Utah Mountain Kingsnake

Reproductive Ecology

Behaviors

Utah Mountain Kingsnakes reach sexual maturity at three to four years old. They mate from early to late spring time in order for the hatchlings to survive during the summer, since they cannot tolerate the cold weather of the desert as much in the winter months. Females lay between three to six eggs each breeding cycle, seven to twelve weeks later the eggs will hatch with the hatchlings ranging in size from eight to eleven inches in length. (Utah Mountain Kingsnake)

JD Wilson http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Lampropeltis+pyromelana

Kingsnakes generally will act like coral snakes in order to make predators think that they are venomous.(Denison, R. Ford) Since there are no coral snakes in Utah the Utah Mountain Kingsnake must hide in the brush and under rocks in order to stay protected.

Utah Mountain Kingsnake

JD Wilson http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Lampropeltis+pyromelana

The Utah Mountain Kingsnake, also known as the scientific name of Lampropeitis pyromenlan infralabialis, belongs to the Colubrid snake family.

Habitat

Foraging Ecology

The habitat for the Utah Mountain Kingsnake ranges from western Utah to eastern Nevada, residing in the desert biome. The terrain of western Utah and eastern Nevada produce the optimal living for the Utah Mountain Kingsnake being covered in places where the snake likes to hide and capture prey, such as sagebrush, Douglas fir, ponderosa pines, and rocky areas and close to water sources. The elevation the Utah Mountain Kingsnake are found are between 2,800 feet and 9,100 feet. (Utah Mountain Kingsnake, Utah's Hogle Zoo)

http://www.snakeestate.com/kingsnakes/utah-mountain-kingsnake.html

The prey of the Utah Mountain Kingsnakes are generally the same as other snakes, they prey on rodents, lizards, and birds in their nest. The Utah Mountain Kingsnakes can also climb trees with well adapted belly muscles. The Utah Mountain Kingsnakes generally uses constriction to kill their prey.(Hogle Zoo)

References

Blanchard, F. N. (n.d.). A Reision of the King Snakes. Play.Google.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=321MAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP1

Denison, R. F. (n.d.). This Week in Evolution. : 100th post: reversing evolution II: mimicry in snakes. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://blog.lib.umn.edu/denis036/thisweekinevolution/2008/03/draft.html

Koenig, H. F. (n.d.). Utah Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis pyromelana infralabialis. kingsnake. Retrieved February 7, 2014, from http://www.kingsnake.com/king/pyromelana/infralabialis.html

Utah Mountain Kingsnake. (n.d.). Kingsnakes Database. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://www.snakeestate.com/kingsnakes/utah-mountain-kingsnake.html

Utah Mountain Kingsnake Utah's Hogle Zoo. (n.d.). Utah Mountain Kingsnake Utah's Hogle Zoo. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://www.hoglezoo.org/meet_our_animals/animal_finder/utah_mountain_kingsnake/

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/l.z.zonata.html