---
title: "Scarlet Kingsnake"
description: "Lampropeltis elapsoides — Reptiles. The scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) is a species of kingsnake found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the United States."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/scarlet-kingsnake
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Scarlet Kingsnake

> Lampropeltis elapsoides — Reptiles. The scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) is a species of kingsnake found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the United States.

- Scientific name: *Lampropeltis elapsoides*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `urban` (Towns & gardens)
- iNaturalist observations: 1312
- Wikidata: [Q1950584](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1950584)
- iNaturalist taxon: [29793](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/29793)

## Names

- en: Scarlet Kingsnake
- de: Rote Königsnatter
- es: Falsa coralillo real escarlata
- it: Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides

## Countries with the most observations

US (1148)

## Summary

The scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) is a species of kingsnake found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the United States. Like all kingsnakes, they are nonvenomous. They are found in pine flatwoods, hydric hammocks, pine savannas, mesic pine-oak forests, prairies, cultivated fields, and a variety of suburban habitats; not unusually, people find scarlet kingsnakes in their swimming pools, especially during the spring. 
Until recently, and for much of the 20th century, scarlet kingsnakes were considered a subspecies of the milk snake; however, Pyron and Bubrink demonstrated the phylogenetic distinction…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_kingsnake

## Photo

![Scarlet Kingsnake](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/scarlet-kingsnake/medium.jpg)

Photo: Lyn Roueche · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197434773

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/scarlet-kingsnake?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).