Scarlet Kingsnake

Snapshot

A small, secretive tricolored kingsnake (about 14–20 inches) — red, black, and yellow/white bands — that mimics coral snakes. Directionally, “red touches black” fits many scarlet kingsnakes, but do not handle tricolored snakes to test a rhyme; people reverse rhymes under stress. Non-venomous; leave alone. Georgia DNR lists eastern milk snake separately.

Description and identification

SREL: 14–20 inches; smooth scales; small head. Body typically encircled by alternating red, black, and yellow/white bands — classic Batesian mimicry of coral snakes. Compared with scarlet snake: kingsnakes have a shorter, blunter snout, and banding that typically encircles the body; scarlet snakes have an elongated pointed snout, a plain light belly, and bands that often do not complete under the belly. Red-band width varies and is not a reliable solo mark. Snout color alone does not separate kingsnake from scarlet snake — both may show red on the head.

Look-alikes

Eastern coral snake (venomous) — red touches yellow; usually a black snout; rings encircle. Scarlet snake — pointed red snout, unmarked light belly, incomplete ventral bands. Eastern milk snake — blotched saddles, not neat tricolor rings; more northern/Piedmont in Georgia context. Field rhymes are memory aids only: coral-snake education correctly warns that people reverse rhymes — leave all tricolored snakes alone and identify from a distance.

Range in Georgia

Widespread in Georgia and South Carolina but most frequently encountered on the Coastal Plain. Piedmont and Blue Ridge records are sparse and much less common (SREL). Full native range spans the southeastern U.S. from Virginia through Florida and west toward Louisiana.

Habitat preferences

Sandy soils, pine or mixed hardwood forests, under logs, bark, and debris. Primarily fossorial but also climbs into rotting pine stumps, shrubs, and under loose bark several feet up — an under-appreciated arboreal habit tied to prey and refuge.

Natural history

Secretive and largely nocturnal; often surfaces on warm, humid nights in spring and early summer, or crosses roads after heavy rain. Constriction of small prey; eggs in summer. May appear in barns or structures where cover and prey coincide.

Food preferences

Small snakes and lizards are staples; occasionally other small vertebrates.

Temperament and encounters

Non-venomous mimic — still leave alone. Misidentification risk cuts both ways: killing a kingsnake thinking it is coral, or handling a coral thinking it is “Jack.” Distance is the rule.

Conservation and legal notes

Protected in Georgia. Habitat loss and historical collection pressure are concerns for colorful secretive snakes.

In Georgia, non-venomous snakes are protected nongame wildlife. Per Georgia DNR materials summarizing O.C.G.A. §27-1-28, it is illegal (a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail) to possess or kill many nongame wildlife species, including non-venomous snakes. It is also illegal to disturb or destroy dens, holes, or homes of wildlife (O.C.G.A. §27-1-30). Report what DNR states; do not invent statutes or exceptions.

Georgia DNR’s georgiasnakes overview notes that among native snakes discussed there, only the eastern indigo and southern hognose are state-listed as threatened (indigo is also federally threatened). Roads, habitat loss, and fear-based killing still harm common species; calm ID from a distance is conservation work.

If you meet one

Give the snake room. Identify from a distance; do not handle, poke, or try to kill it. Most encounters end when people simply step back. If relocation is truly needed, Georgia DNR points residents to private wildlife-removal specialists. Local educators — including community resources around Cartersville such as Etowah Valley Exotics when appropriate — can help with distant photo ID and outreach.

This species is not venomous. A defensive bite can still be painful — clean the wound and seek medical advice if needed — but it is not a pit-viper or coral-snake emergency. Leave wild snakes alone. Never pour gasoline or chemicals into holes (illegal under Georgia wildlife den-protection rules).