Lampropeltis triangulum
—
Eastern Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum was redefined by Ruane et al in 2014. With this new definition, it includes no subspecies.
![Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)](../images/herps/standard/17050499PD_snake.jpg)
A brightly colored milksnake like this one is among the country's most beautiful serpents.
![Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)](../images/herps/standard/17050552PD_snake.jpg)
This group of snakes got its English name from a nonsensical old belief that blamed some the reduced milk production of some cows on the idea that the barn-dwelling snakes were drinking milk when nobody was looking. In reality, of course, the snakes dwelt in the barns because of all the rodents that also dwelt there.
![Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)](../images/herps/standard/17050631PD_snake.jpg)
At the same spot where we dug up my (and Matt Cage's) first foxsnake, we got a bonus prize with this friendly milksnake. You can tell it's friendly because it has a heart tattoo on the back of its neck.
![Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)](../images/herps/standard/17050682PD_snake.jpg)
![Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)](../images/herps/standard/17050686PD_snake.jpg)
Later in the day we visited another good milksnake spot, and found (surprise!) a few more milksnakes. Note how much more colorful the youngster is compared to the oldster.
Online references:
- Lampropeltis triangulum account on The Reptile Database
- Ruane, Sara; Robert W. Bryson, Jr., R. Alexander Pyron, and Frank T. Burbrink 2014. Coalescent Species Delimitation in Milksnakes (genus Lampropeltis) and Impacts on Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses. Systematic Biology 63 (2): 231-250
Printed references:
- Conant, R., Collins, J. T. 1998. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition, expanded
- Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Edition