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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > Eastern Milk Snake

Eastern Milk Snake

The eastern milk snake is a non-venomous subspecies of milksnake. The calm snake is a popular name in the pet trade.

Eastern Milk Snake

Scientific Name

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Serpentes
Family Colubridae
Genus Lampropeltis
Species L. triangulum
Scientific Name Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum
Eastern Milk Snake Picture
Eastern Milk Snake Image

Quick Information

Also Known asSpotted adder, adder, sand-king, thunder-and-lightning snake, milk sucker, leopard-spotted snake, checkered snake, cow-sucker, chicken snake, checkered adder, chain snake, king snake, pilot, red snake, sachem snake, highland adder, horn snake, common milk snake, blatschich schlange, king snake, house snake, scarlet milk snake, and  milk sucker,
DescriptionSize: 24-26 in (60-91 cm)

Color:  The dorsal saddle is reddish brown or simply red, brown blotches with black borders on the sides and top. The belly has a checkered pattern in gray and black. Juveniles exhibit blotches in intense red shades
Distribution North Carolina to Alabama, Ontario to Maine
Habitat Meadows, woodlands, pastures, and near water streams
Lifespan 10-12 years in the wild; up to 20 years in the captivity
Diet Mice, earthworms, insects, frogs, non-venomous eastern garter snakes, and small birds
Predators Raccoons, skunks, and opossums

Behavior

  • The snake has a docile deportment and typically won’t become aggressive unless threatened.
  • The snake constricts its prey until they suffocate to death.
Eastern Milk Snake Size
Image of Eastern Milk Snake

Mating & Reproduction

 From late April to May (spring season), the snakes mate. Being an oviparous species, the female snake lays 4-18 eggs either in June or July. Eggs are creamy-white in color, often laid inside deep burrows.

Life-cycle

Hatchlings emerge from the eggs around September, each sizing 4-8 inches. They have an egg tooth that helps them break the hard exterior of the egg. Their sexual maturity is attained at the age of 3 or 4 years.

Eastern Milk Snake Baby
Baby Eastern Milk Snake

Interesting Facts

  • The species is once thought to be an intergrade (meaning sharing the same locality with another species, and having some common physical attributes) with scarlet kingsnake, but the theory doesn’t stand anywhere.

References

  1. https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/eastern-milksnake/index.php
  2. https://reptilesmagazine.com/listings/snakes-care-sheets/eastern-milk-snake/
  3. http://herpsofnc.org/eastern-milksnake/
  4. https://kysnakes.ca.uky.edu/snake/lampropeltis-triangulum
  5. https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species-information/reptiles-amphibians/eastern-milksnake.html
  6. http://wildlifeofct.com/eastern%20milksnake.html

Published on June 25th 2019 by Sahana Kanjilal under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2024.

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