We detected no differences in diet based on kingsnake sex or color pattern, nor evidence of individual specialization. Twenty-nine percent of 447 diet items were mammals, 29% were snakes, 25% were lizards, 11% were birds, 4% were squamate eggs, 1% were unidentified squamates, and 1% were amphibians. These snakes typically are diurnal, wide-foraging generalists and ingest prey headfirst. We studied the feeding ecology of California Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis californiae) based on stomach contents of 2,662 museum specimens, 90 published records, and 92 unpublished observations. Diet varied geographically, and the proportion of endothermic prey was greater at higher latitudes after accounting for snake size. Although males were longer than females, there was no sexual size dimorphism in mass, and there were no differences in diet between sexes. Juveniles fed more frequently on lizards, but adults fed mainly on mammals. Prey type also was related to snake size. The upper size limit of prey increased with increasing snake size, and adult snakes continued to feed on small prey. Ontogenetic shifts in diet were documented. Other lizard taxa were also important prey, whereas reptile eggs, snakes, and birds were consumed infrequently. Skinks made up a large portion of the total diet. Lampropeltis triangulum is a generalist predator and feeds primarily on lizards and mammals. Identifiable prey items were found in 139 specimens, and 41 additional prey items were recorded from the literature, for 180 prey items in total from 175 individual snakes. We examined the diet of the Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum) in the western United States and evaluated predictions about ontogenetic shifts, sexual divergence, and geographic variation in diet.
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