- Defining Characters: Mole kingsnake scales are smooth; anal scale is single. These snakes have oblong to oval dark blotches down the center of the back.

- Pattern/Coloration: The mole kingsnake ground color is variable from brown and greenish-brown to tan (some specimens can be very light in color). Dorsal patterning is typically dark brown to reddish brown. Their bellies are yellow, green or even pink in color with dark mottling.

- In Park: No significant variation.

- Photographs:

- Similar species: Corn snakes (Elaphe guttata) have a resemblance to mole kingsnakes but have a divided anal scute. Milk snakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) are similar, but typically have much more red coloration dorsally and their bellies most often have much more black mottling.

DISTRIBUTION
The mole kingsnake ranges from Maryland southwest to Mississippi.

In Park: Only two records of the mole kingsnake exist for the Park. Both records are from the vicinity of the Abrams Creek Ranger Station. This habitat consists of pine and mixed pine-hardwood forests and is comparatively drier than most habitats in the rest of the Park.

ATBI mole kingsnake records (2001-2005)

NATURAL HISTORY

Habitat
    Mole kingsnakes are apt to be found in dry, open habitats, but also frequent mixed forest situations. Two potential reasons for the low probability of encountering the mole kingsnake is first their fossorial nature and second their apparently primarily nocturnal habits aboveground.

Reproduction
    Females lay from 3-13 eggs in moist, loamy soil. Much variation exists in the records as to the timing of egg deposition. In general, eggs are laid in mid-summer and hatch in late summer to early fall.

Ecology
    Small mammals, lizards and snakes constitute the largest percentage of the diet of mole kingsnakes.

Predators and Defense
    Eastern kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula) are reported predators.

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Special Protection Status
- Rangewide: None. Considered "demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure" (G5, S5) by The Nature Conservancy.
- In Park: All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Text:
      Dr. Ben Cash, Maryville College (ben.cash@maryvillecollege.edu)
Photographs:
      Dr. Ben Cash, Maryville College (All rights reserved); Dr. Carlos Camp
Web Page Development:
     Richard Schulz, Great Smoky Mountains NP (richard_schulz@nps.gov)
     Dana Soehn, Great Smoky Mountains NP (dana_soehn@nps.gov)
ATBI Field Assistants:
     Jon Davenport, Joshua Ennen, Jessica Daniel, James Ramsey, James Webb

REFERENCES

Conant, R. and J.T. Collins. 1998. Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Peterson Field Guides (series), 3rd ed. expanded, Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, New York, 616 pp.

Huheey, J.E., and A. Stupka. 1967. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee, 98 pp.

NatureServe. 2003. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 1.8. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: July 12, 2003).

Palmer, W.M. and A.L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 412 pp.

Tilley, S.G. and J.E. Huheey. 2001. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 143pp.

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