Squamata suborder
Serpentes
Lampropeltis triangulum -- Milk Snake
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Purple shade indicates vouchered specimens. Light blue (cyan)
shade indicates photographic records. Yellow shade indicates verified
sighting. Slanted hatch indicates pre-1980 records only
NOTE: Not all specimens upon which these maps are based have been verified.
Key Characters: Black-bordered red or brown blotches or rings; belly white with sharply contrasting black spots; back scales smooth; anal plate not divided.
Similar Species: Prairie kingsnake, Great Plains rat snake.
Subspecies: Eastern milk snake, L. t. triangulum; red milk snake, L. t. syspila.
Description: Medium-sized (up to 110 cm TL) snake with variable color pattern. The less brightly colored L. t. triangulum has 33-46 brown blotches on the back alternating with 1-2 rows of spots on the side. The brighter L. t. syspila has 19-26 red blotches on the back and 4-8 red rings on the tail.
Habitat: A variety of habitats from rocky, wooded hillsides and glades to old fields and wetlands.
Natural History: Usually found in rotting logs, under bark of stumps, or under logs, rocks, and other surface debris. Mates in spring and lays 8-20 eggs in June in rotting logs, tree stumps, or other rotting vegetation. The young hatch in August or early September at 20-25 cm TL. Diet includes small mammals, birds and bird eggs, reptiles and reptile eggs, frogs, and fish. Predators include birds of prey and mammals, but many more probably are killed on roads by vehicles.
Status: Not commonly seen, except perhaps in the Chicago region and portions of the Shawnee Hills, because of its secretive nature. Red milk snakes may be over-collected for the pet trade at some localities.