12/24/2022 0 Comments Red milksnakeHabitat: Milksnakes are found in a variety of habitats, but generally prefer pine or hardwood forests with rock outcroppings. Watersnakes have keeled scales and divided anal scales.Ĝopperhead has a copper-colored, unmarked head and triangular shapes on side of body.North American Racers and Gray Ratsnakes have divided anal scales.ĝark markings on back of Mole Kingsnake are well separated.Red Cornsnake has a spearpoint pattern between the eyes and underside of tail is striped. Prairie Kingsnake has brown blotches on the back and belly is brown or yellowish-brown.Belly is marked with black and white checkerboard pattern, except dorsal pattern on Scarlet Kingsnake continues onto belly. Scarlet Kingsnake has a red snout and alternating bands of red, black, and yellow the length of the body in which red touches black but not yellow. Small, black markings occur along the sides. Red Milksnake has a white or yellow body with red, reddish-brown, or orange-red, black-bordered blotches on the back. Smaller, similar blotches also extend along the lower sides. Eastern Milksnake has a gray or tan body with irregular brownish or reddish-brown, black-bordered blotches down the back sometimes has a pale "Y" or "V" shaped mark on the back of the head. The ranges for all 3 subspecies overlap in Middle and lower East Tennessee.ĭescription: A slender, medium-sized, shiny snake (24.0 to 36.0 inches in length for Eastern 21.0 to 28.0 for Red 14.0 to 20.0 for Scarlet Kingsnake) with bright colors or strong patterns. elapsoides) extends from southern Land Between the Lakes southward along the Tennessee River to the Mississippi/Alabama border. syspila) is distributed across most of West Tennessee, and Scarlet Kingsnake (L. triangulum) occurs in upper East Tennessee, Red Milksnake (L. Systematic Biology 63:231-250.Three subspecies of this brightly colored and strongly patterned snake occur in Tennessee: Eastern Milksnake (L. Coalescent species delimitation in milksnakes (genus Lampropeltis) and impacts on phylogenetic comparative analyses. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis, IN. Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. These snakes are members of the family Colubridae, which is represented by a total of 28 species in Indiana.Ĭonant, R. triangulum) without a subspecific designation. (2014) reorganized the taxonomy of this group and described several new species, recognizing all of Indiana's milksnakes as Eastern Milksnakes ( L. Indiana's milksnakes were once recognized as one of two subspecies-the Red Milksnake ( L. They may be found in dense forests and in open grasslands, but prefer edge habitat. They are most common where prey populations (primarily rodents and lizards) are abundant and are commonly found under boards, sheet metal, and other debris around farms, junkyards, and in old fields. Northern Watersnakes are superficially similar, but have strongly keeled scales and lack patterning on their head.Įastern Milksnakes are found throughout Indiana but are only locally abundant. In northwestern Indiana, Eastern Foxsnakes are similar, but have slightly keeled scales and a more distinct head/neck. In western Indiana, Prairie Kingsnakes can be difficult to differentiate from this species, but they tend to be more robust with less vibrant/distinct coloration. Eastern Milksnakes are medium-sized snakes with most individuals growing to two to three feet (60 - 90 cm) long, and some reaching lengths of nearly four feet (1.2 m) long. Most juvenile Eastern Milksnakes have brighter red colors that fade to brown as they age. Eastern Milksnakes in southwestern Indiana are more typically white-gray with brilliant red blotches and extensive red coloration on the head. Most Indiana Eastern Milksnakes are gray to light brown with darker brown or red blotches/bands. This relatively common and widespread species is easily mistaken for the many other blotched snakes that occur in Indiana.
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