Eastern Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Lampropeltis, Species: L. triangulum
Found widely across eastern North America, ranging from southeastern Canada down through the eastern and midwestern United States, extending south to parts of the southeastern US.
Look up Eastern Milksnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Lampropeltis, Species: L. triangulum
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, facing localized threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Displays dark blotches or saddle patterns over a lighter background, often dark brown or blackish in coloration with faint lighter speckling along the edges. The body is robust with heavily keeled or slightly keeled-appearing scale textures under certain lighting, and the head shows dark patterning.
Size & Dimensions
Typical adults range from 60 to 130 cm in total length, with maximum recorded lengths reaching around 175 cm.
Habitat
Inhabits a wide variety of environments including mixed forests, fields, rocky hillsides, agricultural land, and near human habitations, ranging from sea level to moderate elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small rodents, lizards, birds, bird eggs, and other snakes. Utilizes constriction to subdue active prey and hunts both actively and via ambush.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females typically deposit clutches of 3 to 24 eggs in rotting logs, loose soil, or under rocks during early summer.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, facing localized threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Often found around barns and agricultural structures where they historically earned a reputation for rodent control, giving rise to persistent folklore regarding milk consumption from livestock.
Notable Features
Exhibits polymorphic coloration across its massive geographic range and shakes its tail when threatened.