{"id":319,"date":"2026-05-18T12:37:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=319"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:37:28","slug":"this-secretive-nc-snake-eats-copperheads-what-it-looks-like-where-it-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=319","title":{"rendered":"This \u2018secretive\u2019 NC snake eats copperheads. What it looks like & where it lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

A North Carolina snake is non-venomous \u2014 but that\u2019s not the only reason you may want it in your yard.<\/p>\n

Read more What we know about a Charlotte-area business customers say pocketed tens of thousands<\/a><\/p>\n

The snakes also eat venomous copperheads<\/a>, and their population numbers are likely on the decline. For these reasons, people are urged to not capture or kill the creatures \u2014 called Eastern kingsnakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always say, admire them from a distance,\u201d Falyn Owens, a wildlife biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, previously told The News & Observer. \u201cJust enjoy the experience, because they\u2019re just neat snakes to have around<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about Eastern kingsnakes, including how to identify them, where to find them and how they\u2019re able to eat venomous reptiles.<\/p>\n

Eastern kingsnakes are<\/a> black with yellow or white lines arranged in a pattern<\/a> that looks like a chain. They can grow to be more than 6 feet long and are most active in the daytime and during the spring and summer., according to the wildlife commission and N.C. State Parks websites.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kingsnakes found on the Outer Banks are usually brown rather than black and have light speckles between the chain-like pattern,\u201d the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh wrote in a 2018 Facebook post. \u201cIn the western-most mountains of North Carolina<\/a>, the kingsnake\u2019s chain-like markings are usually broken up into tiny spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cfairly secretive\u201d snakes<\/a> often hide under logs or rocks, according to UNC-Charlotte\u2019s website. But if you manage to see one, it\u2019s best to stay away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith any snake, my advice is always to give it space, so that it feels comfortable, so that you\u2019re not putting yourself at risk of making it feel like it has to defend itself,\u201d Owens previously told The N&O.<\/p>\n

Eastern kingsnakes are found throughout North Carolina, but they\u2019re rare at high elevations and in urban settings. While the snakes are \u201cespecially common near ponds, streams, swamps and other water bodies,\u201d they also have been spotted in fields, near forests and in other habitats, state park officials wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not the most common snake, even though they\u2019re found across the state,\u201d Owens previously told The N&O.<\/p>\n

And their numbers may be dwindling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not have that sort of data for North Carolina to specifically say that, but it does appear that in the Southeast that species has declined,\u201d Jeff Hall, statewide herpetologist with the wildlife commission, told The N&O in a May 8 phone interview. \u201cAnd so it\u2019s certainly a possibility that that\u2019s the case in North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts have said it\u2019s difficult to monitor year-to-year trends for species. So, animal populations need to be tracked over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cEastern kingsnakes hatch by early fall, resulting in a temporary increase in numbers. But it takes several years for the snakes to reach sexual maturity, when they can reproduce,\u201d The N&O previously reported, adding that some snakes die in the meantime.<\/p>\n

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The number of snakes could be going down due to disease or lack of prey. Another factor is believed to be human-caused habitat loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost animals just don\u2019t do well when their habitat is covered with pavement and vehicles are driving through it,\u201d Jeff Beane, collections manager for herpetology at the natural sciences museum, previously told The N&O.<\/p>\n

Eastern kingsnakes \u201cgenerally are harmless to humans and pets,\u201d but they eat lots of other creatures, state park officials wrote.<\/p>\n

The snakes are constrictors, meaning they squeeze their prey to death. They can eat snakes, birds, frogs, lizards, turtle eggs and rodents. But it\u2019s important to note that their diets may vary depending on where they live, according to experts.<\/p>\n

The Eastern kingsnake \u201cgets it name from the fact that it eats other snakes and is immune to the venom of copperheads<\/a>, rattlesnakes and other pit vipers,\u201d the wildlife commission wrote in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n

A photo the commission shared online in 2013 shows one of the snakes chowing down on a copperhead<\/a>, a species known for having hourglass-shaped bands on their bodies.<\/p>\n

Copperheads are found throughout North Carolina and are estimated to cause more than 90% of the state\u2019s venomous snake bites<\/a>. Though some other species stay far from humans, copperheads are comfortable living near people. Still, the snakes often mind their own business, The N&O previously reported.<\/p>\n

The Eastern kingsnake isn\u2019t the only reptile of its kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s multiple snakes out there that sometimes, the tables get turned and one snake will eat the other one,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

Here are some North Carolina species that can eat other snakes, Hall says, including black racer snakes<\/a> and garter snakes.<\/a><\/p>\n

Portions of this story were previously published<\/a> in The News & Observer<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 8:08 AM<\/span> with the headline “This \u2018secretive\u2019 NC snake eats copperheads. What it looks like & where it lives.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more At I-77 meetings, Charlotte residents feel divided over contentious toll project<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eastern kingsnake eats copperheads & numbers likely are down. Learn how to identify secretive North Carolina snakes, where they live & why to leave them alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nThis \u2018secretive\u2019 NC snake eats copperheads. 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