One of the 26 snakes on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Colubridae
Eastern Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The milk snake is a harmless constrictor with an extremely wide American distribution, banded in red, black and yellow or white, a pattern that mimics that of the venomous coral snakes. Its name comes from a superstition: farmers believed it entered the barns to suckle from the cows, when in fact it was after the mice.
Weight
950 g on average
Size
60 cm – 1.8 m
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- GeneralIt copies the pattern of the coral snakes without being venomous; a popular vivarium animal.
- defensaIts bands of colour closely resemble those of the true venomous coral snakes, a case of defensive mimicry in an animal that is not venomous itself.
- Its name comes from a false superstition: farmers found it in their barns and believed it was suckling from the cows' udders, when in fact it was hunting the mice the grain attracted. No snake can suckle.
- Its resemblance to the venomous coral snakes is a classic case of Batesian mimicry: a harmless species copies the warning signal of a dangerous one and benefits from the fear it inspires.
- Its extremely wide distribution, from Canada to Ecuador, has led to what was a single species with dozens of subspecies being split into several separate species since 2013.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Woodland, grassland, farmland, barns and rocky ground of the Americas, from Canada to Ecuador
- Sexual maturity
- 3 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 60 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 10 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampropeltis_triangulum
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 38 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eastern Milksnake — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Western Hognose Snake
Heterodon nasicus
Red Cornsnake
Pantherophis guttatus
Western Rat Snake
Pantherophis obsoletus
Common Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Racer
Coluber constrictor
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Based on what we already know about eastern milksnake.
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