MILK SNAKE

Updated 04-May-2020.

Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about MILK SNAKE!

Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum): Lampropeltis triangulum, commonly known as a milk snake or milksnake, is a species of king snake. There are 24 subspecies of milk snakes. Lampropeltis elapsoides, the scarlet kingsnake, was formerly classified as the subspecies L. t. elapsoides, but is now recognized as a distinct species. The subspecies have strikingly different appearances, and many of them have their own common names. Some authorities suggest that this species may be split into several (Source: Wikipedia, ”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_snake, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) Todd Pierson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA))

Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) – Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa: Description: 24 – 36 inches. Milk Snakes are light colored snakes with red, reddish-brown, or brown blotches that are outlined in black. Milk Snakes with the brown blotches are more common in the Northeast part of Iowa. The belly is light colored and checkered with black markings. In the Eastern part of the state, there is light colored Y or V shaped mark on the back of the neck. As you move West across Iowa this mark transitions into a heart shape and eventually a simple bar across the neck. Similar…

My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: 24 subspecies are currently recognized . some authorities suggest that this species could be split into several separate species . they are not venomous or otherwise dangerous to humans . milk snakes appear to be one of the smaller species of the kingsnake genus . adults in the wild apparently average from 38 to 225 g (1.3 to 7.9 oz) in north America some milk snakes have a striking resemblance to coral snakes, in Batesian mimicry . experts now recognize that common mnemonics people use to distinguish between deadly coral snake and harmless milk snake are milk snakes can resemble coral snake, corn snake, fox snake, scarlet snake . they are killed because of a resemblance to the venomous pygmy rattlers . the eastern milk snakes also have a light-colored, V-shaped or Y-shaped patch on their necks . one subspecies is melanistic (almost all black); they can be located in open prairie milk snakes enter hibernation from late October or November to mid-April . they are primarily terrestrial and attempt to blend in with ground litter. they tend to be secretive and remain hidden. milk snakes are non-venomous, have only tiny teeth and their tails lack a rattle . adults’ diet frequently includes lizards, small mammals, and small mammals . an early myth about milk snakes is that they suck cow udders to get the milk . the myth is entirely false, and is discredited by the fact that the milk snake does not have the physical capabilities to s the milk snake mates from early May to late June . the female lays three to 24 eggs beneath logs, boards, rocks, and rotting vegetation . eggs incubate for about two months, and hatch around the average hatchling in Virginia measures 20.9 cm (8.2 in) in total length and weighs 4.1 g (0.14 oz) because of this species’ attractiveness in the pet trade, many subspecies are Williams, 1978) Ecuadorian milk snake, L. t. micropholis (Cope, 1860) pale milk snake (Kennicott, 1861) Nelson’s milk snake nelsoni