The California Kingsnake, like all snakes, has a special way of "smelling". Instead of using nostrils, snakes have developed a forked tongue and a Jacobson's organ. The Jacobson's organ allows the California Kingsnake to analyze what is around it through scent particles. The snake's forked tongue will grab onto the scent particles and place those particles onto the top of the buccal cavity, or mouth, where the Jacobson's organ opens. This process helps with the snake's tropotaxis, which may allow the snake to become better at hunting down their prey. That said, California kingsnakes are opportunistic feeders and common food items include rodents, birds, other reptiles and amphibians. All kingsnakes are non-venomous, but are powerful constrictors and generally kill their prey through suffocation. The "king" in their name refers to their propensity to hunt and eat other snakes, including venomous rattlesnakes, that are commonly indigenous to their natural habitat. California kingsnakes are naturally resistant to the venom of rattlesnakes, but are not totally immune. It has been recorded that kingsnakes are known to swallow their own shed skin.