Milksnake Facts
Genus Name: Lampropeltis
Species: Triangulum
Party Name: Bessie
Home: North and South America
Environment: Forest
More Information:
Size range from 6” to 28” for the Scarlet Kingsnake to 16” to 48” for the Black Milk Snake and the Honduran Milk Snake. Life span is 20+ years, with an average of 15 years. Milk snakes are represented by three general pattern types: tri-colored in which the snake possesses bold rings of white/yellow, black, and red/orange, which may or may not extend onto the belly and completely encircle the snake. The other commonly encountered pattern type for this species is that of a light tan, gray or cream background color with darker red, russet or brown dorsal and lateral blotches. The last pattern type belongs only to the black milk snake. This snake starts out tri-colored but turns into a completely patternless black snake by two years of age. In nature, milk snakes feed on a number of small vertebrates, including frogs, small rodents, other snakes and lizards.
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