common milk snake

The milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) is a common, harmless snake found in North and Central America. It is known for its distinctive bands of color, which can be red, yellow, and black, or gray and tan with brown blotches. This coloration often mimics that of the venomous coral snake, a form of protection known as Batesian mimicry.12

Milk snakes are constrictors and are not venomous. Their diet is varied and includes small mammals, birds, other snakes, lizards, and amphibians. They are part of the king snake genus, Lampropeltis, and are known to be immune to the venom of snakes they prey upon, such as rattlesnakes and copperheads. Despite being predators themselves, milk snakes are preyed upon by creatures like birds of prey and mammals.23