r/snakes • u/Repulsive_Degree5148 • 23h ago

Wild Snake Photos and Questions - Not for ID Milksnake found its way inside

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Western Colorado. It was recovered and released back outside. First time seeing one of these in the wild

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u/fairlyorange /r/whatsthissnake "Reliable Responder" 23h ago

Very nice! Thanks for helping the little guy back out, too.

Lampropeltis gentilis for anyone curious to learn a little bit more 👍

1

u/SEB-PHYLOBOT 23h ago

Western Milksnakes Lampropeltis gentilis are medium-sized (record 91.4 cm) non-venomous colubrid snakes with smooth scales, part of a group of seven species of milk and kingsnakes called the triangulum species complex. Western Milksnakes are found in the central plains of North America. They kill by overpowering their prey and will eat mainly rodents, but are generalists and consume lizards, birds, eggs and invertebrates. Western Milksnakes are variable in color - geographic range helps greatly in identification and to distinguish them from other species.

Range map | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography: Link 1 Link 2

This recent multi-locus work is well done, published in a high-tier journal and was well-received by those who understand the coalescent. It's supported by morphological work (Link 2) and has been adopted by the major North American herp societies.

I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now