CreatureData

Milk snake

Lampropeltis triangulum (Lacépède, 1789)

Status not recordedsnakes

The milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) is a species in the family Colubridae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh about 950 g and live up to 17.5 years.

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Quick facts about the milk snake

Weight
950 gsrc for Weight
Length
up to 2 msrc for Length
Lifespan
17.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
24 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
58 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
7 – 10src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
2 years – 5 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

What does the milk snake eat, and what eats it?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded prey of the milk snake

10 on record

  1. Redbelly snake Storeria occipitomaculata3 sources
  2. Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus3 sources
  3. Brown snake Storeria dekayi14 sources
  4. Garden snake Thamnophis sirtalis13 sources
  5. Eastern deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus3 sources
  6. Six-lined racerunner Aspidoscelis sexlineatus3 sources
  7. Woodland vole Microtus pinetorum3 sources
  8. Slender glass lizard Ophisaurus attenuatus2 sources
  9. Five-lined skink Plestiodon fasciatus2 sources
  10. Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis2 sources

Recorded predators of the milk snake

4 on record

  1. Coyote Canis latrans3 sources
  2. Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis3 sources
  3. Raccoon Procyon lotor3 sources
  4. Red fox Vulpes vulpes3 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • John David Curlis (Expert)
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/173967683
  • Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2013. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at http://animaldiversity.org.
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/222365596
  • Feeding ecology of the Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum, Colubridae) in the western United States. 2012. Journal of Herpetology 46(4): 515-522
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/217763874
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25078130
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/288317354
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/232816699
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165026697
  • Cody Thompson (Expert)
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/266998457

Where does the milk snake live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the milk snake as introduced in 4 countries.

  1. Belgium
  2. Ecuador
  3. Poland
  4. South Africa

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the milk snake endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the milk snake classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyColubridae
  6. genusLampropeltis
  7. SpeciesLampropeltis triangulum (Lacépède, 1789)

Synonyms Coluber eximius, Coluber triangulum, Lampropeltis amaura, Lampropeltis doliata amaura, Lampropeltis doliata triangulum, Lampropeltis triangulum amaura, Ophibolus clericus, Ophibolus doliatus collaris, Ophibolus doliatus parallelus, Ophibolus doliatus syspilus

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • Eastern milksnakeEnglish
  • Louisiana milksnake [amaura]English
  • Mexican milksnake [annulata]English
  • Red milksnakeEnglish
  • Red milksnake [syspila]English
  • Scarlet kingsnakeEnglish
  • KolkohkachintoAlabama
  • korálovka sedlatáCzech
  • Østlig MælkesnogDanish
  • MilchschlangeGerman
  • (Östliche) DreiecksnatterGerman
  • DreiecksnatterGerman
  • Östliche DreiecksnatterGerman
  • Östliche MilchnatterGerman
  • Rote KonigsnatterGerman
  • Rote KönigsnatterGerman
  • BarilaSpanish
  • coral falsa estranguladoraSpanish
  • Culebra-real coralilloSpanish
  • Falsa coralilloSpanish
  • Falsa coralillo real oriental estadounidenseSpanish
  • couleuvre tachetéeFrench
  • Vörös királysiklóHungarian
  • Serpente del latte orientaleItalian
  • ミルクヘビJapanese
  • Pieniškoji gyvatėLithuanian
  • melkesnokNorwegian Bokmål
  • MelkslangDutch
  • Doodooshaaboo GnebekOjibwa
  • lancetogłów mlecznyPolish
  • Cobra-do-leitePortuguese
  • Поперечнополосатая королевская змеяRussian
  • Ta:wíhsö:nSeneca
  • Королівська змія молочнаUkrainian
  • 牛奶蛇Chinese

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistITISWikidata

Relatives of the milk snake

Other species in the same genus Lampropeltis.

CompareMilk snake vs Common kingsnakeMilk snake vs California kingsnakeMilk snake vs Mexican kingsnakeMilk snake vs Gray-banded kingsnake

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the milk snake?

An adult milk snake weighs 950 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the milk snake live?

The milk snake has a recorded lifespan of 17.5 years.

Is the milk snake an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the milk snake as introduced in 4 countries: Belgium, Ecuador, Poland and South Africa, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

What kind of animal is the milk snake?

The milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) belongs to the family Colubridae in the order Squamata.

What eats the milk snake?

Animals recorded preying on the milk snake include coyote, striped skunk, raccoon and red fox. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Which animals does the milk snake eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the milk snake include redbelly snake, ring-necked snake, brown snake and garden snake. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/milk-snake

MLA

“Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/milk-snake.

BibTeX
@misc{milk_snake_2026,
  title = {Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/milk-snake},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}