Louisiana Milk Snake, Conroe, Texas (March 30, 2007)

 (Lampropeltis triangulum amaura) Non-poisonous; even-tempered with a gentle disposition; may bite if handled but even the adult's teeth cannot break human skin beyond superficial puncturing; beneficial

Photos courtesy of Gail and Bill.; text by Jerry Cates

The milk snakes are in the same genus (Lampropeltis) as the king snakes. In Texas, a single species is represented (L. triangulum) in four distinct subspecies whose dorsal markings and colorations are so similar they cannot be distinguished by casual observation.  Ventral (belly) markings are definitive for each subspecies, but are not usually visible to someone who happens upon one of these snakes in the wild.  Fortunately, each subspecies tends to be confined to specific geographic areas.  A milk snake found in the eastern third of Texas is almost always a Louisiana milk snake (L. triangulum amaura), while one found in south Texas or along the Rio Grande is usually a Mexican milk snake (L. triangulum annulata), one found in the Trans-Pecos region is usually a New Mexico milk snake (L. triangulum calaenops), and one found in the Texas panhandle is usually a central plains milk snake (L. triangulum gentilis).

Because the milk snakes are brightly colored, with what appear to be bands of black, red, and yellow (often the yellow is more white than yellow), they are commonly mistaken for poisonous coral snakes.  Gail and Bill, who found this snake, knew the rhyme "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow", and quickly concluded this was not a coral snake because the red markings were bordered on both sides by black ones, and never touched a yellow marking directly. 

Although both the milk snakes and the Texas coral snake have black heads, with a yellow crossband just forward of the neck, the Texas coral snake's snout is generally all-black, while the snout of the milk snake is typically marked with white or yellow spots or specks.

The milk snakes prey on snakes, lizards, and mice.  The female Louisiana milk snake lays 3-9 eggs to a clutch, between January and July.  The eggs incubate for six weeks, producing babies that are 7-8 inches long at hatch.

Many thanks to Gail and Bill for the photos...

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