Here are some facts about this amazing snake.
There are 25 subspecies among milk snakes, including the commonly called scarlet kingsnake (L. t. elapsoides).
They are oviparous, laying an average of about 10 eggs per clutch, although that number can vary by region.
The subspecies are strikingly different in appearance, and many of them have their own common names.
They are distributed from southeastern Canada to western Ecuador and northern Venezuela.
Milk snakes grow from 20 to 60 inches (50 to 152 cm) long.
The typical color pattern of milk snakes is alternating bands of red-black-yellow or white-black-red.
In some populations red spots are seen instead of bands.
They have smooth, shiny scales.
They do not have eyelids and instead have a transparent covering that rests over their eyes called a glitter to protect them from dust and dirt. The glitters give them a “glassy eyed” white appearance.
Milk snakes typically live for around twelve years.
Milk snakes usually live in wooded regions, however in some regions they can be found in open grasslands.
In various parts of their range, milk snakes often dwell on rocky slopes.
Milk snake activity is primarily nocturnal. They are primarily terrestrial, except that the scarlet kingsnake sometimes shelters under the bark of standing dead pine trees.
Young milk snakes often eat slugs, insects, and earthworms.
The adult milk snake’s diet frequently includes lizards (especially skinks), snakes, and small mammals. They have also been known to eat birds and their eggs, frogs, fish, and other snakes.
Like other members of the kingsnake family, milk snakes will sometimes eat other snakes and have at least some immunity to their venom.
