Milk Snake - Description

Description

Milk snakes grow 20 to 60 inches (51 to 150 cm) long. They have smooth and shiny scales and their typical color pattern is alternating bands of red-black-yellow or white-black-red. However, red blotches instead of bands are seen in some populations. Some milk snakes have a striking resemblance to coral snakes and this mimicry (known as Batesian mimicry) likely scares away potential predators. While both milk snakes and coral snakes possess transverse bands of red, black and yellow, a common mnemonic can be used to properly distinguish between the deadly coral snake and the harmless milk snake:

• "Red on yellow will kill a fellow, but red on black is a friend of Jack."
• "Red on yellow, deadly fellow; Red on black, venom lack."
• "Red and yellow will kill you fellow; Red and black is friend Jack."
• "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, you're alright Jack."
• "Red next to black is a friend of Jack; red next to yellow will kill a fellow."
• "Red to yellow, kill a fellow. Red to black, venom lack."
• "If red touches black, you're okay Jack; if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow."
• "Red next to black, you can pat him on the back; red next to yellow, he can kill a fellow."
• "Red next to black, venom I lack; red next to yellow, run away fellow."
• "Red and black, friend of Jack; red and yellow kill a fellow."
• "Red touches yellow, Not a nice fellow; if red touches black, good friend of Jack."
• "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, you're okay Jack."
• "Red touch black, good for Jack; red touch yellow, kill a fellow."
• "Yellow and red, you are dead; black and white you're alright."

However, the Eastern milk snake (L. t. triangulum) does not resemble a coral snake; instead it tends to have similar markings to that of several other snakes, particularly the fox snake, scarlet snake and most importantly, the Massassauga rattlesnake. Milk, fox, and scarlet snakes are killed because of a resemblance to the venomous rattlesnake. Juvenile milk snakes, which are more reddish than adults, are often killed because they are mistaken for copperheads. There is enough distinction among the five to make the Eastern milk snake fairly easy to identify. Eastern milk snakes also have a light colored v-shaped or y-shaped patch on their neck. One subspecies is melanistic (almost all black).