.  I had never caught, little-lone seen a king snake.  They simply are not native to Canada, although you can buy them as pets from a variety of sources (check out kijiji).  Milksnakes, which are native to Ontario, are their closest relative and belong to the same family.

I was fond of this particular kind of snake because it has a number of remarkable qualities.  The can grow to a respectable size (over six feet when fully grown).  They are not poisonous and have a relatively docile disposition.  There are at least 7 different species and sport a wide variety of colours, bands, and speckles.  They eat other snakes, and are immune to the toxins produced by pit vipers such as rattlesnakes.  Then there is their pest control capability - rats and mice are frequent prey.

My buddy Charles and I had gone to Huston to visit my brother.  We spent a week there then rented a car and drove down to Galveston Island and camped at the state park down there.  While there we saw a huge variety of wildlife, including a variety of water and shore birds, a snapping turtle, and eventually a pair of speckled kingsnakes.

We came across the kingsnakes at dusk, as you can see in the bottom photo.  I have the habit of turning over things on the ground, anything from rocks to boards.  Near the end of our late afternoon walk we came across a medium sized sheet of plywood.  I have found a great many things under plywood boards, and my hopes were high.  I was not to be disappointed. 

When overturning it we discovered not one, but two speckled kingsnakes.  One was only two or three feet in size but the other was considerably larger.  I picked them both up; there was no attempt at biting.  I let them rove around my hands and arms for a while then got my friend to take the shots you see.  I release them and recovered them.  It was a remarkable experience.

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