ANIMAL: Eastern Milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum Type of Animal: Colubrid Habitat: Woodlands, meadows, pastures, edges of watercourses, forests, fields, agricultural areas, barns, rocky outcroppings, farms, marshes, suburbs, rocky slopes, prairies, river bottoms, cities, forest edges, areas near rivers/streams, grasslands, savanna, rocky hillsides, mountainous areas, coastal plains Location(s): S Quebec, SE Ontario, New England, Mid-Atlantic States down to NE N Carolina, Appalachians, Great Lakes region, most of NE US, found as far W as SE Minnesota/NE Iowa Appearance: Juveniles whitish/beigish w/ red spots, adults have narrow black & white bands w/ brownish dorsal saddles, in S areas reddish/reddish-brown dorsal saddles, black & white checked belly, tan/grey ground color Food/Diet: Slugs, insects, earthworms, lizards, small mammals, birds, eggs, other snakes (including members of own species & venomous species), amphibians, fish, young turtles Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in zoos, wildlife centers, & herpetoculture Lifestyle: Solitary Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young-Snakelet Group-Solitary Weight: Male-0.8 lbs Female-1.5 lbs Young-0.11 oz Gestation: 2 months Life Span: 15-20 years Body Length: Male-3.5 ft Female-2.8 ft Young-0.6 ft Tail Length: 7 in Main predators are larger snakes, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, wolves, bears, raptors, otters, snapping turtles, bullfrogs, corvids, raccoons, skunks, weasels, opossums, cats, dogs, & badgers. Kills prey by constriction. Females lay 4-16 eggs in a clutch. Valuable for keeping rodent populations in check. Sexually mature at 1.5 years. These snakes vibrate tails when threatened, sounding like rattlesnakes. They deter predators by mimicking pattern of venomous copperheads. However, this sometimes leads to people killing them. Fun Fact(s): They make good pets due to docile temperament. Called milk snakes due to erroneous belief that they drank milk from cow udders, because they were seen in barns & stables. Some names this snake goes by: adder, chin snake, checkered adder, chicken snake, cow-sucker, highland adder, house moccasin, leopard-spotted snake, milk sucker, sand-king, sachem snake, & thunder-and-lightning snake.
